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Mrdbrewer
Mr



Registered: 06/17/13
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grow light for cactus to summer over winter
#18836563 - 09/13/13 11:32 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I want my cacti to think its summer all year around and well whats the best light i can use maybe like a 1" florescent light in a grow box?
-------------------- Constantly checking my dick and nips to see if im not dying
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Tangich


Registered: 10/28/09
Posts: 8,723
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: Mrdbrewer]
#18836649 - 09/13/13 11:56 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Depends for what. If you're going to put Pereskiopsis/grafts or young seedlings under it, they could be ok. For most other species, no light is really sufficient and forcing them to avoid dormancy period will be detrimental. You'll have some sickly, badly etiolated, light green plants if you put them under a floro.
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psi
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: Mrdbrewer]
#18836788 - 09/13/13 12:23 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yeah the 1" diameter tubes are T8s, fairly efficient for fluorescents but the light intensity is not enough for Trichocereus beyond the seedling stage. Peyote does pretty well under them I've found, at least for the first couple years.
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the mad machinest
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#18836817 - 09/13/13 12:32 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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so which would be better? 75w 6500k cfl ya know the twisty bulbs, or a 1"x12" t8 flourescent bulb? for sprouting/seedling stages and about 20-30 of them under 1 of said lights..
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


Registered: 09/05/99
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Lumens are usually the most straightforward way to compare light sources because a lot of manufacturers put them on the packages. Do you mean 75 actual watts of CFL, or a "75 watt equivalent" bulb? From what I'm seeing online, a 75 watt equivalent pulls 18 W and puts out about 1250 lumens. I'm having a harder time finding lumen output for 12" T8s online, but if they were 1/4 the values for 48" tubes they would be about 700 lumens at 8 W. That's probably not exactly right, but I think it's safe to say the CFL puts out more light than one 12" T8 tube.
CFLs work pretty well in a desk lamp type fixture for lighting a small area. Even if all 30 seeds sprout, they will take up very little space for quite a while. 25 seedlings in a 3" square pot will do fine for at least a year IME.
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the mad machinest
Medicine Man



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#18836968 - 09/13/13 01:20 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I mean 75 watts of CFL, I'm going to use the cfl, from what I've researched and from what youre sayin it sounds like thts the way for me to go being that I already heave the bulbs too
wow that many in a 3" pot huh? I'm so used to plants taking up space quick I put like 8 seeds in a 6" pot , 3 in a 4" pot, 3 In a 3" pot, and 3 in each of 2 more 2" pots. all round pots.
I've still got like 30 seeds left, I guess I should sow those all in one 3-4" pot?
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


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Yeah they seem to even like being a little overcrowded, they will happily grow until they're right up against each other and can even crack the container open.
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the mad machinest
Medicine Man



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#18837041 - 09/13/13 01:43 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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sorry OP, gonna pick psi's brain and hijack yo thread fer a few posts, plz forgive 
so down the road when they are pushing on each other and eventually ready to transplant does root tangling not become a problem? how would one go about seperating them to transplant w/o damaging the cacti?
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


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The roots do get a little tangled but it's not too bad usually since they mostly grow downward, it's a lot worse with Trich seedlings because their roots grow outwards a lot more. Any time you transplant there is going to be some root damage but it generally doesn't seem to be a big deal. You just sort of ease them apart as gently as possible. It can take a little effort to get the whole root mass out of the pot in the first place, with square plastic pots I turn them upside down and squeeze the corners.
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the mad machinest
Medicine Man



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#18837115 - 09/13/13 02:07 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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ok well that clears that up you're just full of good information man!
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



