Hi Jeremy;

Are those lights on at separate times? That would make it 15hrs total, which, IMO, is more than enough.

Why are you using different ones? (just wondering about your reasons).

Portulacaria afra in square blue pot looks quite good. Other plants look healthy but etiolated - did you start using lights recently? (or maybe just got them?)

I have many in basement without natural light. I keep CFL lightbulbs on for approx. 12.5hrs. As soon as weather is warm enough (constantly around 50F during nights), they go outside. In my location, this will not happen until end of May (hoping for earlier :)

ETA: If you don't mind my comment - pots are relatively large, your succulents could be in smaller pots. With so much potting mix/soil, you need to make sure the drainage is excellent. It takes much longer for large amounts to dry up. What are you using for potting mix?

Thanks for posting! The purpose of using different lights is two fold: 1. The plants are in my office and I need lights on during the day, but don't want the purple hue from my LED. 2. From my understanding the LED grow light offers full spectrum, which is supposed to help growth. The CFL is not as direct as at the LED is.

The succulent on the far left of the first photo is in recovery mode. He was brought indoors late in the fall and was without light for a while. I'm trying to nurse him back. This is why he is etiolated.

I too am hoping to bring some of my succulents outdoors, however due to a lack of natural light in my office the plants give me some semblance of nature and life in my office. So I'm not entirely sure they will leave my office, which is why I want to find a sustainable environment for them.

Finally, thanks for the tips on the pots. They are a bit large. As far as the potting mix goes, I'm using Al's 1:1:1 gritty mix. From what I've been reading it seems to be the best substance for succulents to grow in. Based on my recent repotting, I'm hoping to affirm that theory :)

I am using 1.1.1, just slightly modified: couldn't get small bark easily so decided not to use it any more. Mixing grit+perlite (sifted) in about equal amounts and rest (approx. 20%) is turface. I do have few plants in a mix with bark, but it is less than 1/3rd of bark. I have few other plants in gritty too.

How high from the plants are your lights? Jade seems to be etiolated, maybe you can move it closer? I have some in only window space, without any extra light - to me, they are etiolated and going to be pruned a lot soon:

Some variegated (Tricolor) is doing quite well under CFL lights:

I have read about LED lights & different color spectrum, but never used any. CFL bulbs I have are all min 23W and 6500k - plenty of bright light. I am using them for over 4yrs now. If you want to keep plants in there year-round, I am sure it could be done with lights. And maybe get a non-succulents plant too...some do not need strong light.

Paul, thank you for the clarity on the distance. That is very helpful!

Rina, is there any way I could see a picture of your light setup with your CFL's so I could get a better idea of how you're using?

Jeremy

Warning: it is very crude...just chrome vanity light strips (I bought at restore for well under $10) with CFL bulbs in them (wood block is there just to accommodate hooks):

and few even more primitive - plastic sockets screwed to 2 pcs of 1x.05" and wired:Hope that gives you idea...They are in the basement so looks don't matter to me. If it was a living area, I would probably do something more presentable :) The bulbs are min 23w, few higher, 6500k. If you check thread below, you'll see photo of spectra which is reasonably close to T5HO from what I can see.

Paul

That is pretty good test for light, thank you for posting.

ETA: here is excellent thread posed by Kevin (ewwmayo) about lights-click me please-.

He is very thorough & scientific with everything, great source. There is a link in the last post to his other thread where you can see his nice set-up with T5HO lights.

Rina, are those "grow light" specific CFL's? Or just standard one?

Just regular CFL bulbs that you can buy at any Lowe's, HD, or many other stores. As mentioned, pay attention to kelvins (no point of buying low k, get 6500k). Here in Canada, I get 6pack for approx. $20-$30 (depends if there is sale or not).

These are Utilitech, but there is also Philips and perhaps others.

Likely daylight spectrum cfls, I imagine, Jeremy. I have used such in terraria to good effect.

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Well, looks like Rina was slightly faster to the punch. LOL

Btw, Jeremy, "grow lights", IME, are overpriced. Daylight spectrum lights work fine.

I would opt for CFLs over LEDs for a collection. LEDs are still pretty pricey, so until prices drop a bit, I am sticking to fluorescent. Also, there is really no good way to judge how good an LED is by looking at it, so you really have to just buy it and try it for yourself. CFLs are cheap, and a huge plus is that they can fit in a standard socket or desk lamp.