All of a sudden I'm having problems with my light stands. I have read so much about the lighting effects that I am totally confusing myself (which is easy to do). LOL!! I thought that maybe my lights were getting to old (They are a year old and showing the black at the ends). I bought new bulbs. GE Plant and Aquarium, it's supposed to have better red and blue(1,093 lumens and 4200K, what ever that means. I backed off on the times that I have them on to about 8 hours a day, because they are new. My av's outer leaves are reaching for the sky but the centers aren't. Is that to much light or not enough?
Also mine don't seem to grow as fast as everyone else, for example my trailers, they are not reaching but not growing either. I use a potting mix of 1 peat, 1 verm. and 2 perlite. I fertilize every time I water with 1/8 tsp per gallon with 14-37-12, I also wick and was told anything more would be too much.
Could it possibly be my water? I just had it tested and the ph is 6.0.
Please help cause I have totally confused myself!!
I have another question...
Quite a puzzle, Melanie... I'm no expert, so I'd suggest you wait for someone else's advice, but if it were me, I'd bump up the lights to 9 hours a day and see how they do. Watch the centers of your AVs. If they start to get tight and bunchy, you'll know that's too much light. I think they need more light, and that will help with growth, too. The bulbs that were dark on the ends were too old and that could have been impeding growth, too.
The 14-37-12 fertilizer is a bit unbalanced, too. The middle number there that's so high is for blooms. As high as that one is, I'm thinking that's a bloom booster fertilizer. That's fine for mature plants that you want to bring into bloom, but the ones you want to grow need a higher first number. The numbers indicate how much Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (always in that order) the fertilizer contains. Nitrogen contributes to growth, Phosphorus to bloom, and Potassium to overall plant health. It's more complicated than that, of course, but that's a good basic rule of thumb. While your plants are small, you want the middle number to be the same as or less than the first. Some people use 20-20-20 fertilizer. The one I use is an Orchid fertilizer that is 20-14-13. It's by Better-Gro and has micro-nutrients, but no urea.
Did I confuse you even more? ^_^ I hope not!
Melanie;
I have always left my lights on for 12 hrs everyday. It sounds to me like they need more light, especially if they are reaching. Also your ferlilizer middle number is to high, i would say. I use 20 20 20.I also have newer bulbs t8's. they are cheaper & do a better job than your new ones. I have had them also. But maybe next time you can get t8's they really do make a difference.Also try doing a foliar spray on your plants a few times a week, you will be amazed how well they respond. I use a ultra growth with a drop of super thrive in a quart of water & most of mine are all in bloom.give it a try.
mrsbonnie
Thank you both.
Amy, I have Orchid Plus water soluble orchid food. 20-14-13 plus essential minor elements, or at least that's what it said. When I use this do I still use 1/4 tsp per gallon or because I'm wicking do I cut back to 1/8 tsp per gallon?
Mrs Bonnie, I will increase my lights to 12 hours. The reason I don't have the t8's is because my racks are only 24" wide. It's so hard to find them in the 24" length, if you can find them at all.
Also I was told that the reason that the outer leaves were reaching and the centers weren't was because of too much light. The outer leaves were trying to protect the crowns. My crowns are not tight. This is from an expert or so I was told.
I am totally confused at this point!!!
I also leave my lights on 12+ hrs (sometimes 14!) If there is truly too much light, you will get the bunched centers. Try upping the lights a little, one good thing is that you will see results quickly, and will know if you are doing the right thing - usually in enough time to change things before any real damage occurs.
As for fertilizer, can't help you there - I was using it, but my potting mix is made up with a commercial soil that has fertilizer in it, so I have stopped giving it to them as an additive.
meag,
If it was too much light,the outer leaves would not be reaching.They would be bleaching or in some cases turning under.and the centers would probably be bunching.8 hours is really not quite enough for actively growing plants.That is more like winter light.
Sometimes you have to experiment with the lights. For a few days, lowering the time they are on is good with new lights. I learned that!
I leave mine on for about 9 hours a day and they do great. Each stand is different with different lighting.
Sally,
That is so true with new lights and when you replace old lights.Too much at once is a shock.
It makes so much difference what kind of lights you use,how big your stands are,what distance you have plants from the lights,and every plant seems to like something a little different.Experimenting is always good.If you have poor lighting,dense soil,etc,9 hours would not work,but some people even run them 16 hours a day,which is way too much for me,yet they grow beautiful plants.
Melanie, that sounds like the fertilizer I use. I don't wick, so I can't give you any advice there. If cutting the amount in half is typically what to do when wicking, then it should work fine. I do know that the Orchid fert works great for my Gessies.
JFYI I found t8's in the 24" length. So anyone with 24" stands...they are made by Lights of American-Plant lights. Fixture's and bulbs are $10.95 from Walmart. It doesn't say t8's on the packaging but it does on the bulb itself.
Also on the bulb it says that the color temperature is 7800K.
I am asuming that this is good?
good to know, i have had those lights for awhile now & never noticed they were t8's. I only have 1 light stand that small.
mrsbonnie