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IF you want to really cactus think it's summer year around.. You need to invest ~200-500$(depends what you want) to equipment of lights and cooling... (I suggest buying equipment from different auction sites or somewhere to get them cheaper)
You need strong sun imitating light. Cost of it is ~100-200$ High Pressure Sodium from 250Watt to 2kW (depends on your collection) ...peyote will do nice with fluoros but doesn't get heat from them what is good to peyote to grow. Also giving dormancy to peyote keep cactus more healthy..
Also you need cooling system, cause only 400Watt HPS bulb with power source generate so much heat that small room will warm up easily to over +30C
Then all kind of things, like room for them etc.. Same equipment than cannabis growing.. That's very good. Also light spectrum has to be near white so I suggest to use two light bulbs.. High pressure sodium and Metal Halide, so you can get reddish-yellow and whitish-blue light spectrum to cacti what is the best.
If you still trying to go on with fluoros, you need keep fluoros as close as 1-2cm from top of trichocereus..
Keeping dormant with fluoros to peyote is ok, they doesn't heat up much an keep peyote in dormancy without rising heat and let cactus think it's summer but there is lack of light.
Fluoros are not good, trust me.. I live at zone where are no sun for total 2months and then only small fraction of the day sun is visible but otherwise winter is total dark. I have tried every light system available.
HPS and MH are hard to put together and you need power source to light bulb, light cannot be connected to electricity plug.
Fluoro's are okay to seedlings, small young cactus and some cactus living in shady places.. Later they are bad and just not effective enough.. It is just a fact that if you want to cactus think it's summer all year round.. fluoro bulbs ain't good for that. They are good for dormancy lighting when temperatures are cold and these light doesn't generate so much heat.. Also for seedling lights fluoros are good.
In a nutshell: build lighting and cooling system siimlar to cannabis growing and get two light bulbs, HPS and MH to get light spectrum good.. Then use that area to your cacti... These lights are closes to sun with relatively cheap price. If you want to grow adult cactus with fluoros and let cactus think it's summer time, you are just etiolating your columnars. Peyote will do under fluoros if you get heat somewhere, trichocereus need seriously strong light.
One point about lights.. Do not look "lumen" amount from light ..look how much "lux" per wattage light generate.. lumen is only visible light, lux are all light what plants use too but humans can't see on bare eye. More powerful light, more lux per wattage high pressure sodium or metal halide bulbs generate and best of all is 600Watt power light bulb, these has best benefit comparing lux/wattage.
You really need to build strong desert with strong lights to get cactus think it's summer.. Fluoro just suck with columnars, they have some benefit but not as good as HPS/MH.
I use at the moment south windowsill + 150Watt Metal Halide bulb above trichocereus. I have tested fluoro, they are not the best tek of lights using to young or adult trichoereus.. they are best for seedlings cause they are so weak. Find out what kind light tek and cooling system cannabis growers use, san pedro loves same conditions and growth are best.
Professionals use also Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium light bulbs as plant light cause they are best, especially for cactus of crop plant when needed good harvest. If you still want to use fluoros, your trichocereus will etiolate and diameter can be as small as 1-2cm.
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solstice
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: intelligentlife]
#18840172 - 09/14/13 06:21 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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intelligentlife... all I've got to say is: great info. You're a king. I've just set up my HPS grow light at my new place ( well, it's been a year... ) and got some cacti ( peruvianus and peyote ) so your post really hit the spot.
-------------------- Man woke up in a world he did not understand and that is why he tries to interpret it - Carl Jung
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: intelligentlife]
#18840279 - 09/14/13 07:50 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
