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a few questions about lighting

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smoothmonkey

Rising Star
Do you need to have your cacti on a timer like 12/12 or 16/8 if you are growing them under a light?

Would it be harmful or too much to leave the light on all the time or would this improve growth rate if other conditions are prime?

The winter months draw nearer and I have to decided to keep them growing through the winter. I am aware that lophs need a little more shade than torch cacti -- would they be ok in the natural light from my window if my home is warm enough?

Will my lophs be okay if I keep them under the same lighting conditions as the torches? give them shade?

I will be using a small (150hps) light for marijuana cultivation but I have a larger one available if needed.

Im a new cactus cultivator but my garden keeps growing and I just want to make sure my prickly friends will be healthy and happy through the winter!

Thank you in advance for any advice!
-SM :)
 
For the first year I had my loph I just put it under a light 12/12.
It survived easy.
But im not that experienced.

Make sure not to overwater and make sure the cacti body is dry when you water them.
 
The first cutting I ever got was purchased shortly before the winter months. I planted it and kept it inside with a heater blowing on it in a closet, with a single CFL that was being used for marijuana growing. It was not a normal CFL for household use, but one of the bigger ones designed for use in a ballast with a reflector. I kept it on almost 24 hours a day. It was a veg light so it was mainly the blue spectrum. 6500K I think.

The cactus grew, but it didn't produce very thick growth. It was very spindly. It grew a few inches before the time came to put it outside, and once outside it shot up and grew twice as thick. So they can survive under artificial light no problem, but in order to grow to their full potential they need a lot of it. Two or three of the bulbs I used probably would of been sufficient to produce thicker, more desired growth.

When it comes to hps and hid lights though, I have no experience using these for cacti, or anything else for that matter. They just draw too much attention for my liking.
 
Thanks for the response guys :)

The cactus grew, but it didn't produce very thick growth. It was very spindly.

I've decided I'm going to use two 150 HPS lights and put each one on opposite sides, hanging from an angle rather than having them hang straight above the cacti. My hope is that this will be enough solar power for them -- by imitating the sun's rays and giving them light from a more pronounced angle -- to continue growing nice and full. The 2 Pedros I planted from cutting in May have grown substantially (5 inches for one and 4 inches the other) and I'd like to provide conditions that allow this to continue ;) .

Anyone else have any advice, or recommended reading? :p
 
smoothmonkey said:
Thanks for the response guys :)

The cactus grew, but it didn't produce very thick growth. It was very spindly.

I've decided I'm going to use two 150 HPS lights and put each one on opposite sides, hanging from an angle rather than having them hang straight above the cacti. My hope is that this will be enough solar power for them -- by imitating the sun's rays and giving them light from a more pronounced angle -- to continue growing nice and full. The 2 Pedros I planted from cutting in May have grown substantially (5 inches for one and 4 inches the other) and I'd like to provide conditions that allow this to continue ;) .

Anyone else have any advice, or recommended reading? :p

Anything you do. If it doesnt cause etiolation its fine. For me a single LED grow bulb was enough for the loph.
 
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