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Re: Seeds Under Lights Versus Greenhouse

Different plants respond to day length in different ways so a short day in
a greenhouse would not be good for one plant while a 16 hour day under
lights would not be good for a different plant that needed a short day.
Hosta seedlings are kept by most hybridizers under 24 hr lights in order to
maintain juvenile growth. Like everything there are no easy answers. It
would be nice to compare notes.

At 08:17 AM 5/28/97 -0800, Robert Tonkin wrote:
>> You wrote: 
> Here in Ontario, January days are short.  I always thought
>that leaving the lights on for 16 hours would be preferable to a
>greenhouse, making the plants believe we were having longer days than 
>we eally would be during the winter.
>
>Does anyone care to comment on this?  If it is true that some plants
>respond better to greenhouse conditions, and others to lights, does
>anyone have lists of which plants prefer which, and which plants don't
>care?
>
>Heather,
>
>I start seeds of annuals and alpine perennials under lights about the end
>of January. Works fine for me. Pansies for the wife are ready to go out by
>spring. I have a plant light stand in my den and one wall of my garage is
>lightbanks. Here in Juneau we have a shortage of sunshine until April
>(actually we have a shortage of sunshine most of the year, but that is a
>different story). I guess the answer to your question has to do with what
>you are trying to propagate or grow on. Annuals can be propagated and
>potted under lights for planting in your flower garden long before the snow
>leaves. Difficult plants and alpines also do well, although I try to move
>them out to my unheated greenhouse as soon as possible. I believe air
>circulation is more an important factor than anything. Some literature
>suggests leaving lights on 24 hours a day, I use 12 and 12, works for me.
>
>I would have to disagree with the advice given to you by your local grower.
>I have had success with dozens of annuals and alpines under lights. I have
>also had dozens and dozens of failures, but it hasn't slowed me down much.
>
>May I suggest trying as many different methods as you have time for, write
>down the results and adopt what works for you, and abandon what doesn't. I
>can have just as much pleasure killing plants and finding out what doesn't
>work as I do with successful growing. My pleasure arrives from the act of
>getting my hands dirty.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Robert Tonkin
>Juneau, Alaska
>A Very Wet Zone 6
>
>
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