Sunlight Issues
I have to find a good spot in my home for succulents. One I got the other day has a yellow leaf from stretching I believe.
The light that comes in thru windows is shadowy. If you have ever been outside and the clouds went over the sun for a few moments, that would explain "shadowy light".
Should I open the windows? We have a screen over the space when you lift up a window....
We have hot, humid Georgia weather. Surely, when we open the windows, it's slightly brighter. But it's hotter and more humid than without the window open. We don't get very bright light coming into our house. I need to find a fix, and fast.
Comments (49)
socks
6 years ago
mesembs
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Slow Privets
Comments (1)I would give them some time and don't try to over-baby them. It often takes shrubs 6 - 8 weeks to start building up new feeder roots and generally when you see little or nothing going on "up top", that's a signal that things are happening "down under" (note that unchecked, privet can often pop up many feet away because of their extensive root systems). My mother had a younger neighbor help her plant 6 similarly sized b&bs as yours along the side of her house about 7 years ago, and they were real slow to get moving, but have finally filled out. She was just as frustrated during that first year and subsequent ones with what amounted to bare twigs with minimal leafing each year. But knowing how long-lived they can be, it's just one of those things where patience is a virtue. Yours were probably really dormant and we have had some cool weather the past couple months (despite the mild winter), so newly planted things may have slowed a bit. Hopefully the upcoming week will start to pop them....See MoreTropical Garage in Paradise
Comments (25)(Mike here)The metal halide are the best over all. They give you the full light spectrum (that looks white) also they sell ones that cover the blue light spectrum only. They look bluish. If you have a swap meet or flea market near by you can usually pick up some good ones for fairly cheap. If you not sure if its sodium or metal halide the name should be one the bulb it self. If you get sodium it has to be high pressure sodium with enhanced spectrum. Downtown at the old town aquarium pet shop they sell all types of metal halide and color spectrums for fairly cheap. I use them for my coral I have in my fish tank. The plants love it too....See Moreleggy seedlings
Comments (9)Cassie- i is perfectly safe to break off the seed leaves and plant the seedlings up to the first set of real leaves no matter how long the stem is at that time, But let me first say that although sunlight and strong light is one of the main issues in leggy seedlings,the most important other isssue is do not plant and re-pot into potting mix at this time as this only seves to stretch them even more- as tomatoes are greedy gross feeders and take full advantage of the extra fertilizer and shoot upwards rapidly onece potted in it, it is only safe to use potting mix about three weeks before planting out time is due, by the time planting out time is reached they will have grabbed hold of the extrra feed in the mix and will beging to grow steadily upwards just at the right time, it is far better to only re-pot them in seed starting mix up until that time....See MoreHelp - my new Ficus Lyrata is not doing well !
Comments (12)I think I might be underwatering the plant. With 5 cups of water there is only little water (1/2 a cup maybe less) that comes out of the drain. Could it be a mix of underwatering/new environment/winter dry air and not enough sunlight... ? Almost all plants in the Ficus genus are quite tolerant of low humidity, this, due to the fact the leaf cuticle (skin) is rich in natural waxes that limit evaporative water loss. That said, centrally heated homes in zones 7 and lower can be drier than the Sahara Desert in the middle of winter. While this might not be enough to cause the damage manifest in your plant's leaves, when combined with a compromised root system, it can be a severe problem, so it's very important to get a handle on the watering. Your problem might be related to the entire soil mass not getting moistened when you water. When this occurs, the smallest roots in the dry areas of the soil mass die. This limits water uptake, and the symptoms your plant exhibits. Part of the reason this happens COULD be related to the soil mass shrinking and pulling away from the container wall, leaving a gap through which the water you apply can move directly from the top of the soil to the bottom of the pot w/o moving through the soil mass. We often give little or no consideration to root health (out of sight - out of mind), but it's easy to gain some perspective on how important root health is when we recognize a healthy plant is not even a possibility unless the root system is healthy. The plant has some green vitamins [controlled release fertilizer (CRF)] grains on the top surface of the soil but the Plant Shop employee told me that it would help the plant acclimate to its new environment. The advice you receive is true in a roundabout way. An appropriate level of nutrients is always desirable; however, when you're not flushing the entire soil mass, CRFs continually contribute to the level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution. I suggest you remove them, flush the soil, and start using a good soluble fertilizer. I have around 200 trees