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Growing African Violets Under Lights

08/09/2019 10:15 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

Growing African Violets Under Lights

Growing under fluorescent lights is a good way to provide proper light conditions for optimum growth. The various types of African violets need to be placed at different distances from the tubes and at different locations on the shelves.

Distance From Light Tubes

The table below shows the suggested distances from the top of the leaves to the bottom of the fluorescent tubes.

Type of African Violet

Distance from Light Tubes

Standards

12 to 15 inches

Semi-miniatures

8 to 10 inches

Miniatures

6 to 8 inches

Plantlets/Seedlings/Leaves

4 to 6 inches

Keep the lights on for at least 10 to 12 hours a day. Use an automatic timer. If it is hot during the day and cold at night in your growing area, you may want to run your lights at night. Just remember, plants need at least 8 hours of darkness as part of their growth cycle.

Placement on Shelves for Optimum Development

The color of the blossoms and the leaves will determine where to place the plants on the shelves.

Center of the Shelf

  • Dark green leaves
  • Dark colored blossoms (reds, blues, purples)
  • Double blossoms
  • Young plants and seedlings
  • Flowering plants

Perimeter of Shelf

  • Variegated leaves (bottom shelf)
  • Light green leaves
  • Light colored blossoms (whites, pinks)
  • Older, mature plants

Use this information as a guide. Monitor your own growing conditions. If a plant has long petioles which are reaching up, move the plant closer to the light. If the leaves looked bleached or the leaves in the crown are tight, move further away from the lights.

Resource: Bill Daniels

 

 

 


The Bay State African Violet Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Massachusetts

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