Boost Your plant growth
"In this blog, I'll talk about why light is important for plants, especially in winter, and give tips for boosting plant growth with more light." These as just things that I have learnt about growing house plants and I am always learning. I featured further reading at the end of this blog.
Introduction
Tis' the cold season where in our gardens plants cease to produce growth or hibernate for the winter. Keeping plants "Inside" is a different thing and with it being the winter time, that means often you will find that your house plants will do similar to what the plants in the garden do. Though being inside they maybe warmer and however they also have less light for the plants to complete producing new leaves and chlorophyll through photosynthesis this can result in slow growth and sometimes you mind find a increase in yellow leaves. Therefore you plants are gonna grow a lot slower and some of them will even go into hibernation for example; Alocasia.
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‘The process of the plant capturing energy from light and using it to convert the carbon dioxide from the air and the water turning it into to glucose to help plant growth and oxygen which is released through the stomata of the leaves.’
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Absorbed light energy which is stored by the plant in the chloroplasts.
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In the case of lack of light older leaves of the plant may go yellow during winter to help reserve energy for the plant to stay alive during these seasons. Yellow leaves often means damage or lack of chlorophyll although this can happen as a reaction to many things other than lack of light.
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Photosynthetic Photon Flux in the measure of photosynthetic active radiation Zone. Measuring the amount of active protons emitted by the light source which will help the plant to photosynthesis affectedly.
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photosynthetic Photon Flux Density the amount of protons your plants need for photosynthesis. In the distant from the light.
Phototropism
Two Alocasia plants with upward-facing leaves on the right have been relocated. They used to have the light above them, unlike the leaves on the far left that had light in front of them.
Plants don't need direct sunlight because they're expertly adapted to living on the dim forest floor. Their remarkable ability to adjust to varying light conditions allows them to thrive without direct sunlight. In fact, some plants, like Alocasia, exhibit phototropism by leaning towards the light, while others, like the prayer plant, actively reposition their leaves throughout the day to capture the optimal amount of light before resting in the darkness of night.
If your plant doesn't get enough light, it can't produce food. Be mindful if it leans too much towards a window or light, as this can make its stems long and weak, indicating insufficient light. If there's too much light, look for brown or bleached coloured leaves, or even yellow ones.
Examples Below: first 3 photos are plants that have received to much light. last 2 photos show a plant thats not getting enough light.
Increasing Light
Tip 1: Moving your plants closer to the window.
Make sure not to place the plants near radiators or touching the window, as this can burn the leaves from the heat or cold. During spring and summer, move them away from the window to avoid strong sunlight. late afternoon and early morning sun light is okay for most plants and this can varier depending on each plants grow needs.
Tip 2: buying yourself a light meter.
Plants need around 400-700 units of light (lux) to grow well. You can measure the light using PPF to see how much light is reaching the plants, and PPFD to check the intensity for photosynthesis. You can buy a light meter from Amazon or use the free app called "Photone" with a piece of paper as a diffuser.
Tip 3: Mirrors & reflective surfaces.
Consider placing mirrors in your plant area to reflect light and create a sense of spaciousness. Ensure the room is well-lit with large south-facing windows. For west or east-facing rooms, use net curtains or stickers to reduce excessive sunlight. Ps inspired by @bryony_ in _ plantland
Tip 4: Clean You Plants Leaves.
Leaves can gather dust and bugs, stopping them from making food. Wiping the leaves with a soft cloth and water not only helps clear them but also keeps pests away.
Tip 5: Move plants around.
Moving your plants around can help to figure out where your plant is happiest withe the light levels if you plant is showing some of the signs above it might be worth moving the plant and seeing how this plant changes over the month.
Final Tip Get some grow lights.
I've tried different ways to make my plant room brighter. But in the last 3 years, I realized that since my room faces north, I need grow lights to help my plants grow better during winter.
