African Violet Basic Care Page 2

Don Geiss' lighting information

LIGHTING FOR PLANTS

Lights for African Violets are about as varied as the type of soil mix or fertilizer. At one time we placed plants on a window ledge in front of our picture window. They never flowered and it was thought that the light was not sufficient for the plants. We are surrounded by woods and the lack of flowering then could easily be blamed on the shade. Later as we learned some of the techniques for growing the plants we found that the lack of flowering was the fault of missing elements in our raising regimen.

The blame was removed from the lack of sufficient light later on when too many plants necessitated our placing some of them on that same shelf. They flowered beautifully. That tale was related to emphasize again that one particular aspect of growing should not be blamed out of hand for a failure. That aspect of overall techniques will be examined at a later time.

While most casual growers use a convenient windowsill, artificial light is usually the method of choice among people who have a more serious intent. Of course if any grower has too many plants to fit the existing window space they will also probably turn to plant stands and artificial light. Light coming through the window is generally adequate. Often window ledges are very narrow but there are extenders that will serve in that case.

It has been said that windows facing specific compass directions are better locations for plants than others. Our findings would suggest that it does not make that much of a difference but then there has never been an opportunity for us to try all directions. It is certain that the afternoon sun in summer is harmful to African violets. A sheer curtain will usually take care of the problem. It is necessary to turn the plants frequently because they always tend to lean toward the light. It would be interesting sometime for someone to try experiments of plant raising in various windows.

Artificial lighting generally catches the eye of people who grow many plants. Not only does a plant stand with lights provide more room to house the beauties but it also has other advantages over window light. First of all it is more balanced, thus plants tend to grow more uniformly. Although there may well be no proof, they are also faster growing we believe.

The question always arises about what type of fluorescent light should be used. In the beginning we believed that grow lights would best serve the purpose. A friend who worked in a location where grow lights were used was able to get them free of charge. She offered me all I could use because she preferred plain ones.

The plain ones she preferred were warm white but we have not differentiated between warm and cool. We feel that either does an adequate job. Of course one good reason for using plain lamps is that they are considerably less expensive. Remember now we are discussing these things from the viewpoint of someone who raises for the general public and so do not experiment as a grow for show person would.

It has been shown to us by customers that even an incandescent light on a table lamp can work effectively. The lamp should be from one foot to eighteen inches above the top of the plant and shine on it for about 12 hours per day. A friend who is an eye doctor had one of our plants in his waiting room. It was continually in flower. He had long office hours and despite the fact that the waiting room was dark the little lamp did the job.

To simply say use fluorescent lamps would leave out a most important if not the most important aspect of growing under artificial lights. It then demands that some sort of shelving will be important from which to hang the lamps. Shopping for a plant stand or making one is a major investment and necessitates much thought. It is not simply picking one for price but it must answer the question of light evenly covering each shelf. Also needing investigation is whether the shape of the stand lends itself well to a maximum number of plants.

Our stands are built in to three walls in a room. Each is four foot wide and about 12 feet long. They are three tiers high. Each shelf is lighted with four foot long 40 watt shop lights. They are lighted with warm or cool bulbs at random. Two shop racks 30 inches wide and three shelves high line the wall leading into the plant room. They have been spray painted white to give them a dressier appearance. One shoplight hangs from the bottom of each shelf. Each shelf has been made wider by bolting a piece of plywood to it. This extends the width from 12 inches to eighteen inches.

There are stands that can cost as much as $600. There are also types that are single shelved that cost as little as $60. We favored the shop racks because the entire arrangement cost us about $50 and has done an adequate job. (See our article with photo in the Nov. 98 AV Magazine.)

To read more of Don Geiss', and in particular about propagating from leaves, please continue on to African Violet Care Page 3. Thank you!

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