Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
joannaqcw

newbie qs on grow lights for winter greens

joannaqcw
15 years ago

I've been growing kale, chard, tatsoi and Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse attached to my house during the last 4 winters. Spring and fall production id quite good, but during the darkest part of the winter the plants recover fairly slowly. (I'm in upstate NY in a Lake Effect area where winter tends to be fairly cloudy.) I'd like to try enhancing production with grow lights next year. I have some shop light fixtures and full-spectrum CF plant bulbs. I have a few questions:

How far above the plant tops should I keep the grow lights?

Is it OK to rotate a couple of grow lights among several boxes of plants (For instance, each box might be under lights for 4 hours/day...)?

Has anyone grown lettuce under lights? Our attempts to grow lettuce in the winter greenhouse have failed so far; I'm guessing it's light not temp. that's the limiting factor.

Does adding white reflectors around the sides substantially enhance the amount of light plants receive?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Comment (1)

Sponsored
Innovative & Creative General Contractors Servicing Franklin County