I have a large picture window that I have a bunch of plants in front of (I bring them in during the winter, take them outside in the summer). The plants are tropical fruit plants (mango, avacado, lemon, lime, etc.) and need as much light as possible.
I'm planning on putting a storm window over the picture window, and I have a choice of regular glass and low-e glass. The price difference is minimal, but before I go with the low-e I want to know if it is going to block wavelengths that are beneficial to the plants.
There will be some loss of light caused by just by adding a clear storm window. Any additional loss due to low-e glass will most likely be very small in comparison to that first loss.
We replaced our windows with new one that have low-e glass and the house plants have been fine.
Here's some info on light transmissibility:
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manufacturer answers FAQs here:
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that page ("Will PPG Low-E glass affect my plants?")
"The wavelength of radiant energy used during photosynthesis is between
320 and 700 nm.
"The maximum % energy transmitted by SOLARBAN 60 coated glass, for example, is between 400 and 700 nm, the same energy range as that primarily used by plants. For comparison, the total visible light (380 to 770 nm) transmitted by a 1? clear insulating glass unit (2 lites of ¼?clear glass with a ½? airspace) is 79% versus 69% for a similar unit with a SOLARBAN 60 coating. While this is a decrease in useful solar energy being transmitted, it is less of a decrease than going from unobstructed outdoor growth to growing behind clear glass, or the reduction that may occur simply by placing plants further from the windows.
"In general, most plants that can be grown behind a clear glass window would also be expected to grow behind SOLARBAN 60 coated glass units."
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