Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
I TIP MY HAT to the adventurous soul who long ago placed African violets under fluorescent lights and discovered the magnificent results — constant bloom regardless of weather, and uniform growth without weekly turning. Today we know that almost any plant will thrive under lights. Vegetable seeds, for instance, if started in advance of the outdoor planting season, will grow strong and bushy beneath fluorescent lights — not weak and spindly as with windowsill culture. Fortunately, there is “light garden” to fit every home — and every budget:
TYPES OF SETUPS
Pictured above are two types of fluorescent set ups, each available from Gardener’s Supply. On the left is a three-tier light cart, for $569. On the right is a tabletop stand for $150. Although expensive, such setups are great for gardeners who don’t have the time or patience for DIY projects.
You can, for very little expense, produce your own light garden. I had five 48″x12″ shelves installed on the back wall of my study, as pictured above. Over each shelf I suspended a 48″ shop light. Shop lights feature a pair of fluorescent tubes, and are sold by most hardware stores for about $10. My setup is hardly glamorous, but who cares? This garden is in a “non-public” room, and the African violets, geraniums, and petunias that flower there do much to mitigate the utilitarian quality of the fixtures. Total cost for shelves, lights and labor? Under $100.
You can also turn a quite narrow section of your kitchen into a lavish garden. I did this very thing by mounting two shop lights to the underside of cabinets. This 6-inch wide garden has featured African violets during some years, and fresh culinary herbs during others. Total cost for these two gardens that bring such life and beauty to my kitchen? Less than $22.00.
WHAT SIZE FLUORESCENTS
Keep in mind that every square foot of growing area requires 15 to 20 watts of fluorescent light. Thus each of my plant shelves require two 48-inch, 40-watt tubes to illuminate the 12″ x 48″-inch space below. Because the center of a fluorescent tube emits the strongest light (and this is where you place your flat of tomato seedlings), it pays to get the longest possible tubes. You may not have room for 96-inch tubes, but most of us can manage the 48s. If space is severely limited, and if you have but a few plants or only one flat of seeds, a pair of 24-inch tubes will suffice.
TYPES OF TUBES
Growth lamps are more expensive than traditional commercial types, but experience shows they are not more effective. Easy-to-find “cool white” (the kind I use) and “daylight” fluorescents are preferred by most gardeners. Some growers like to combine one cool white with one daylight tube. Cool white tubes, 48 inches in length, sell for about $2.00 each.
LENGTH OF LIFE
When I install new tubes, I always mark the date with a grease pencil. They don’t last forever, and a slowing up of growth or bloom usually indicates that light is waning. Dirt can also interfere with light; city dwellers should clean tubes weekly, and the rest of us monthly. As a rule of thumb, one year is about the limit of a tube’s horticultural usefulness.
DISTANCE AND HOURS
It is impossible to state with conviction how much distance should exist between lights and plants, or how many hours plants should be illuminated. Different plants behave in different ways, under differing circumstances. In general, if foliage looks pale, or leaves curl under, you can assume the plants are too close. On the other hand, spindly growth or poor bloom suggests they are too far. Raise or lower plants (or lights) as experience indicates.
Regarding hours of illumination, you can experiment with 10 hours at first, and then increase the time as growth suggests. My own plants lounge and luxuriate beneath lights for 16 hours each day. I rely on a timer, not my memory, to turn the lights on in the morning and off at night.
I hope I’ve convinced you to turn your own basement, kitchen, study or dark basement into a thriving oasis of tropical flowers and culinary herbs. And don’t forget, a fluorescent lamp is the smartest way to get a head start on long-season, heat-loving veggies, including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and even onions.
If you already have a light garden in your home, please tell us about it! Which plants do you grow there? For how many hours each day do you illuminate them?
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Related Posts:
African Violets: My Easy, Always-In-Bloom Program
Kitchen Counter Herb Garden
Adele says
Great info! I have fluorescent lights above my kitchen counter, but they have white, plastic covers over them. Do you think I should take the covers off before attempting tomato seeds?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Adele – yes, remove the covers. Also, if the tubes are more than a year old, replace them with fresh, 40-watt tubes.
Sally says
Kevin, like you, I have gardened under lights for years! I actually bought 4 stackable, wire-mesh shelves from Lowes, and rigged shop lights above them. I wouldn't call it “pretty,” but it was cheap to make, and it sure is functional!
I use my light garden mostly for growing (and propagating) African violets and other gesneriads.
Sally says
Forgot to mention…I'm not really sure how long I light the plants each day. I turn them on when I get up in the morning, and off before I go to bed. African violets are not fussy about long days.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Sally – What a great idea – building a “light” rack with wire-mesh shelves. Your AVs and others must look delightful upon them. And that's true about AVs: they do not need specific hours of light each day. They are “neutral” on the matter!
James says
I've research prefab lighting carts online, and wow! they are really pricey! Kevin, how involved was it to set up lights on your kitchen counter?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
James – the kitchen counter setups were not involved at all. The fixtures were extremely light weight, and thus easy to hang. No wiring involved — you merely plug them in. I inserted small cup hooks into the base of my kitchen cabinets, and suspended the lights using the nifty chains that came with them. All told, it took me 10 minutes to install both fixtures.
Weed seeds - Ministry of Cannabis says
Some seeds may germinate in 24 hours although some usually takes many nights or even a
week. To make sure the best yield as well as leading quality while in the shortest
period of time, however, a few particulars are necessary.
Since pot doesn’t excel in soil the ph should really be between 6.5 and 7.5.
You need to use this menu if you want to generate your own soil mix: Blend
two elements moss with one element pearlite or and one part mud
to each four gallons of dirt. Check your dirt for ph with litmus
paper or having a soil screening set offered by most vegetable stores.
You will must think of some type of jar to plant in. The pot should really be sterilized aswell,
especially if they have been employed beforehand for
rising other flowers after you have prepared your earth.
The container’s size has a great deal related to the
price of expansion and general measurement of the
plant. Without light, the crops cannot expand.
I’ve raised a few from vegetables.