Lemon at home lighting. Lemon - home care for real flower growers

Winter is just around the corner already. And winter is a special time in the life of plants. During this period, they go into rest mode to endure adverse conditions. Indoor plants also need to be prepared for the onset of cold weather, in winter they need special care, although they are in warm apartment. About how to do it right take care of indoor lemon in winter we will tell you in this article.

Watering

In winter, the irrigation regime will be different from the summer. The number of waterings in winter should be reduced to once a week, it is best to water in the evening. Frequent watering is fraught with acidification of the earth in a pot, and, consequently, further diseases of the lemon tree. Water slowly, gradually, allowing the water to soak well into the soil. Water for irrigation must be at room temperature, you can even heat it up a little, up to about 30-35 degrees.

In winter, it is imperative to monitor soil moisture, warm batteries can dry out an earthen ball very quickly. But the plant should not be flooded either.

And also winter is an ideal time for watering lemon with melt water, since such water is considered the best for this purpose. Melt the required amount of snow, let the resulting water warm to room temperature and water your lemon tree with it. Melt water is much softer than tap water, it will not saline the soil, which means it will have a beneficial effect on the condition of your lemon.

Air humidity

In winter, due to the beginning heating season, the air in the apartment becomes dry, its humidity decreases. This can adversely affect the health of your lemon tree. in winter implies that dry air should be humidified, for this you can use containers with water. Place them indoors, preferably next to radiators, so that the water evaporates faster. You can also use special devices for humidifying the air.

Be sure to spray the crown

Spray your tree weekly with water from a spray bottle or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. The water must be warm for this.
Several times a month, arrange “water procedures” for him: wash the plant with a shower in the bathroom. Such a procedure will saturate the plant with moisture, wash dust from the leaves and help get rid of possible insects.

There are several more ways moisten the lemon tree in winter. One of these ways to maintain optimal plant moisture is to purchase a special stand with pebbles. It is necessary to place in this stand, pour water into it so that the bottom of the pot does not sink into the water.

Light mode

The lemon tree is quite sensitive to the amount of sunlight, especially in winter. At this time, you need to be very careful to ensure that your plant receives a sufficient amount of light. It should be remembered that the higher the temperature in the room where it is contained, the more sunlight it needs.

Do not place under the sun for a long time, the tree may get sunburn. It is also best not to place the tree next to the window, because it can blow cold air from it, and lemons do not like drafts. The location of the pot next to the radiators is also not best idea, from elevated temperature and dry air, the plant will quickly dry out.

It looks very nice on the window, but this arrangement is fraught with sunburn and hypothermia

In case the lighting in your apartment is not enough, you need to additionally highlight. winter implies that, for normal health, citrus fruits need 12 hours of daylight, but in winter it is much shorter. With a lack of light, the plant begins to shed its leaves, its condition is generally depressed, in the worst case, the tree may die. This is where supplementary lighting comes to the rescue - extending daylight hours with the help of lamps.

Now in stores you can find a wide variety of lamps: fluorescent, sodium, metal halide and LED. In almost each of these groups, you can find phytolamps, the spectrum of which is most optimal for plants.
Be sure to pay attention to the power of the lamp, it is measured in watts. The more watts a given lamp has, the greater the flux of light, and therefore the greater the efficiency of the lamp. For illumination, one or three lamps with a power of 40 watts will suffice.

The use of phytolamps will help the plant survive the lack of sunlight without consequences.

At what height should the lamp be placed? For more effective illumination, the lamp should be located as close as possible to the lemon. But it is very important not to place it too close to the plant, because the plant will be too warm. To know optimal height for a phytolamp, you can put your hand under it. If the hand feels too much heat, you should raise the lamp higher. In general, the recommended lamp height is 15-20 cm.

Pruning and feeding

In general, pruning a lemon in winter is not much needed, especially if your plant hibernates in cool conditions. Trim only dead branches and leaves. This procedure will generally improve the condition of the lemon tree.
Feeding in winter may not be needed.

wintering lemon

There is another wintering option for your lemon - you can enter it into a winter state of rest, natural for all plants. This method is also called "cold wintering". This method is especially suitable for novice citrus growers, as a dormant lemon requires minimal attention.

Before wintering, you need to spend some preparations. About a couple of months before the onset of cold weather, move the tree to the room in which you are going to leave it for the winter. Before doing this, do not forget to wipe it well to get rid of dust and possible insects.

Where to put for the time of cold weather? For this, a glazed loggia or veranda is perfect. Most optimal conditions for the room where you are going to place the plant for the winter - soft diffused light and a constant temperature of about 7-10C. With a combination of such conditions, it will be able to maintain normal life, but will not evaporate excess moisture. But it is worth lowering the temperature gradually, by several degrees over 10-14 days. If you abruptly move from a warm room to a cold one, the leaves from the plant may fall off.

