Advertisement
Growing With Your Light Garden
By controlling the intensity and duration of light,
you can grow healthier and more beautiful plants
than ever before. The proximity of the light fixtures
to your plants is very important because it affects
light intensity. The closer the light, the greater the
intensity. Plants that normally grow outdoors in full
sun require the highest light intensity. This includes
most flower and vegetable plants, orchids, gardenias
and citrus. For these plants, light tubes should be
very close—no more than 3 inches away from the
foliage. This need for intense light holds true for
seedlings too (your vegetable and flower seedlings
will grow tall and spindly if they are too far away
from the lights).
Most common flowering houseplants do not
require as much light intensity. African violets and
begonias will be quite happy 10 to 12 inches away
from the light tubes. Nonflowering tropical plants
such as philodendrons and ivies can be placed
between 20 and 36 inches from the light (see chart).
If you're growing different types of plants under
one light fixture, you may need to vary the height
of the pots. Place light-loving plants on an upside
down flower pot or other platform to get them
closer to the light. Your plants will also receive the
best light intensity if they are placed under the
middle section of the light fixtures, rather than
the ends.
As your plants grow, raise the light fixture to
maintain the appropriate distance between the top
of the plant and the light tubes.
Leaving the Lights On
No matter what types of plants you are growing
indoors, you should always give them time to
"sleep." When it's dark, plants respirate, which is
an important part of their growth process. The bal-
ance of rest time to active growth time affects many
biological processes, including growth rate and the
setting of buds and fruit.
Some plants need higher light
intensity than others
For most seedlings,
keep plants no more than
3 inches from the lights.
Like people, plants differ in the amount of rest
they require. They are categorized according to their
preferred day length: short-day, long-day, or day-
neutral.
Short-day plants, such as chrysanthemums,
kalanchoe, azaleas and begonias will thrive on 12
hours per day. In fact, these plants usually require a
series of even shorter days (less than 12 hours)
before they will set buds and flower.
Long-day plants require at least 14 to 18 hours of
light each day. Vegetables and most flowers fall into
this category. Day-neutral plants, which include
non-flowering foliage plants, as well as geraniums,
coleus, and African violets are usually satisfied with
8 to 12 hours of light all year-round.
Using automatic timers is the best way to ensure
that your plants receive the right duration of light
each day. Group your plants under each light fixture
according to what day length they prefer and your
indoor gardening adventures will be easier and
much more rewarding.
Recommended Distance Between
Houseplants and Light Tubes
Plant
African violet
Azalea
Cactus
Cineraria
Caladium
Camellia
Chlorophytum (spider plant)
Chrysanthemum
Citrus
Cyclamen
Dendrobium
Gardenia
Geranium
Gloxinia
Herbs (culinary)
Hibiscus
Jasmine
Kalanchoe
Oncidium orchid
Pepperomia
Phaelenopsis orchid
Philodendron
Sansivieria (snake plant)
Schefflera (umbrella plant)
Scindapsus (pothos plant)
Spathyphylum (spathe plant)
Streptocarpus
Succulents
Tolmiea (piggy back plant)
-4-
Approximate
Distance (inches)
10"-12"
10"-12
10"-12"
10"-12"
18"-20"
10"-12"
18"-20"
3"-4"
3"-4"
10"-12"
3"-4"
3"-4"
3"-4"
10"-12"
3"-4"
3"-4"
10"-12"
3"-4"
3"-4"
18"-20"
3"-4"
20"-36"
20"-36"
18"-20"
18"-20"
20"-36"
6"-8"
10"-12"
18"-20"
Advertisement
