Cacti in the home Every year millions of us buy cacti and often they end up stuck on a windowsill, bookcase or cabinet as a semi-alive decoration. Cacti are of course desert/savannah plants (apart from Orchid Cacti and some succulents) specifically designed through evolution to thrive in full sun, low water conditions. At home, it […]
How Many Grow Lights Do I Need?
As we well know, the secret to good growing is good light. As photosynthesis is perhaps the most important process in a plant to help it grow and flower, improving the light will help a lot. Previously in our why use growlights over sunlight article we talked about the merits of using growlights, but how […]
The Story about PPF, PPFD, Lumens and Lux
Confused about what light units to work with? When you have come across lights in the past, you may have seen tons of different units of light measurements to judge by: Watts, Lumens, Lux and Colour Temperature (e.g. 5400k such as on fluorescent tubes). If you are lighting your home and living space for purely […]
The (Important) Role of Green Light in Photosynthesis
THE CONTROVERSY Green light for a while has been seen as unused light by many people as it is not used by chlorophylls a and b, the main drivers of plant growth. Plants were seen to discard this unused light, colouring plants green. Many LED growlights avoided the green spectrum entirely and sold only blue […]
Blue and Red Light in Photosynthesis
Why is Blue and Red Light important? You may have heard about the importance of blue and red light for plant photosynthesis already. There is a lot of truth and misconception mixed in regarding these colours and their use in grow lights. It is important to note first that all visible colours of the spectrum […]
Finding a space for your indoor garden
Growing an indoor garden is fun and rewarding. Looking at the fresh growth and flower can uplift your mood and spirit every day. One major question is; where can I grow an indoor garden? Many of us live in urban environments with limited space, so our windows may already be full or unsuitable for keeping […]
LED vs HPS vs Fluorescent vs Plasma Grow Lights
Many grow lights boast to be the best, with differing power ratings and light spectra complicating the choice. To help you understand how plants absorb artificial light and how grow lights produce photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), we have prepared the following infographic which compares 4 of the most popular types of grow light: LED, HPS […]
5 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a 1000W Grow Light
Choosing a new LED grow light can be a bewildering task. However, if you are not careful you can end up choosing an LED light that delivers insufficient photosynthetically active light to the actual plants, as some manufacturers use low quality LEDs that were not designed for use in grow lights or are operated inefficiently overcharging […]
Merits of Indoor Gardening (Part 1 of 3)
Growing Indoors We all appreciate the character, colour and invigorating qualities that plants add to your home or working space. Seeing the fresh growth and flowers of your plants fills you with feelings of vitality. The scent of fresh air or flowers enters your nose and you are transported to the wilds, all in the […]
Merits of Indoor Gardening (Part 2 of 3)
Getting Started. They always say it’s the first step that’s the hardest. However, it’s important to realise that indoor gardening is not at all as complicated as it seems. In fact, it’s remarkably easy to start and maintain a successful indoor garden: and a greenhouse is not necessary! Figure out how much space you want […]