intelligentlife said: One point about lights.. Do not look "lumen" amount from light ..look how much "lux" per wattage light generate.. lumen is only visible light, lux are all light what plants use too but humans can't see on bare eye. More powerful light, more lux per wattage high pressure sodium or metal halide bulbs generate and best of all is 600Watt power light bulb, these has best benefit comparing lux/wattage.
Yeah lumens are weighted towards frequencies that appear brighter to human eyes (e.g. green appears disproportionately bright to us and is basically useless to plants.) They give only a rough idea when comparing lights with dissimilar color profiles, but if you're comparing two different 6500K fluorescents it should be fairly accurate to compare the lumens. Often they are the only stat available on a certain light though. PAR is another measurement weighted to what light is useful to plants, but few manufacturers quote it.
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#18841103 - 09/14/13 01:21 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I remember still the times when I first start to grow cacti. I wondered why my cactus grow bad under fluoros (seed grown trichos)
Then I moved them to window sill and they starting to get more like a cactus should be.. Later on I have tried again fluoros but with bad results, etiolation and these bulbs needs to really be 1-2cm away from top of cactus to be "enough"
HPS and MH are hard to explain but penetration of light are very effective.. both of them together like I have used 400Watt HPS and 150Watt MH, at mid winter it feels like sun, some warmth, whitish color spectrum and cactus growth was very effective.
550Watt of lights still was too much to peyote, I have to use some shade for them or keep peyote plants far away from bulbs, instead of trichos and few columnars, they just love these lights..
For short words if looking best lighting indoors for trichocereus, then you have to see cannabis growing forums and learn lighting teks from there.. Their purpose is to get as much MJ as possible and only light amount is critical factor how much MJ plant can grow.. Seedlings and peyote can suffer from strong HPS or MH or they need to be two meters away from light source. I kept chili plants to give shade for peyote, like in nature they grow under another plants go get shade.
Very easy and short answer is to build cannabis growing room with both light spectrum, Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium.. Then light is actually perfect for san pedro. There are sold some light bulbs generating both spectrum of light, blue and reddish yellow.. Still trough my experience I suggest to get one MH and one HPS to make perfect cactus grow room. Different light spectrum effects appearance of cactus HPS spectrum(reddish-yellow) makes cactus grow more column.. instead of MH(whitish-blue) makes cactus grow more flat.
I noticed that after I put extra light to my windowsill. It's 150W MH, blue spectrum with sun from window.. Before MH light peyote plants appearance was more round, now they are very flat and has turned to flat and wide after I have add more bluish color to light.
In greenhouse peyote grows more round shape than flat one and loph from greenhouse to windowsill where is extra bluish color tone light, they start to get form of flat growth again. Also I have read about artificial light spectrum and their effects on growth of cactus so IMO MH+HPS are best choice for cactus. HPS only is best for cannabis growing.. HPS still do very good with cacti but giving more natural appearance to cacti, extra bluish color tone would be "perfect" but not necessary.
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: intelligentlife]
#18841181 - 09/14/13 01:53 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
intelligentlife said: I remember still the times when I first start to grow cacti. I wondered why my cactus grow bad under fluoros (seed grown trichos)
Then I moved them to window sill and they starting to get more like a cactus should be.. Later on I have tried again fluoros but with bad results, etiolation and these bulbs needs to really be 1-2cm away from top of cactus to be "enough"
Yes Trichocereus will go skinny from quite early on under fluoros. With peyote you can get away with them for much longer though, especially with some sunlight from a window.
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



