skip to main content

Growing under Lights

Growing shade-loving trilliums under lights

9 years ago

I'm trying to film a time lapse of trillium sprouting and blooming. Got it in a pot from my local nursery, and keeping it under lights to completely control the environment for the camera.

Looking for recommendations on how bright, what color temp bulbs, and how long I should light them. I know they're shade loving, so they shouldn't need anything too intense, but I don't know how a CFL compares to sunlight for intensity.

Right now, I'm using 2 450-watt daylight CFLs (5500K), and 1 23-watt warm white CFL (2700K), all about 2' from the plant. I'm thinking about 12 hours of light per day. Any thoughts?

Sort by:Oldest

Comment (1)

St. Rodrigo.
Original Author
9 years ago
EDIT: I meant 45-watt CFLs, not 450-watt.

I have since read an article that has helped me a lot, and will be upgrading my lighting significantly. The article is here:
https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/techno/lamps/lighting.htm

I'm moving to 4 bulbs, 3 of them 45-watt 5500K, and another 55-watt 2700K to encourage flowering. I may add another 2700K bulb again when the plant gets close to flowering time.

I'd be curious if anyone else out there has experience growing shade-loving plants under lights. What kind of setup do you use?
Related Professionals
Baltimore Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Winona Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Beatrice Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Mesquite Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Lansing Landscape Contractors · Salinas Landscape Contractors · Idaho Falls Landscape Contractors · Eugene Landscape Contractors · Jacksonville Tile and Stone Contractors · Jackson Tile and Stone Contractors · Clarksburg Tile and Stone Contractors · North Adams Tile and Stone Contractors · Rutland Tile and Stone Contractors · Durango Tile and Stone Contractors · Cowansville Tile and Stone Contractors

Related Stories

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Great Design Plant: Columbine Grows Happily in Shade and Sun

By Paintbox Garden

Its ethereal beauty comes from complex forms and wide-ranging colors, but columbine’s benefits are highly attractive too

GARDENING GUIDES Shades of Vegetable Gardens: Growing Edibles in Less Sun

By Steve Asbell

See how one gardener produces a veritable feast of vegetables and herbs under a canopy of shade

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Trillium Ovatum

Early-blooming Pacific trillium welcomes spring to woodland gardens in the Pacific Northwest

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Plants That Snobs Love to Hate — and You'll Love to Grow

Don't dismiss these common annuals, perennials and shrubs — there are reasons they've been popular for so long

GARDENING GUIDES Yes, You Can Grow Food in a Shady Yard

Your shady garden doesn’t have to be forever barren. Berries, herbs and other shade-loving plants can produce a delicious bounty

OUTBUILDINGS A Playhouse Grows in Brooklyn

By Vanessa Brunner

Urban chaos seems worlds away from this backyard haven in New York CIty, crafted from cedar and a love of play

HOUSEPLANTS 10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors

Brighten a room and clean the air with a houseplant that cascades artfully, stretches toward the ceiling or looks great on a wall

TRANSITIONAL STYLE Room of the Day: Multipurpose Space Grows Up for a Young Family

By Becky Harris

A designer revamps a New York living-dining room with light colors, flexible furnishings and sophisticated childproofing

GARDENING GUIDES 7 Shade-Loving Rarities of the Plant World

By CYAN Horticulture

Cultivate a discriminating air in a shady garden patch with these uncommon woodland wonders

GARDENING GUIDES 9 Low-Growing Hedges That Make Good Neighbors

Define garden areas or borders without blocking the view, with these evergreen shrubs that take kindly to trimming

Sponsored