On 03/11/2018 19:49, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 03 Nov 2018 15:17:12 +0000, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp
wrote:
I tried growlights in the past and found them of marginal use. If I
recollect the advice in the group went something like not to bother.
The Olearia cuttings I started in spring are still rooting
occasionally and rather than write the remaining thirty or so off, I
was thinking of dangling an LED growlight above a heated propogator.
I shipped all my gardening bits overseas, so I will have to buy a
suitable light. Does this sound like a worthwhile enteprise, or should
I just go for more cuttings in the spring?
Some of the Olearia were hit by a a fungus or aphids not to mention
myself using an old glyphophosphate sprayer that wasn't fully cleaned.
They seem to be coming around slowly, so perhaps they might benefit
also.
If LED bulbs will improve the growthrate, has anyone any
reccommendations?
The habitat for the winter will be a garden shed with very little
natural light.
AB
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You say the cuttings are still rooting occasionally. I'm not sure what
you mean by that. Is it that you dig them all up from time to time to
inspect them and find some fresh ones have rooted since the last
inspection, and them pop the rest back in the soil? Or are they just
green on top, giving the impression that they're still alive, but
possibly the stems underground are dead and black (and will never
root).
I've never used grow lights, so much of what follows is just a
tummy-rumble on my part! Bottom heat would certainly help rooting,
which I see you have. IME and in general, provided there's enough sap
and goodness in the stems, which can mean if they're substantial
enough, cuttings will root without extra light. Many cuttings will
root over winter even without leaves, for example hardwood cuttings of
deciduous shrubs, where light will have no benefit as there are no
leaves to absorb the sunlight and manufacture the sugars necessary for
growth.
OTOH I can't see grow lights doing any harm provided they don't
overheat the cuttings or dry out the compost. From that POV, LED grow
lights would be preferable a they use less power, a factor if they're
on 24/7, and run cooler. Plenty on Amazon or Ebay, although I'm not
sure if the wattage they quote is the true wattage, in which case some
seem very high for LED's, or the wattage equivalent to the older
discharge lights. Remember that sunlight is remarkably strong compared
with e.g. indoor domestic lighting, so higher wattage may be better.
Stuff here https://tinyurl.com/yatpu23k and particularly
https://tinyurl.com/yde8qp8t Also https://tinyurl.com/y7kwam4s
If the cuttings were mine, I'd probably just stick them outside and
see what happened, and take fresh cuttings in the spring as necessary!
A bit of benign neglect is often a good thing.
I'd forget about grow lights.
I've always rooter Oleria from Autumn cuttings left to overwinter
outside, so they callus slowly then in the spring they will start to root.
Leave them till next autumnb by which time most should ge growing, a few
will have died, but easy to see which is which.