And also lemons can hibernate in total darkness, but on condition that the temperature in this place will be maintained at + 3-5 degrees. During cold wintering, the temperature should not be allowed to fall below 0 degrees, this temperature is detrimental to lemons and can cause massive leaf fall. You also need to avoid raising the temperature in the daytime to 15 degrees, such overheating can also cause massive leaf fall.

A well-wintered one will definitely shoot new shoots in the spring

Although your lemon tree is dormant, it still needs to be watered occasionally. The plant needs to be watered only when the soil in its pot becomes dry (when trying to compress the earth into a lump, it should crumble).
In the spring, with the onset of heat, it can be taken out of dormancy, but this should be done gradually.

It is impossible to bring from cold to heat without first heating the soil in a pot. It is necessary to increase the temperature and the amount of light gradually, over several days, in order to avoid leaf fall due to temperature differences.

That's all the advice that will help the lemon tree to endure the winter period normally. If they are observed, your green pet will again delight you with flowering in the spring, and subsequently with delicious fruits.

Growing citrus plants at home is not a difficult process, but it should be approached correctly. Lemon, mandarin, orange and other exotic plants are, as a rule, natives of tropical latitudes, cultivated and adapted for home growing. In order for plants to form correctly, they need systematic top dressing, correct watering and optimum crown illumination. About lighting for indoor lemons and tangerines we will talk in this article.

On the importance of lighting citrus plants

Light is one of the key factors for plants, which allows them to exist. If there is too much or too little of it, this will immediately affect the nutrition of the plant, since they consume energy only in this way. Light allows the process of photosynthesis to proceed, in which organic substances are produced in plant cells from inorganic compounds consumed by plant roots, which are used to form leaves, shoot growth, flowering and fruiting. Too much a large number of light and too long a period of illumination disrupt the natural processes in the cells of the leaf and negatively affect development.

Optimal lighting for citrus plants is considered to be 5000 lumens and a duration of twelve hours.

How to get the lighting right

A very large number of factors affect the amount of light received by a home citrus plant.: this is the orientation of the windows in the direction of the cardinal direction, their size, the number of storeys of the house, and indeed whether they are washed or not.

And, since light is critically needed for indoor lemons, tangerines, citrons and other citrus fruits, and in order for them to receive it in sufficient quantities, the habitat for them should be properly organized.

Many people remember from school that the intensity of light decreases very much with distance from the light source, namely, in proportion to the square of the distance to it. And if you don’t remember, then it’s okay, for us it only means that the plant needs to be placed as close to the window as possible. If, for example, a pot is carried away at a distance of 3 meters from the window, then only 4% of street light can reach it.
You should also know that the most dimly lit places in the house are the corners. There you need to be very careful to ensure that the light is sufficient.

But there can be not only little light for a plant, but a lot, and in this case it becomes not a friend, but an enemy. Direct scorching rays of the sun, especially on the south side at noon, can cause severe burns on leaves of both lemon and tangerine. If there is no other option where to place the pot, then you should shade your citrus by building an obstacle in the form of gauze or a mesh that scatters direct rays. This should be seriously monitored, even an adult plant can die from heavy burns on the leaves. But if you suddenly didn’t watch and the leaves were damaged, then you must definitely spray them with soft water, adding a small amount of stimulant - Epin.

In addition to leaves, the roots of plants can also suffer from overheating, especially if they are grown in dark pots. In this case, it is recommended to shade the pot, for example, with a sheet of cardboard, or to place the plants below the level of the windowsill so that the crown is illuminated, but the plant is not.
If everything is organized correctly, then spring and summer will become the most intensive period for growth and development for a home citrus plant, since at this time it receives enough light and can fully grow, bloom and bear fruit. At the same time, do not forget about complex top dressing so that he has something to eat.

Lemon lighting by seasons

But in autumn-summer period, when daylight declining by reducing daylight hours in our natural zone, it is also possible to allow a citrus plant to fully grow and develop. Indeed, in conditions of lack of light in plants, the processes of spending stored nutrients, which will significantly slow down the development and growth of culture.

To support a homemade lemon, tangerine or other exotic plant, use artificial light. For this, special lamps for plants with a specially selected spectrum are used. Typically, their light looks like pink, but is actually a mixture of red and blue light.

Citrus plants require 5,000 lumens of light and a daylight cycle of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of rest. Lumens can be measured either by pointing the camera at the surface of the sheet - many digital cameras have such a function, or by installing a special application on a smartphone and measuring the illumination through the phone's camera. To manage this, you should purchase a special timer that will turn the light on and off at the right time.

In order for a plant to feel comfortable at home, it needs to create conditions close to those in which it lives in nature.

One of the key factors influencing the development of plants is light. It is absorbed by chlorophyll in the leaves and with the help of this energy, organic compounds are built in the plant from inorganic substances extracted by the root system. The most natural source of light for plants is the sun.

