Will a 27 watt desk light work for African Violets?

14 years ago

I work in a cube farm and get no natural light, but I want AV's at my desk. I found a lamp at my hardware store very similar to this one, but it's only $20.00:

http://www.amazon.com/Grandrich-ES-201-BUR-Burlwood-Spectrum/dp/B001R4CDPI/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1242954662&sr=1-12

It seems like similar lights marketed for plants only use a 9W full-spectrum light. I'm guessing I'd just need to adjust the distance between the plant and the light...does that sound right?

Also, I'm planning to probably have minis/semiminis.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

larry_b
14 years ago
I can't tell if that is an incandescent for fluorescent bulb. If it is fluorescent then I don't see why it would not work. You will have to have the bulb a little closer to the plant. Know that minis and semiminis need more light than standards though. There is a distance where even a fluorescent light starts to become hot.

I hope this helps.

Larry
nutterbutter
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you for your response, Larry. The one at my hardware store is a compact fluorescent.

Thanks again.
Related Discussions
May I see your African Violet displays?
Q
Comments (30)
Oakley - you can see - we are all hoarders! The one exception - is Larry - Minimac gave you a link that show his shelves in a living room. I would say it is a perfect arrangement - you can grow and see your plants at the same time. And Larry refuses to get more plants than he can comfortably grow well and enjoy. I would say - it is a great addition to the room. I would add a top guards on the shelves- so then you do not see the tubes themselves. Irina
...See More
Does anyone only have one African Violet?
Q
Comments (51)
When my grandmother passed away in 1999 I rescued an AV from her kitchen table. Her house had already been closed up for a few weeks when we went to clean it out, and it was mid-summer, so the poor thing had essentially been in an oven. It was all brown and dried out, and my heart went out to it. I had no idea what it was, but I took it home... and promptly killed it by over-watering it. Enter AV #2, because clearly I needed to prove to myself that I could take care of one and not kill it. So for a little while, yes, I had only one AV. However, AVs #3, 4, 5, and 6 followed closely thereafter. Then I moved from Boston to LA. My apartment I was moving into didn't get any light and I was worried the AVs would die during the road trip, so I left them all with my mother. That was years ago and she's taken wonderful care of them. She always shows them off to me when I visit them. I mean her. :0) Now for the most recent round of obsession... Three years ago I rescued an AV off of a co-workers desk after she quit unexpectedly (that's the one that's never bloomed until now). For a few weeks, yes, I owned only one. But then I happened to see one with girl foliage at the supermarket, and found it so unusual that I had to buy it. For three years I had just the two AVs, but now I'm in full-on obsession mode again. It started when I moved into my condo over the summer and had all this sunlight flooding in... and, well, you can imagine the rest!
...See More
Is my African Violet in Shock?
Q
Comments (9)
Yikes! You must be rather upset about the state of your greenling - I know I would be. The experts may have different opinion (I'm just a lover / hobby grower, so take my opinion with a spoonful of salt) but I wanted to reply since I thought you might be feeling anxious. If that was my plant, I'd make sure it had moisture - the top of the soil looks partly wet and partly dry - so I'd water it in to ensure the roots have soil around them and then bag it in a gallon baggie and set the sealed baggie in a window with lots of light. I received a violet in the mail that endured much what yours did - it got all beat up in shipping and came mostly out of it's pot. I let it sit over night and it looked much like yours, so the next day I repotted it, watered it in, and it recovered nicely. I have a shelf with lights where mine lives but if I didn't I'd have put it in a windowsill with plenty of light (not SUN). Good luck and hopefully someone with more knowledge will reply to you soon.
...See More
African Violets and AeroGrow Lights....
Q
Comments (4)
Hello Aveo, I grow AVs under lights too. They aren't in an AeroGarden likes yours though. You have several options to fix your problem. First, you could reduce the amount of time the plants are under lights. Try 10 hours for a few weeks to see how your plants respond. You could also move the lights further from the plants....like 12 inches or so. But, I don't think you're able to raise the lights any further with your system, right? Last case scenario would be to remove one of the lights. Typically, AVs that are grown under lights are grown in a 2-bulb fluorescent system that produces 4000-5000 lumens over 4 feet of space. The lights are about 10 inches from standard sized plants and 6 inches from semis, minis, and seedlings. FWIW, different plants do react differently to the intensity of lights. Plants with dark green leaves or with purple/red blooms can take more intense lighting than lighter bloomed flowers and light green plants. I hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: African Violet Brats Forum
...See More
phoebesviolets
14 years ago
I can tell you from experience they work very well!
kyoto7
13 years ago
That's right..they can work pretty well, but it is better to use LED model (more efficient)

Here is a link that might be useful: LED lamp
irina_co
13 years ago
Kyoto -

you need around 600 candles per foot light intensity on a level of plant leaves to make it bloom 10 months out of the year. The only way to check it - is to use the light meter if you have one. We tried 27wt corkscrew fluorescent in our club - and it only provided 150 c/f. Which means the violet will bloom very rarely. Any ambient light will be appreciated - from a fluorescent fixture above or window.

My guess'd be that LED is a bit low too. But to be sure - we need to measure it.
Good Luck and lets bring green in our cubicles.

Irina
quinnfyre
13 years ago
I have one 30W CFL in my desk lamp, and it was lighting 11 AVs, and they were all blooming. It was a mix of minis, semiminis and standards. I just thinned it down to 7 yesterday (moved the others to different locations). It gets a tiny bit of overspill from an 85W to the left (angle is wrong, and the reflector is pointing most of the light down into my terrarium), but really, that 30W is pretty much the light that they get. The lamp is about 8 or 9 inches above the leaves. I think I have the light on for 12 or 13 hrs.

My lamp is your standard desk lamp with the angular adjustable arm. I wish it had a wider dome/reflector, but it got appropriated to light my AVs. It was originally supposed to actually be my desk lamp : )
Leon Ash
8 years ago
There are LED bulbs for sale marked "daylight" that are rated 4500k-6000K. These will fit into any lamp.
irina_co
8 years ago
Leon

- you are answering the question that is 7 years old...at that time ... they didn't have as many choices as we do now... At least something good happens with time, not only arthritis and wrinkles...
Leon Ash
8 years ago
Yes, I know that the question was old. However, I've seen many posts made now that insist on using fluorescent bulbs. My point is than the modern LED bulbs, which fit most lamps in our homes will also do it.

As for wrinkles, at my age they no longer matter.
irina_co
8 years ago
I deny having any wrinkles except the one I am sitting on. And I will keep denying.

Anyway - the use of a table lamp only permits 1 plant under it - may be 3 minis - doesn't matter it is LED or CFL. The point source of light has a small area where the intensity is right - and then it dissipates. For any kind of collection - you need tubes doesn't matter - fluorescent or LEDs - that create a good evenly lighted surface.

Will a 27 watt desk light work for African Violets?

Comments (10)

larry_b

nutterbutter
Original Author

Related Discussions

phoebesviolets

kyoto7

irina_co

quinnfyre

Leon Ash

irina_co

Leon Ash

irina_co

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Will a 27 watt desk light work for African Violets?

Comments (10)

nutterbutterOriginal Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

nutterbutter
Original Author