in pots and use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for all of them - best I've found. If you're interested in why, just ask, but there are probably less technical issues to address at this point. Do you think the damaged leaves can be saved ? When leaves begin progressively losing ability to make food for the plant (photosynthesize), there will be a point at which chemical messengers will tell the plant the leaf is no longer an asset and should be shed. Leaves are not regenerative organisms like animals, which can regenerate tissues in the same spatial position during the "healing" process. This means the plant cannot replace the damaged areas on existing leaves. In fact, it cannot even replace the damaged leaves. Leaves that form as a branch extends remain on the branch until cultural conditions cause shedding. That type of leaf will always be a leaf only, but several cultural factors as well as pruning can cause a new branch can form from dormant buds immediately above the leaf or it's attachment point to the branch (leaf axil). In this ficus cutting ^ you see the beginnings of new branches in the axil (crotch) of both leaves. This occurred because the growing tip of the cutting was removed (pinched). I said all the above so I could say even though your spoiled foliage will always be spoiled until it's shed or removed, there are several strategies through which leaves can be removed so new branches will form where the singular leaf is/was attached. Hard pruning a healthy ficus can cause an 'explosion' of new growth. The Ficus below was pruned very hard in June; note the pile of prunings in the foreground: Same tree 2 months later ^^^ Same tree/same day as image above after pruning and wiring for shape. ....... how long till I get new leaves ? That depends on a number of cultural factors. If you can get the plant on the path to recovery soon, you should be able to do some hard work (repotting, root-pruning, and pruning of the top by mid-summer). If all goes well, and you stick to a plan, you should be able to complete the work in summer of '21. One thing you learn when working with trees is patience; however, that's not to say the the improvement in the tree's o/a level of vitality won't be made manifest in an increase in its eye appeal. Al...See Moresucculentss
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
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Edie
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6 years agoEdie
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI think I paid $35 for this T5HO setup. It's a single 24" bulb. Came with the reflector and wire legs. These are sold with the seed starting supplies. Great for a few plants in a small space. I've got too many plants underneath and they're all leaning in towards the center, so I have to keep rotating and repositioning. A single row of 4" pots would be happy here.
Edited to add: if you're buying fluorescent tubes, the 48" is easier to find and often cheaper than 24" or 18" tubes. So if you have the space for a long fixture, get the 48" size. It will be less expensive to replace bulbs when the time comes.
succulentss thanked Ediesucculentss
6 years agosucculentss
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Erin
6 years ago
Paul MI
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6 years ago
ewwmayo
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoErin - Depending how many lights and fans you have, along with where you live, it's likely not quite so much. I have 11xT5HO fixtures and two powerful fans running. Costs me very close to $1 CAD per day to run, considering time of use electricity pricing. Each month that's about $30 CAD.
One fan runs only part of the day, the other always, and the lights are on for 10-12 hours, depending on the season. Here is the energy usage with everything on:
And what some of my lights/succulents look like indoors:
Most probably have fewer lights - these cover my collection of about 300 succulents indoors from fall to spring.
For most succulent growers, two 4' T5HO fixtures with reflectors can cover around 12" x 54" of growing space. Each fixture is about $50 CAD and costs about $30 CAD to run all year long from sunset to sunrise.
Edie
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoYou'll need the shelf, a power strip, a plug-in timer, the light fixtures, bulbs/tubes, and something to attach the fixtures to the shelves. Plus any tools your particular shelf requires for assembly.
This is the timer I'm using for the little T5. It only accepts a two-prong plug, so I can't use it with a power strip. Before you buy a timer, check to see what you can plug into it. It's an important item but does not need to be fancy/expensive.
The shelf and light fixtures need to be sizes that work well together. The bulbs/tubes need to fit the fixtures. When you get home, first put the shelf together (mine only required a rubber mallet to bang the parts together) and place it near a wall outlet. I bought a metal utility shelf because it's big and sturdy, and I can easily hang s-hooks from the open wire shelves. It's 72" tall and 48" wide, so 48" lamps fit nicely. The shelf I have can be assembled with the shelves different distances apart. Mine are set up so I have one shelf for tall plants, one for medium, and one for short plants. Changing the distance requires taking the entire thing apart. Remember that the lights take up a few inches of vertical space.