In nature, plants receive energy for development from the Sun.

It should be borne in mind that houseplants are taken from different climatic zones, where the duration of daylight hours and the intensity of the glow of the Sun differs from the one you provide them at home. This can especially affect their health and well-being in the autumn and winter periods. This is where the question of additional lighting for plants arises.

We grow Pavlovsk lemons and Pavlovsk tangerines, so let's consider the organization of artificial lighting for citrus plants. Light, time and spectrum of lighting, we make phytolamps with our own hands.

Natural Lighting Conditions for Lemons

The homeland of lemons and tangerines is the tropics. At this latitude, daylight hours are 10 - 14 hours, depending on the time of year. Accordingly, it is precisely such daylight hours that are optimal for citrus crops.

AT middle lane Russia daylight hours range from 7 to 17 hours. Plus, there are a lot of cloudy days in autumn and winter. Lemons, as light-loving plants, clearly do not have enough light.

Memo on signs of lack of light

Signs of lack of light can be seen on young leaves, their color becomes paler, size decreases, the stem is extended.

It is possible to send the plant to rest for the autumn-winter period, providing it with a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, then it will not need a large amount of light. But in standard apartment conditions, it is difficult to provide this.

In order to achieve the growth and good development of homemade lemons and tangerines in autumn and winter, it is advisable to illuminate them for 12 hours a day, creating conditions close to those in which they are in natural conditions.

Required illumination for citrus fruits

In addition to the duration of lighting, it is also necessary to take into account the power of the lamps with which we illuminate plants. Insufficient lamp power will not lead to optimal illumination, excessive lamp power will also slow down the growth and development of the crown of lemons and tangerines.

For citrus plants, the illumination on the leaves is 6000 - 7800 lux- this is the power of light radiation, (luminous flux) in relation to the illuminated area. That is, it characterizes the light that actually reached the leaves of plants. We can approximately measure the intensity value by installing the Luxmeter application or similar on our phone and conclude whether there is enough light for a lemon.

The luminous flux itself is measured in Lumens and characterizes the intensity of the glow of the lamp itself. This is a characteristic of the light that the selected lamp emits. It depends on the choice of lamp and is indicated in its characteristics.

In order for the lamp to shine, it is brought to it Electric Energy, the lamp's consumption of this energy is measured in Watts (W). This value is also indicated on the lamp.
It is also obvious that having lamps with the same glow intensity, but located at different distances from the plant, create different illumination. Moreover, the illumination decreases very quickly when the lamp is removed from the plant - we increase the distance by 2 times, the illumination drops by 4 times.

Signs of excess light in a plant - everything should be in moderation

Also, if we take different lamps, then the power consumption in watts and the luminous flux that the lamp emits will be different. The fewer watts the lamp consumes, giving a greater luminous flux, the more profitable it is to use it - pay less for light.
I want to note that often the light that seems bright to our eyes can be dim and completely insufficient for plants, we perceive the illumination very subjectively with the help of our eyes.

When northern or shaded by foliage street trees windows for good development, lighting is simply necessary for citrus plants. Otherwise, you will face constant loss of leaves in lemons and tangerines, slow and oppressed growth of shoots, citrus will be on the brink of survival. The likelihood of flowering and fruiting of lemons will greatly decrease, and if all of them still bloom, then this will be a very strong burden on them.

Spectrum of light for plants

A very important characteristic of light for indoor plants is the spectrum. In nature, the sun is the source of light for plants. The light that falls from it, we perceive as white. The light that we see indoors, emitted by various household lamps, is also white, but in a different shade. It is determined by what it consists of.

White light is a mixture of all colors

The light we perceive as white is actually a mixture of all the colors of the rainbow. Our brain does not know how to perceive light separately by the colors of which it consists and always gives an average value, and the amount of each of the colors determines the shade of white that we see. Lamps often indicate the light temperature, the higher the value, the visually more blue the emitted light will appear, and the lower, the more yellow.

In fact, natural sunlight for plants in the decomposition of all colors and intensity looks like this:

spectrum of sunlight

But if you go further and look at how the leaves of a plant perceive light depending on its color, you can see that plants absorb red and blue colors and almost do not absorb green. This could be easily guessed, since we see the color of the leaves as green, which means that almost all of it is reflected from them.
What is the conclusion from this? - the energy that the lamp spends on creating the green spectrum is completely wasted and almost never used by plants. Accordingly, to illuminate homemade lemons, we need lamps in which there will be good radiation in the blue and red spectrum and almost none in green.

If we go even further and remember that light is a wave and each color has its own wavelength and more accurate measurements, we will see that the peaks of light perception by plants are at wavelengths of 445 nm and 660 nm. This corresponds to dark red and blue-violet.

