for the small additional cost. LED
lights can also be placed closer to
the plants because of their lower
heat signature. Just remember
that diff erent plants will require
diff erent lights and placement of
the lights.
Without getting into a whole lot
of technicalities about wattage,
distance from plants, and so
on, the best bet for the indoor
gardener is to pay a visit to your
local garden centre and look
through the options. Garden
centre staff will be able to direct
you to the right light for various
types of plants.
Plants are aff ected by
day length. This is called
photoperiodism. Long day
plants such as many garden
annuals and begonias will not
fl ower unless exposed to twelve
to fourteen hours of daylight
each day for a certain number
of days. Short day plants such
as kalanchoe, poinsettia, and
chrysanthemums must have
twelve hours of darkness to allow
buds to form. Others are called
indeterminate because they will
fl ower if they simply receive
suffi cient light. Examples of these
include tomatoes, impatiens, and
African violets. As a general rule
of thumb, most vegetables and
fl owering plants need twelve to
sixteen hours of light per day,
with fl owering plants at the top
end of that range. Plan on giving
most plants at least eight hours of
darkness per day.
The bottom line here is that you
will need to research the plants
that you are endeavouring to
grow under artifi cial light in order
to provide optimum conditions.
Remember that your plants will
be growing more rapidly under
artifi cial light and may require
altering their watering and
fertilizing schedules. Because
plants don’t receive rest when
growing under intense lighting,
it may be necessary to remove
them from the artifi cial light for
a time once they have fi nished
blooming. They may
need to be watered
and fertilized
less frequently
to encourage their normal
dormancy. This may diff er for
each plant, so do your homework.
Flowering plants in the darkest
of winter is not a problem.
Imagine the warmth and
cheeriness provided by these
blooms or picking your own
cherry tomatoes in January. The
bonus is that you can even start
your own seeds for the outdoor
garden under these lights. Turn
the spotlight on your plants and
make them into the stars they
really are. ●
Gerald has been the gardening
columnist for the Edmonton
Journal for over 30 years and
is the author of Just Ask Jerry.
In the past he co-owned a
landscaping fi rm and has a
certifi cate in landscape design.
news&views WINTER 2019 | 31