Light requirements for the home garden
The leaves must have light
Leaves are the plants’ food factories and light is the power that helps them make food from elements of the air and soil. Most plants need many hours of sunlight a day to grow satisfactorily. Roses, for example, need at least six hours. Some plants, however, do well in low light, so they can grow in shade or semi-shade.
A good rule of thumb to remember is that in general, the more sun a plant gets, the better it will bloom.
The morning sunlight is soft, bright, but relatively cool; therefore, the east side of your home is a prime position for plants.
The afternoon sun is hot and severe, so a western exposure is less versatile.
It is desirable that the sun touches and warms the soil in early spring, so that the plants begin to grow. And it is good all year round in cold climates. But in hot summer areas, it can dry out the soil and overheat the roots, which is why plants often require part-time shading, or being close enough to shade the ground, or having a protective plant mat to cover. soil.
Light
Light affects plant life in many ways. The scientific name for the process by which green plants use the energy of light to synthesize carbohydrates (food) from carbon dioxide and water is “photosynthesis”, from the Greek words photos, which means light, and synthesis. , which means to put together.
Light supplies the energy needed to transform carbon dioxide absorbed from air, water, and certain inorganic minerals into organic matter and oxygen, which plants emit whenever there is light. Where there is no light, photosynthesis stops and plants absorb oxygen and emit carbon dioxide.
The research has resulted in the classification of plants according to their day length characteristics. One group, “short-day plants”, flourish when the days are short and the nights are long. “Long-day plants” flourish when the days are long and the nights are short. Others are unaffected by the length of the day and are termed “light neutral” or “indifferent.”
The following list includes common flower and vegetable plants according to your light requirements.
Short day plants (10 to 12 hours light)
Asparagus
Aster
Beans
Carrot
Chrysanthemum
Corn
Dahlia
Gardenia
Poinsettia
Potato (tuber development)
Strawberry geranium
Sweet potato
Long day plants (14 to 18 hours light)
Most of the annuals
Beetroot
Chicory
Chinese cabbage
dill
Grain
Hibiscus
Onion
Pea
Radish
Spinach
Tuberous begonia
Indifferent plants
African violets
kale
Swede
Broccoli
Lettuce
Brussels sprouts
Wonderful
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Spinach
Celery
Okra
Coleus
Pepper
Cabbage
Pinkish
Watercress
Begonia Semperflorens
Cucurbits
Endive
Tomato
Geranium
Turnip
Dimming the light in the garden
Outdoor gardeners can improve their results by increasing the amount and consecutive hours of light their plants receive. A white mulch (such as light stones), a white painted building, or a fence or strips of aluminum foil placed in the garden will reflect more light energy onto the plants, stimulating them to further growth. Fruit growers can prune the center of their trees to increase flower bud formation by bringing more light to the center of their trees.
Light also affects the germination of the seed. Some seeds germinate more easily when exposed to light than when buried in the ground. Grasses, lettuce, celery, snapdragon, petunia, and flowering tobacco will be most successful if the seeds are simply pressed or gently diluted in the growing medium.