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I want to grow large cacti, see my previous question. So I start with small plants and to keep them growing in winter time I want to give them LED (special grow) light.

I was wondering about the best light periods for the small young plants. I am interested in finding the best daily light period (how many hours per day?), and as well on when to start giving them artificial light (which months?). I was thinking of starting to put them under a light from November till February? Does that seem right?

I live in the Netherlands (latitude 52). I hope anyone can share his/her experience with indoor light regimes?

benn
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2 Answers2

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Regardless of light I think keeping the soil warm with a seedling mat or something would help keep the seedlings growing during the winter.

My experience growing cactus seedlings under lights was with fluorescent grow lights. I had them within 5 cm of the plants and it still wasn't enough. I had an LED for a while but it died before I could determine its effectiveness.

I asked a couple of questions in the comments about the light situation. My personal opinion at this point is only the proven grow lamps like MH or HPS are effective. I'm still not convinced LEDs have the power for robust growth, but technology marches on, so my experimentation a few years ago may be irrelevant.

Tim Nevins
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Most cacti are happy to have "growing season" in summer and a "resting season" in winter. After all, in their natural environment water is unlikely to be available all year round for continuous growth. When they are dormant in the "rest" period, light levels and high temperatures are not so important - though clearly you need to keep the temperature above freezing. Even temperatures that dip below freezing won't necessarily cause any damage provided you don't have daily freeze-and-thaw cycles, which are guaranteed to damage them.

Many cacti can deal with quite high volumes of watering in summer and grow fast as a result, so if your objective is "quick growth" giving them a rest for 4 to 6 months each year might not be as bad as you imagine.

alephzero
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