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Lighting Tips For Healthier Plants
Healthy light lunch ideas, light healthy dinner ideas, tips for healthy indoor plant
Light Intensities:
A. For germinating seeds and rooting cuttings: 10 lamp watts per sft
of growing area
Germination of seeds will improve if the lighting intensity is 10 watts
per square foot and placed 6” to 8” above the soil level. Research also
shows that seeds germinate well under exposed conditions rather than when
they are covered with a little mud. Alternatively, the seeds can be first
thinly covered with soil, vermiculite or perlite and then the cover can
be scraped off gently after sufficiently soaking the medium. This permits
more light and air to permeate the seed zone.
Nurture Lite fluorescent bulbs are effective in developing seeds for planting
outside during the spring. Seedlings are fragile and need to be toughened
before they are planted outside. This can be done by slowly decreasing
heat and allowing the seedlings to get a little dry. This will help them
prepare for conditions in the outdoor environment. The traditional way
is to expose the seedlings to daylight and keep them indoors during the
hours of darkness until they become strong and tough enough to be enough
for outdoor planting. This process will take around ten days. During the
formative period, shade is required as the plants are vulnerable to sunlight.
Air circulation plays an important role in stabilizing the seedlings for
the outdoors as they reduce temperature and prevent the plants from drooping.
B. For low energy growing plants: 15 lamp watts per sft of growing area
Lighting power of 15 lamp watts per sft of planting area located about
12” to 15” above the plants is required for low energy growing plants.
Most household plants come under this category.
C. For high energy growing plants: 20 lamp watts per sft of growing
area
Plants such as vegetables like beans and tomatoes, and flowers like rose,
chrysanthemums and carnations require high energy. These plants require
about 20 lamp watts lighting placed 12” to 15’ above them. Plants grown
in protected areas with meagre light, they need 10 to 20 percent of the
total wattage which can be achieved by using by incandescent lamps or
the Nurture Lite bulbs. These bulbs offer far red radiation which aids
normal plant growth for high energy plants.
Length of Light Periods (Photoperiod):
A. For the germination of seeds and rooting cuttings:
16 hours of lighting can bring the effects you are looking for with freshly
formed seedlings and cuttings that have taken root. Before actual transplanting,
a longer lighting period of about 20 hours is advisable.
B. Short day plants - Duration of light:
The duration of light required, is between 10 and 13 hours for plants
like chrysanthemums, poinsettias, gardenias, and Christmas begonias.
C. Long Day Plants:
In the case of plants like 14 to 18 hours for plants like calceolaria,
China asters, dahlias, nasturtium, coreopsis, and annuals, between 14
and 18 hours are required.
D. Day Neutral Plants (Not affected by Photoperiod):
Plants like begonias, carnations, coleus, African violets, gloxinias,
geraniums and roses need between 12 to 18 hours.
Cultural Requirements:
A. Plant ambient temperature:
It is important that the temperature remains around 70 - 75° F during
the day and around 60 - 65°F during the night. This applies to the majority
of plants.
B. Plant environment humidity:
An ideal environment for growth requires about 50 - 60% humidity, supported
with good air circulation.
C. Plant spacing:
Allow the plants to grow freely in a more spacious area. This will make
the plant disease resistant and will encourage healthy, robust leaves,
stems and roots.
D. Plant watering:
Watering plants when the lights are switched on is a wise practice because
plants require water badly at such times, when the heat in the area is
increasing with the presence of the light.
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