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chinacat_gw

Caring for my Cacti and Succulents with a 150 hps

chinacat
15 years ago

Let me preface this by stating that I by no means consider myself a plant expert. In fact, that is why I am here--to learn. I found an old 150 HPS laying around my relatives house this Christmas. They gave it to me, and I think it my dormant Aloe plants and my unidentified cactus may like it.

From everything I read most cacti and ALoe like sunlight. However, my aloe I had to move into indirect light as the sun they were getting on the windowsill were turning them brown and red. Reading I discovered that most aloe and cacti need to be introduced into bright light. My question is two fold. First, will a 150 HPS on a 12/12 cycle be a good idea? I really would like to see some major growth this winter over the normal dormant months--aloe makes good gifts.

The second question relates to introducing them into light. I have read that cacti can become sun burnt if they are abruptly moved into direct light. May have suggested moving them into shade before putting them into full sun. But how does that translate in an indoor environment. More particularly, how do I introduce plants to light inside? (an example would be preferable)

Below are two random pictures taken from a few years back.

the cactus has been cut, so I now only have about a 6 inch ball growing and I would love to see some vigorous growth, as the summer cutting was only so so. Its not dead, but it certainly didn't grow at all this summer.

Also note, the Aloe plant pictured is just one of about 2 dozen. That picture was taken from a post I made on here about a year and a half ago about a concern I was having with that plant. It is only there to severe as a reference.

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