Amazon Blue and Red Goose Neck Lights
I had these grow lights I purchased from Amazon they were great until they shorted and broke within a year. I also found that there knowledge about how much light it needed and how much light the light provided its important to check out your own knowledge base. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to write this blog.
Sansi 15 watts
This one is a Sansi 15 watt as you can see the light is bright white, Full Spectrum a lot of international house plant people swear by these. I had them for a good couple of years and because they sold them on Amazon it was easy access. They come in varied different wattage therefore they say the higher the watts the more PPF. A lot of there products are US only not Europe or UK. Interestingly that the watts account for the amount of PPF a plant gets in the case of a Sansi grow light bulb. PPF: 27μmol/s, PPFD:152.83μmol/s/㎡ @ 1ft. I did have a 36 watt but don’t use it anymore as I felt it was to white bright for my eyes and I found it got to hot and was really bulk and heavy.
Sunblasters
T5 Sun blasters are great for adding to your IKEA cabinet or a green house. This one is 11 watts got this one as it was 30cm perfect size a length for what I needed at the time of buying this I had minimal knowledge and I felt that they had more information and I found about this form of lights are they were first personal recommendationed to me by a few House Plant friends.
1. Understanding the Benefits of Grow Lights:
a. Supplementing natural light: Grow lights provide the necessary light spectrum for plants to carry out photosynthesis, even in low-light environments.
b. Extending the growing season: With grow lights, you can create optimal conditions for your plants year-round, regardless of the weather outside.
c. Promoting healthy growth: Proper lighting can stimulate stronger root development and lush foliage.
I have used many different grow lights over the years seen different levels of growth including lights that have been recommended to me from Sansi, Sunblasters T5 each having pros and cons but for me nothing beats Grow Gang 2. Introducing Grow Gang Store Pianta Light Bulbs:
a. High-quality LED technology: Pianta bulbs utilize advanced LED technology, offering energy-efficient and long-lasting lighting solutions.
b. Tailored light spectrum: Pianta bulbs are designed to emit the ideal spectrum of light for plant growth, including blue and red wavelengths that plants need most.
c. They are made by a small independent company.
d. made with a Solid Aluminium Body Casting lasting upto 50,000 hours.
e. LED’s Full Spectrum lights with Base: E27 Screw fit or B22 Bayonet 18watts. Warm living room lighting.
f. PPF: 33.1 μmol/sec, Latest samsung Horticultural LEDs
g. I can say as far as growth goes using these lights I’ve seen some insane growth and I have been using them for over 300 days.
If you want to try them yourself, they offer a 90-day trial. If you decide they're not for you, you can get a full refund within 90 days, including shipping costs. If you want to buy yourself any grow gang products, you can also get 10% off your purchase by clicking -> Grow Gang, also sells awesome WiFi plugs that work well with the Smart Life App, which I love. And various other bundles that can go along with your Pianta Light Bulb. Check them out if you want to give your plants an extra boost of sunlight-light to help them grow.
I recommend to understand a bit more about light for plants the following Items with help you further.
The Plant Rescuer - Sarah Gerrard- Jones
photone - House plant light Calculator
I really hope you find this blog really helpful. click here. You will get yourself discount code from me to use on Grow Gang’s Store cart. Thanks for reading please let me know if you have anything you would like to know further. Do send me a message on instagram or get yourself reading one of my recommendations.
The Jungle Floor
The Jungle Floor the purpose of the jungle floor for your plants and understanding the importance and value of the soil, the nature in which you favourite house plants grow and develop from exploring the meaning behind the jungle floor and the race for the best light.
Did you know that a jungle has many layers to it? well you should know because thats something you learn in school. I personally believe in my knowledge of plants and the jungle that the floor is pretty key in the whole layers of the forest. I’ve been fascinated by the Green plant at the moment and especially the first episode which talked about the tropical landscapes.
