As fall comes to a close your greenhouse plant’s lighting needs will change for winter. Most tropical plants go into a slowdown or dormancy stage of growing when the daylight gets shorter. Follow the below tips to keep plants from withering or dyeing during these rough months.
- Find the sunniest location to place them
- Always check your different plant`s light requirements
- Keep plants with similar light requirements together
- Prepare artificial lighting for days with cloudy conditions
- Regulate the time plants receive extra lighting
- Don’t place plants near a window that has an outdoor light (plant will stretch toward the light)
- Try LED lighting – you have the ability to adjust the light spectrums
Having inadequate lighting will cause plants to stretch or become leggy and need extra pruning. However, pruning at the wrong time can make your plant look unsightly until it grows back out which during the winter is much slower.
Some people move their plant to a greenhouse that has the same setting as the environment they had all summer which keeps them growing at the same temperature. In this case the lighting may have to be adjusted to stay on for longer periods of time. For example, to lengthen the light frame set your lights on a timer to turn off for an hour after dusk and to turn on an hour before sunrise.
Before winter gets here prepare yourself and greenhouse for your plants to thrive during those darker months.