Need To Keep Plants Awake in Greenhouse, WIll LED string lights Work?

hydra-glide

hydra-glide

Well-Known Member
Hello my friends,
I'm need to keep my plants awake for about (10) days in my greenhouse at nightfall to build a bigger root ball, before flipping to bloom. I was thinking that running an LED string of Christmas tree-type lights might work. I'd have them on a timer to go off about 9 pm, but the light not so strong as to bother the neighbors. Thanks!
Any thoughts? Here's a pic of the GH. gro.11.JPG
 
hydra-glide

hydra-glide

Well-Known Member
Thanks! Is there any reason to run the lights at midnight for (2) hrs.? How about if I ran these lights from say 9 pm to 11 pm? Would that work too? I just want to extend the sun hours to at least 14-hrs. per day beginning July 22, in our area, when the daylight is 13hrs. 59 min. and declining.
Reason being, that those string lights you suggest are pretty bright, although they can be dimmed with a dimmer. Would dimming the lights still provide the "light" needed to trick the plants into thinking it was daylight?
 
too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
hydra-glide said:
Thanks! Is there any reason to run the lights at midnight for (2) hrs.? How about if I ran these lights from say 9 pm to 11 pm? Would that work too? I just want to extend the sun hours to at least 14-hrs. per day beginning July 22, in our area, when the daylight is 13hrs. 59 min. and declining.
Reason being, that those string lights you suggest are pretty bright, although they can be dimmed with a dimmer. Would dimming the lights still provide the "light" needed to trick the plants into thinking it was daylight?
Click to expand...
The length of night is what triggers plants into flowering. So breaking the night up into two short nights makes the plant think it's summertime. This is called the Gas Lantern Routine. Extending the daylight hours will do the same thing.

I'm not sure how dim is still bright enough for the plant to register daylight.
 
Indacouch

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
hydra-glide said:
How "un-fancy" can I go and still trick the gals?
Click to expand...
I've used everything from fluorescent tubes, strings of bulb to lights used for working on cars. Nowadays I have spot light bulbs used for motion lights. I get em for cheap at harbor freight. I just mount them to the top of my green house facing down and it does just fine.Pretty much anything that puts out decent light will keep them awake. I've never used led's personally though.
 
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