David Attenborough was expressing how dark it is on the forest floor but however when I tree falls its a race to get the light and we watch this time-lapse of the plants beginning to race including a Monstera Deliciosia (aka the Swiss cheese plant). What we can grasp from this is that yes plants need light to grow but also the ground at the bottom of the forest under all the leaves is filled with other living creatures and organisms that are key to the growth of the forest. How often have you found mushrooms growing in your house plant pot?
The soil between your fingers feels so good and the sound of the Activated charcoal when you add water to it the moments and feelings of rescuing at plant or creating a new one. I love that you can all do this when your using your Potting Mat. Drawing in the nutrients, the texture and type of soil you need as you discover the endless fun of growing your own plants. Sometimes this can be from Snips of plants, Corms and seeds. Researching and understanding each plant is important, no matter your experience level. For example, when considering the environment for an Alocasia plant, it's not just about using a standard house plant mix from the garden center. It's about finding the right elements to add to create the best soil for this particular plant's genus.
The jungle is a dense and diverse ecosystem where lush plants and exotic animals fiercely compete for resources to ensure their survival. It's akin to crafting your own miniature jungle, where every plant stretches and strains toward the sunlight in a desperate bid to thrive amidst the dense foliage.
I think your idea is that the potting mat is like the jungle floor for our plants, where they get nutrients and begin to compete for light.
Five Running Tips That matter to me!
Gear on
Running the Taupo Marathon in New Zealand in 2016
I want to share my running journey in a simple way so you can learn from it. Let me give you some background first. I have been running for an estimated about 10 years or more and only in the last 7 years have I increased the distance that I run. I am a long-distance runner who has done many daily half marathons and a full marathon in 2016. I have had a far few injuries however touch wood non whilst running however they have had an impact on my running massively at times. These are just some things that have worked for me in the past that I just wanted to share. I’m no professional in the fitness sense these are purely things I’ve picked up as I’ve been training.
Recovering after an injury:
When I was riding my skateboard and also on a late-night hike having received injuries to the foot, Ankle many times, and knee and I broke my shoulder whilst cycling in 2019. This set me back each time but recently I discovered that yes! you get injuries, like broken or sprained limbs however it’s about preventing them or not aggravating a previous injury. Make sure you are fully recovered from injury and if you are worried talk to your general practitioner or physio to make sure you do the excises that you have been given. Know that you will not always go back to the same level straight away, whether that’s distance, pace or stamina. I found that taking it slow and building yourself back up is key to a good recovery and use things like K tape for the first few runs back to support old injuries when physically ready to return.
Starting a run well:
Do not just start running, it’s not recommended and that's what makes it more common for you to cause yourself injury. There are various ways in which to begin a run and this has changed a lot over the years it is also dependent on how much distance I plan to cover and also whether I am running trail or on the road. Generally and I’ve read from many other running blogs and videos that it is best to start with dynamic stretches. One of my recommendations is to do a 15 min yoga session where the majority of the session is opening your hips, legs and ankles. This not only prepares your muscles for the high impact on whichever surface you choose to run on it also raises your heart rate. The other reason I choose to do yoga over the many other warm-up activities is that over the last couple of years of integrating yoga into my warm-up and cool-down routine, I find that this has helped Improve my stamina this has been because on the occasional off day, I have done yoga and when the session focuses on your breathing and mindfulness it helps with focusing your mind on the process rather than the result and with that, I’ve found my capacity and recovery is better.
To Push through or not to push:
Sometimes you wake up or you’ve got a gap in time often you may have days where you just don’t feel like it and sometimes you have days when you're all ready to go! As well as listening to your body it’s important to rise above the negativity or even the positivity because often we can find ourselves pushing too hard and sometimes just not enough. Maybe you’ve got to let go and get out there or take time with your pace. Maybe it’s a case of going the distance or trying something different. I’ve found even at the moment whilst I’m not running as many times a week it’s important to maintain the right balance between pushing through or slowing pace. Often I find my body starting to protest and tell me to stop. Truth is pushing through is just as important as taking a step Down. No balance between training well and training differently.