Registered: 10/18/10
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: Mrdbrewer]
#18985908 - 10/16/13 12:27 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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I post kinda late to this topic but don't want to get new topic about and I have now pictures.
About the growing lights, I have build total of 400 Wattage Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium light combination for cactus what I grow over winter.
I find out cause cactus grows good with both light spectrum instead of one light bulb I build two light reflectors opposite, used 150 Watt MH (blue-white) and 250 Watt HPS (red-yellow)
To prevent them not burning tirchocereus growth tips I have take regular 120mm computer fan and transform computer power source to use for fan. I use it at 5 Volts. I can choose 5 Volt cable(red) or 12 Volt (yellow) from regular computer power source. Black one is ground cable.
At the moment this is need kinda space cause both light bulb and fan need own plug to use but they can be connected to same timer. I forget 400Watt bulb cause I cannot get full spectrum of light and these two form actually kinda "pure white" light with little bit more yellow color but this way light are very effective to cactus, full spectrum.
Picture are lights closed:

Then picture taken at light on so you can see difference between MH and HPS bulb color. There two forms pretty good "day light" for cactus.. Also light is very intensive and effective what gives trichocereus and many other species as much light as they need.

I had already that 150Watt MH bulb so I buy'd 250Watt to get full 400watt instead of use my 400Watt HPS cause it lacks bluish light spectrum and it needs to be more far away from cactus than two smaller bulbs with fan blow hot air off.
Fan is not need to use if there is air circulation at growing place but cause there light bulbs generate lots of heat also I decided to use 5 Volt fat to move some hot air. I just got assembled this piece together to create full 400Watt two bulb light for cactus.
Sorry this post comes late but wanted to post what is really proper indoor cactus light what are almost as close to day light spectrum as possible.. I have tested both separated for cactus but find out best growth comes from full spectrum light.
These light will consume electricity so if you want to grow proper fat columnar trichocereus indoors, you have to prepare to use very strong light bulbs to preven etiolated growth, also I suggest strongly to use all spectrum what can be get. I noticed that without bluish coloration in light spectrum, only HPS bulbs cause trichocereus to grow slim.. I don't know the effect why but only HPS bulb cause slim growth instead of blue growth cause stunted fat growth, these are both together very good, easy to build and so on.
I used aluminium tape to attach two reflectors together to get light bulbs attached from both side. Simple way and cause these pieces don't have much of weight they will stay attached with aluminium tape cause it tolerance heat.
Sorry to pop old thread up but wanted to show good growing light for cactus indoors. This can be used over winter for trichos if wanted, or full year indoor growing. I have tested these lights lots, only way to get trichocereus growth like sun goes are combination of two lights..
Hope someone can use photos to get idea what I have meant to use for good cactus light indoors, I am sure there is no etiolation problems with these lights if combined wattage amount goes to 400-1000Wattage.. There is no maximum limit to wattage amount, more Watt better growth there are in with cactus. Fans are good to cause air flow to prevent these lights to burn plants.
These are same bulbs used to cannabis growing. Blue for vegetative growth and red-yellow for flowering stage, I find cactus like both to get best appearance with artificial lights. If sun is not available, this is best choice after sun light.
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anne halonium
jaguarette


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: intelligentlife]
#18990208 - 10/17/13 10:10 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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i recommend LED . bluer the better. 35-50W ft.
we grow yr round, non stop. and only hibernate them if the lab is in rebuild mode.

we are 100% LED now. i gave up on flouros, the ratio of power to heat is too high.
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cArcace-x
YeAh!!


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: anne halonium]
#18991872 - 10/17/13 05:00 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thank you Intelligentlife for sharing these information! I and my girlfriend are growing some 'agrume' and other thing under 2x 400 hps and fluoros, and i'm about to sow some peruvian torch and san pedro, do you think that those 250w cfl can replace the MH light for a full spectrum for my cactus when they'll get older?
hmm anne halonium, how many 'lux' can you get from these 50w LED???
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anne halonium
jaguarette


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: cArcace-x]
#18992039 - 10/17/13 05:44 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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alot of lights work, but each has its issues and dynamics.
light set above, lophship one, is 2 x 23W LED 5k spots 1400 lumens each, center blue, is LLE/ LED 10x 5 W 450 nm blue (50W)
so its somewhere around 7k @ 6k+ lumens @ 98W total. temp in the box runs about 88-90 day. 78-80 night.
lights are about 1 foot above a 1x2 foot area.
we use safety glasses with this box.
we are 100% LED now. last rack of T8's left the building last week.
* some notes. i see no point in growing trichs indoors. i dont see the power equip/ result level , being worth it.
lophs and micro exotics, and grafts , can absolutely be grown indoors year round, with practical space, and power consumption / time.
light for cacti, is a complex thing indeed.
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Edited by anne halonium (10/17/13 05:58 PM)
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cArcace-x
YeAh!!



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: anne halonium]
#18992643 - 10/17/13 07:40 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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my basement is already equiped with HPS lights for the winter because my girlfriend is a kind of plants freak and we grow exotic plants, foods and now entheogenes, preparing for the next summer, my cactus will be in a solarium where other exotic plants thrive!
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gopener
lil_dude



Registered: 06/16/13
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: anne halonium]
#18993760 - 10/18/13 12:18 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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7k lumens for 98W, is great ratio!!!
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cArcace-x
YeAh!!