Check to make sure your lights work by laying them on the floor one at a time. Install a pair of tubes, and plug the light in. Do they all light up? Great. Now unplug the lights and take the bulbs out.
Plug the timer into the wall, and the power strip into the timer. Figure out where you need the power strip to be. My power strip lives on the middle shelf because all the cords are short, and this way everything reaches what it needs to. The string keeps the top-heavy monstrosity from falling off the shelf. I have a single-outlet to six-outlet converter in the power strip so I can plug eight separate fixtures into a six-outlet power strip. The alternative is to buy fixtures that hold four or six bulbs each, and only have one fixture per shelf. I'm willing to deal with the cord craziness because it's cheaper to buy multiple shop lights.
Most of the lights I have are the cheapest four-foot T12 shop lights with power cords but no on/off switch. My one T8 fixture also has a short pull chain to turn it on and off, which I don't need. The timer turns them on and off on a daily schedule. T12 lights are supposedly being phased out but still available. I like them. They run cooler than T8 and T5 and I can have them closer to the plants without burning. My T5HO is too hot for me to touch when it's on, but the T12s are gently warm. I consider the heat a bonus. It creates a day/night temperature difference, warms the roots during the day, and the potting mix dries out faster. It wouldn't work for cloud forest orchids, but succulents like it. It's probably why mine are still alive in their original peat. (I'm still looking for the ingredients for gritty mix, but so far everything's OK without it, so it's not a priority.) Plants that need cooler soil get the bottom shelf so they don't have light bulbs heating them from below.
Hang the lights from the shelves. The lights come with chains, which have hooks on the end to hook into holes on the lights. The chains are designed to screw into overhead beams, so you'll need an alternate way to hang the lights. I bought small s-hooks and hooked them into the holes. I already had oval links from another project and re-purposed them; you can use a second s-hook instead.
Or you can use cable ties. They're cheap. For my first version, I used nothing but cable ties to hang the lights. Paracord also works but it's fiddly to get the lights level when you are tying both sides in place, and you need knot-tying skills.
It's messy and dirty, but it works. I periodically use a small whisk-broom to clean the top of the lamps. Various mismatched trays and saucers help keep water away from the electricity.
When the lights are firmly attached, install the bulbs. Plug the lamp cords into the power strip. Set the timer and make sure everything lights up. The plants go in place last. Mine are indoors from late September to late May. I may keep the succulents in this summer. Last summer the chipmunks ate some of them.
Good luck!
ewwmayo
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoEdie - If you look around, you may be able to find timers that can handle a higher amp rating. Here are the mechanical timers I use that have two NEMA 5-15 receptacles on each. One is for fan, another lights, and last for data-logger charging (second fan timer not shown).
With power bars, make sure you don't daisy chain them together and don't exceed 12A continuous draw (1.4kW) on a single circuit.
A bit late for you, but for others you can get light fixtures that can daisy-chain together, which reduces the cable mess significantly. Mine can handle up to 8x T5HO connected together:
If you have a fan blowing continuously, the bulb temperatures for T5HO are quite low and not hot to touch. Without a fan blowing across the fixtures, they do get a bit toasty.
You can buy ratcheting pulleys for $10 a pair, which make light adjustment very convenient. This needs a bit more vertical space but I think it's quite helpful when trying to figure out and optimize light distance/fixture height.
In my triple-stack setup, I'm using wood + wire + cord to hold my lights. Not quite enough space for pulleys but those lights need very little adjusting throughout the year. Plus the plants are short so it is easy to move them in and out for watering without interfering with the lights.
Edie
6 years agoewwmayo
6 years agoEdie - Like this? It's rated for outdoor use but has no easy on-off switch so it's annoying. Yours may be better.
Also have potential snow forecast on the weekend here, I can barely believe it. Just want to put my succulents outside. =)
Paul MI
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Pagan
6 years ago
Jimmy Salen (SoMD Zone 7b)
6 years agoPagan
6 years agoJimmy Salen (SoMD Zone 7b)
6 years agoewwmayo
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6 years agoErin
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonoyade233
6 years agoewwmayo
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6 years agoewwmayo
6 years agoMamachow 6b
6 years agosucculentss
6 years agoEdie
6 years agonoyade233
6 years ago
Just an update to my light setup. Had the plants outside in the shadiest spot I could put them in but some still got burned, so back inside many of them came and now under the lights. Thanks for all the help @ewwmayo.
Edie