# Growing up towards light.



## chinwag (27 Dec 2017)

Hi,

Did have a google/search here but didn't find much so I just wanted to ask your opinions re this.

I have a few plants doing well but putting out vertical growth, and taller than I'd expect as if they're growing towards the light.

Is this because there isn't enough light, or does the light I have need diffusing in some way?

I have some creeping jenny and some marsilea both doing the same thing. They're in small pots currently because they're fairly recently purchased or brought inside to see how they'd grow.

Thanks.


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## dw1305 (28 Dec 2017)

Hi all,





chinwag said:


> Is this because there isn't enough light,


It isn't necessarily not enough light, but it is sub-optimal for the plants, so they are growing towards the light source, to get as much PAR as possible. You can also tell that it probably isn't a photo-period effect, it is definitely intensity.  However if you have the lights on for less than a 12 hour day? You can up the time (up to 16 hours light if you wish), but it may not have much effect.

If they get some ambient light? You may find they pick up a bit as the day-length increases. Even a "bright" light is quite dim <"compared to sun-light">. 

A perfectly sunny day in the UK, around about the summer solstice, would give about the same amount of PAR as an average day around the equator, but over 16 hours, rather than the 12 at the equator. 

The issue for us in N. Europe is that every day is the summer solstice at the equator. 



 

cheers Darrel


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## chinwag (28 Dec 2017)

Thanks @dw1305, that makes perfect sense.

They're about 1m from a window so they do get some ambient light, but obviously at this time of year it's a negligible amount.

Lights are on probably not on long enough either - at the moment they're getting 12 hours but they're not on a timer, however when I'm working that amount is reduced. I'm going to invest in a timer so I know they're getting excatly the same each day.

I guess other than that, I need to look at the PAR of my lighting and see if I can get something more suitable? I wasn't sure if most lighting designed for plants, like grow lights etc were eye safe so I've been a bit cautious of just grabbing a bulb and throwing it in.

Thanks.


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## dw1305 (28 Dec 2017)

Hi all,





chinwag said:


> I wasn't sure if most lighting designed for plants, like grow lights etc were eye safe so I've been a bit cautious of just grabbing a bulb and throwing it in.


If you can get a daylight (865 or 6500K) or cool white (840, 8400K) light bulb (lamp) it should be a better spectrum for plant growth. 





chinwag said:


> They're about 1m from a window so they do get some ambient light


Can you get them closer?

cheers Darrel


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## chinwag (1 Feb 2018)

Windowsill is sadly not an option as the draught seems to kill everything.

Since I posted this I changed the bulb for a 6500k, but everything bar the creeping jenny looks very unhappy.

One Marsilea's dead, the other is mostly, and my lovely hygrophilia is still about the same size but considerably less green!

I've taken to leaving the lamp on all night so 12h plus at the moment to see if they'll revive, I wonder if the previous bulb was perfect for the hygrophilia though, because that looked very happy until I swapped it out.


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