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: gopener]
#18994260 - 10/18/13 06:35 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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it is a really good ratio! and look at these blackstar 135W.... 
<SNIP> LED look great!
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HighZenBerg
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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: cArcace-x]
#18995898 - 10/18/13 02:24 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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i asked this question to a person that has grown lophs for over 20 years. his answer was DO NOT DO IT! lophs have a dormancy cycle that is natural. when you disturb this cycle you get pissed off plants the next growing season that wont flower as often and irregular growth. also some of your alkaloids are made during this dormancy period. he grows with natural light and a large property to do so, and through his years hes found its best to just leave them alone and winter them every year. without the wintering periods i imagine that theyll continue to grow, but the long term affects are not something to scoff at. mine winter in the garage with a shop light on 12/12 and ambient temps. i would recommend the sun blaze t5 grow lights, you can "daisey chain" a few together and get some serious light for your plants. heres some of the plant i got from my friend, 2x 16 year old williamsii and 2x 8 year old caespitosas, never grafted.
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: HighZenBerg]
#19004470 - 10/20/13 03:39 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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I would use LED but I have not seen they are worth of a money and instead their light intensity is not so effective than HPS/MH bulbs.
Ofc HPS/MH eat electric and also generate heat, but so far they are best light to grow cactus columns. Because I have no sun almost half of the year, trust me I have test LOTS of different lights for cactus.. Nothing beats HPS/MH bulb combination and light spectrum they generate together. also the heat is good for cactus from light as long as these are kept enough far away.
I have example to these lights for one bulb.
250W = 30cm(~1 foot from top of the plant) 400W = 60cm (~2 foot) 600W = 90cm (~3 foot) [best lux/wattage from 600W bulb] 1000W = 120cm (~4 foot)
If used small bulbs and many at same time, they don't generate so much heat than one bigger bulb. Also lux amount drop if used more bulbs but smaller of them. Also they can be kept close.
Anyway, HPS/MH easily burn the tip of cactus and it's similar to frost bite damage. Air circulation is okay for that..
These lights are not need to peyote or some another slow growers even HPS light will cause peyote to flower cause of heat with light.. These bulbs can burn peyote.
For trichocereus these are perfect with combination of two MH and HPS.. In general, if you want fat nice trichocereus indoors, use both bulbs and as much power as possible. Same lights are used to grow good cannabis plant harvest.. Lots of plants love these lights and I use commercial greenhouse bulbs. There is still some cacti what doesn't need so intensive and effective light than these lights.
Also cause I live in arctic and there is lots of commercial greenhouses, also public big greenhouse gardens use just similar lights to imitate sun over winter or grow crop all year round. For the record, these still should be more far away from cactus than too close cause these burn the plants, any plant you can imagine burn fast from these light bulbs... Some plants just love the heat similar to sun generates and these gives also heat for plants.. For dormant, these are not perfect for it cause of heat they generate.
Also one thing: lumen is light we see. lux is light we do not see but give benefit to plants.
Lophophora I keep winter, forget plants to cool windowsill, mid-winter they are in total dark cause I am so far north. Never grown lophs outdoors cause of climate.
However, about my info of light, they are for columnars and few species what needs lots of light.
Trichos can be grow over year with these lights and outdoors at summer, or let them rest also some time.. I allow trichos also rest short period but lophs keep very much of forgotten around the house at cool places windowsill without no care at all.. I have heard some grow lophs also year around with lots of fertilizers but they are very plump up lophs grown with extra heat or in very hot. But constant growth for lophophora makes the cactus more rot prone than lophophora allowed to rest over winter.
Edited by intelligentlife (10/20/13 03:46 PM)
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psi
TOAST N' JAM


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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: HighZenBerg]
#19005712 - 10/20/13 08:13 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
HighZenBerg said: i asked this question to a person that has grown lophs for over 20 years. his answer was DO NOT DO IT! lophs have a dormancy cycle that is natural. when you disturb this cycle you get pissed off plants the next growing season that wont flower as often and irregular growth.
Did your friend elaborate any more on this? Is "irregular growth" referring to distorted physical form, or to the rate of growth?
I'm skeptical of the flowering frequency thing, my experience has been that every sexually mature areole seems to produce a single flower sooner or later. I have not used a dormancy period with my plants, but I wonder if it could be a matter of a temporary increase that does not translate to an overall increase in the number of flowers produced over the whole year. High temperatures after a cooler period seem to correlate strongly to synchronized flowerings across many plants IME, but presumably those areoles would have flowered at some point anyway.
The plants in this picture flowered all last fall and winter under T8 light.
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



