Shedding some light on growing indoor plants

If you do not have a yard, or you have plants that cannot survive outdoors in winter, here’s a new venture you might want to consider, growing plants indoors.

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We all know plants need light to grow, but not all homes have sufficient windows to allow light through. On the other hand, you may have huge windows resulting in too much light and your plants possibly being scorched.

Indoor plant growing has its challenges and you will need to research what sort of light spectrum your plants will flourish under. The majority of plants use the entire spectrum, but red and blue are the most important and in the example of African violets, both colours are both needed, blue to grow and red to flower.

Your available space is also important to consider when determining what type of plants you want to grow indoors. Give thought to the amount of electricity you can afford to use as vegetables, for example, require more light than say exotic plants do.

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Choosing a different bulb

Instead of plant bulbs you will need to know what light bulbs to select. Pick incandescent bulbs for a superior source of red light. These bulbs are most commonly used in the home and emit a poor amount of blue light. Although they good for lighting up a room they are only suitable for growing low-light houseplants.

Fluorescent bulbs achieve as much as three times more light intensity than incandescent bulbs and are great for plants with low to medium light requirements. There are three different bulb options with fluorescent lights:

Cool white – good for plants needing blue and yellow-green light.
Warm white – give off more red and orange light.
Full-spectrum – offer the best of  both worlds and are used for many different indoor plants.

High-intensity discharge lamps are ideal for growing a large amount of indoor plants. They are extremely energy efficient and produce the most light out of the three types of bulbs, but they are also the most expensive of the light bulbs.

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Setting up your plant lights

Once you have identified your dedicated spot and set up your plants you need to hang  the bulbs the proper distance away from your specific type of plant. The distance between the light and the plant species varies. A good rule is at least 25.4cm and avoid placing the lights more than a metre away from your plants.

Lights out

Remember plants also need darkness to rest. Although they can grow under continuous light, plants need a dark period to take a breather. A 12 hour duration of light is normal, but depending on the plants you are growing, they may need more or less light, so make sure you have done your homework.

Keeping it tidy

Indoor plants also require attention and in order for each side of the plant to receive the same amount of light, they need to be rotated each week. It’s also important to check that the plant lights are in good condition and the bulbs are not dimming, and lastly, enjoy admiring them while you water and fertilise as needed.

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