Succulent plants are often under-cared for in terms of light and water, even though they're notoriously hardy and adaptable. You may have seen or eaten a succulent in your kitchen or garden that didn't require much more than a few hours' sunlight. If you're an enthusiastic gardener, you probably have several types of succulents in your garden. But what do they need to sustain their lush green foliage throughout the growing year? Is there a hard and fast rule about how long a plant can go without sunlight? Succulent flora is famously robust, able to tolerate very low light conditions, but how long can they tolerate drought? Succulents don't have the same "normal" growth habits as other plants, so they may have to deal with short light periods more frequently. Their minimum daily requirement of light is probably closer to a quarter hour. Some, like the rockwoolow, will actually tolerate up to two hours in direct sunlight. To find out more about the succulent light needs go to the Succulent Alley website today. A short-lived plant such as the rockwoolow will grow much more slowly than its succulent relatives, perhaps only one or two inches a month. It's not common to see them under that kind of stress. They usually do best in well-lit environments with a lot of natural light coming through. In this way, they conserve energy. However, many of these succulents need as little as a quarter hour of direct sunlight to flourish. Succulent office plants, such as the violets and hydrangeas that you see at your local nursery, are probably better off in a dark environment, away from direct sunlight. These plants also enjoy a somewhat lower temperature, perhaps six degrees lower, than most succulents do. Some of these office plants will do very well in low light, provided their pots are not too shallow. Most of us understand that low light is bad for our health. That's why fluorescent lights are widely used in office buildings. While they keep the lights on for a long time, they put out a lot of heat. This can cause discoloration of clothing worn beneath them, so fluorescent lighting is definitely not recommended for office plants. Natural light, however, is good for our health, because it heats up air. It warms the lungs, provides vitamin D (which strengthens our bones), helps the immune system, and increases energy. A related problem faced by many home vegetable gardeners is that certain plants go dormant during the winter, even though they were in active transport just the day before. One reason for this is that during this season they take up much of the available light. The best way to overcome this problem is to use fluorescent lights, but how can you tell if an artificial light is good enough for your garden? You can't simply look at the amount of lumens emitted by the light itself. There are other factors to consider, such as the shape and size of the light, as well as its color spectrum. In the case of the latter, some plants, such as the Aloe, are very sensitive to red light. They also absorb yellow light, so try to choose fluorescent grow lights that have green wavelengths. In addition, many plants go dark during the night. This can be due to shading or lack of natural light. If you're growing a small garden with succulents, you probably won't see the need for a full-spectrum light source. However, a larger, more open space requires higher lumen counts to achieve an even, colorless lighting effect. Your best bet is to find a fluorescent bulb that has high lumen count for all colors, then put the plant in the light without running the lights during the night. This will ensure that your plants get all the necessary nutrients without the threat of shading or light loss.
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