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Re: grow light for cactus to summer over winter [Re: psi]
#19006704 - 10/21/13 12:30 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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I am sure flowering depends on temperature, actual flower opening and so on happens by the light intensity and time when light is strongest.
I have got lophophora diffusa to flower in the midde winter at dry season when I forget the plant near heat radiator, cactus was not get water for months.. Cactus put out flower but it never opened cause there is no sun at all over winter. Summer I can control my flowering time from morning to afternoon depends what windowsill my lophs are and when they got strongest amount of sunlight directly from window.
I have understand lophophora can be grow constantly but dormant periods are good for them and they flower over summer more aggressively.. Even the cactus is free flowering, in plants habitat it is used to flower at summer when it's not so cold and when rainfall occur more often.
Hard grown lophs are still very good with their resistance and not so easy prone to rot or so. I have heard that peyote grown very fast can suddenly die or starts rotting so therefor I keep the dormancy even I have read very different ways how to grow lophophora.. Even two-three month in cool temperature are good for cactus every year and short day to let plant know it is dormancy even temperatures can rise to +20C sometimes. In general if growing season temperatures are somewhere +30C or maybe as high as +40-50C, regular room temperature with short day time is okay and it's cool winter for cactus as long as there is no watering at all.
I am sure there is no one right way to grow peyote, even their habitat can happen so much rain that some plants rot at age of dozens of years, some plants survive long time with very minimal water or doesn't rot even days lasting rainfalls occurs.
But, what I have seen with indoor growing and so on, I realize that high temperatures control the flowering even cactus don't get water and light control when flower when it's full open and closed. Usually long dry season and waterfall are said to indicate flowering but without temperatures high enough lophophora will not flower easy.
I suggest to forget lophophora for 2-6months without water over winter in temperature not so warm than growth seasons and give short daytime light or no light at all.. Last winter I give lophophora very drafty windowsill place where temperature change from +15C to +0.5C (depends how cold outdoors was) and they go well. Now I am not living at same location so I have to give just regular room temperature.
Summer time I use extra heating pads for desert cacti like lophs and ariocarpus and I shut extra heat off for winter when soil has been dry for some time, this should be give lohophora plants okay rest time at +15-20C room temperature when summer they have temperature from +30-40C.
I suggest to use heating pads for adult desert cactus if climate doesn't offer ever hot days. I have timer to control day and night heat for lophophora during the growing season.. And it's easy to give dormancy but shut the heating and forget watering for darkest months and let plants shrink... Even one month dormancy are okay but I suggest minimum of 2months..
I have not own experience about older lophophora rot if cactus don't get dormancy but I have heard constantly growing peyote are can die suddenly when older or they go very rot prone.. My peyote plants will not bloom at all when they are in room temperature and watering cause easily rotting cause my climate is doesn't allow so high temperatures regular over summmer.
In my mind that is a sign of "winter" if they don't fruit of bloom as long as they don't get water or any moisture and excess heat. At spring I plug again the heat pads on and let them "woke up" and start growing season again for them when fruiting from previous season last flowers and new flowering starts.
There is very different ways still to grow lohps, I could grow them without any extra light or heat by very slow using only 4-5month growth season and rest 8-7months of dormant. But still I use heat pads with timer to show them when it's growing time and when dry time even I cannot offer them so cold temperatures. That's because arctic climate house building are very good quality what comes to isolation to keep heat inside and house where I am now is hard to find spot where are cool temperatures so I rely that every winter house temperature drops to near +10C at night and day time somewhere at +20C... I still think it's good just to keep short day light and dehydration to tell peyote it's dormancy. Well I have still more challenges to grow plants than most cactus collectors, without extra equipment example strong lights I cannot keep fast growing columnar cactus species cause greenhouse season is only ~3months anyway so spring and fall have to go with artificial lights. I also dormant chili and cucumber plants indoors by keeping them very dry and dehydrated indoors and let them drop leafs but watering for them are very small and sometimes I let them be almost "dead" and let drop most leafs away..
Last winter I make mistake and keep chili plants with full foliage and they were later on a nest of mites and contaminate my cacti garden. Now I keep chili and cucumber without foliage(by cut them or let plant drop them) indoors and use pesticides randomly to prevent pests. Also I use small pots over winter so they stay compact. As I said I have very different situation with this hobby compared to most people and I have to think all plants as well as cactus cause of long winter and pests without predators indoors.
Actually HPS and MH lights are bad cause as well as san pedro cactus like the light, also spider mites love the warmth lights offer.
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