Yoga breathing
I often find it’s easy to do those stretches before and after a run but sometimes I often forget to balance between exercise and running just running. Part of what I find is great for my training and stamina is doing those strengthening workouts and for me, I find yoga a great way to also increase your stamina when it comes to breathing during a run yoga I find not only improves the strength of your muscles especially with you hips protecting your knees and your balance but also helping you to be mindful so that when your running your focus is not on getting somewhere it’s about focusing on the sensation of breathing the flow of oxygen through your body touching your muscles, blood, bones increasing your stretch muscles further as you breathe deeper. Do not Just run to its worth trying different excises to help improve you muscle tone and strength. When I was running Also regularly went Rock climbing and skateboarding though i wasn’t always able to do this as at the time I was lucky enough to have access to these types of sports. Now its just Yoga and running. Therefore it doesn’t just need to be any particular sport its just good to have a different part of you running week this will help prevent injury to.
Drink less and eat less before you go
We all love a glass or two at the weekend wine, Ale or a Gin and tonic. Chocolate sweets are anything overly high in cane sugar, I find for if the night before I’ve had a lot of those things I find my stamina throughout the run can be very depleted.
I was 16 and driven
So I titled this blog: “I was 16 and driven” because I want this to inspire my current not as driven self.
This was me 14 and driven helping young women in north London. I think this was when I new I would always be someone who wanted the best for people especially those who were oppressed!
I remember this day clearly like it was yesterday because watching it shocked me to the core from that day onwards. I don’t know if this is still a show on tv if anyone my age or above will most likely be nodding their heads at this but there was a show on tv called NEWS ROUND it was for the teen’s and young people on CBBC it was a news show telling everyone about the news of the world. During that show they showed this video:
I was sitting there on my sofa at the age of 16 thinking this is not right something needs to be done. I had no fear and I began talking to anyone who would listen I wanted to do something about it. Talking to some friends and adults then lead to a group of us planning an event at a local community day loads of people turned up and took part in our activities and donated money yet still felt there’s was more that could be done. This began a continued passion in me to do something to bring justice. More picking up anything I could read about it the more and more I realised this was only the cusp of what I could do as a young person. I had to do more it wasn’t enough for me to wear a t-shirt or do a sponsored silence.
Writing a letter to my MP and telling him about my concerns as a 16-year-old. I became so obsessed with supporting and reading all about different surviour stories and wanting to go a volunteer for a charity over time as I got older I changed my tune because I understood that it was just about rescuing people it was about seeing them completely turn their life around including changing their mindset. Holistic becoming a different person not being trapped in the mindset that person had gained whilst in slavery.
In 2016 taking part in a race fund rasing. This included running the Taupo Marthon in New Zealand, to raise money to, Volunteer overseas and that happened in 2017 when I traveled to Asia. A journey, that invovelved Supporting individuals working with young women and children in situations of slavery. Particulary in a very touristy city where girls would work in brothels and dance bars to make ends meat because they we providing for there family and forced into that way of life. Being left with very little money to even support themselves. Also this included opportunity of interaction and conversation with people in those situations.
Along this Journey it gave me a fresh eye and a renewed understanding of what I could do, that being, it is now the reason I am involved in supporting and photographing for Blue Bear Coffee co.
“Blue Bear is committed to eradicating slavery from its supply chain, by specifically sourcing its coffee from independent farmers across the world.
We are diligent in ensuring our coffee is produced without anyone being exploited, paying our farmers well above the fair trade market rate.
At Blue Bear we believe in excellence and only stock coffee of the finest quality, exclusively selling Speciality Grade Arabica beans.
Blue Bear invites you to experience a diversity of delicious coffees from around the world, whilst engaging in the fight to end human trafficking.”
Just taking one step and time..
By doing what I can in who I am to bring Justice and Freedom to all.