Absorption of light by plant leaves as a function of wavelength

The red part of the spectrum affects the flowering of the plant and the ripening of fruits, is the main source of energy for photosynthesis, if it is in excess, then the plants stretch too quickly.

Blue color stimulates cell division of the plant, under its influence the stem thickens. It is a signal for the plant in which direction to turn and direct the growth of the stem.

Scientific minds have long noticed this fact, and have designed lamps with narrow specialization- illumination of plants for their effective growth.

Types of fitolamps for highlighting citrus plants

For home use the most suitable lamps are fluorescent lamps and LED lamp. We use both types of phytolamps for growing lemons and tangerines and will tell you about our experience. They can also be used as seedling lamps. We do not even consider incandescent lamps, for their low efficiency and strong heating.

Fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps in our case can be divided into two types: household lamps and specialized lamps for plants. The difference can be understood by the marking of the lamp itself and visually by the glow of the lamp.

household lamps made to illuminate the room with light that is as comfortable as possible for the human eye. Their glow will be, depending on the light temperature, white or with a slight yellowness.

Spectrum of household fluorescent lamps

From the spectrum graph, you can see that household lamps in the red band of the spectrum emit insufficient light. They can be used, but as an additional source of light for plants. They emit a lot of light in the green spectrum, which is almost not used by plants, so they cannot be called efficient and economical.

Specialized fluorescent lamps for plants emit more light in the blue and red zones of the spectrum assimilated by plants, having a dip in the green. Their light does not seem bright to our eyes, violet-pink and unpleasant, but for plants this is just the thing!

Spectrum of a fluorescent lamp for plants

Partially at us we use just such lamps. We use the Camelion FT8-36W / BIO lamp model, they consume 36 W of power, giving a luminous flux of 1400 Lm. Have best performance of the lamps known to us in terms of price / quality ratio. The spectrum is close to what our lemons and tangerines need. If you know better and cheaper, then please write to us in the comments, we will try them.

Luminescent phytolamp for plants

In order to obtain from these lamps the necessary illumination for citrus fruits of 6000-7800 Lux, we install 2 lamps at a height of 20 cm above the plants on an area of ​​1.2 meters by 0.6 meters. Plants feel great in winter and give good growth.

LED lamp

Another class of plant lights that we use to illuminate lemons at home are LED lamps. They can be divided into two groups:

1. Lamps from groups of individual LEDs of various narrow spectrum;
2. Lamps assembled from the same broad-spectrum LEDs specialized for plants.

Narrow Spectrum LED Plant Lamps

A classic LED, unlike fluorescent lamps, has a narrow emission spectrum. The idea for biolamps made of such LEDs is that we put a set of LEDs in it, which emit only at those frequencies of the spectrum that are most effective for plants. These are, as we wrote above, peaks at wavelengths of 445 nm and 660 nm, respectively, dark red and blue-violet, and sometimes other colors are mixed in.

It seems to be an ideal situation - the peaks of light absorption by plants are superimposed on the narrow emission peaks of LEDs. It would seem that an idyll, lemons and tangerines should grow well and prosper ... But! The peaks are very narrow and if the LEDs are at least a little different spectrum, then their radiation will not be well absorbed by plants.

And here, unfortunately, there are two factors: the first one is that it is more difficult and more expensive to manufacture LEDs with this spectrum than LEDs with a spectrum that is very close, but not the one that is suitable for plants. Their color is also blue and red, you can’t tell the difference by eye, and they are cheaper. The second factor is that manufacturers are very fond of saving money and often install these LEDs, which are practically useless for plants. They shine, but there is no point.

Phiolamp for plants from narrow spectrum LEDs

To summarize, then good way plant lighting and economical if you have a spectrometer at hand, which can accurately measure the spectrum of lamps upon purchase.

Broad Spectrum LEDs for Plants

Another class of LEDs, in which the capabilities of the LED are expanded by adding a phosphor, which expands the spectrum of the LED. On one LED, you can get the entire spectrum of light needed for plants.

Specification of Full Spectrum Plant LED

We use such lamps on LEDs with a wide spectrum to illuminate seedlings of lemons and tangerines. Its disadvantage is the high cost, but we got out of the situation by assembling them with our own hands from separate components ordered in China. It turns out much cheaper.

3W Plant Full Spectrum LED

Separately, we order from China on the Aliexpress website 3W LEDs for plants of the full spectrum (in fact, they give 2W), a driver for them (power supply) for 10 LEDs, and also in a hardware store we buy an aluminum beam as a heat sink and hot melt adhesive. We mount all this on a beam, and we get an inexpensive, highly efficient and economical lamp for lemons and seedlings.

DIY full spectrum LED lamp for plants

If we return to the characteristics, then with a power consumption of 20 watts, it provides illumination of plants, like a fluorescent lamp of 36 watts on the spectrum that the plants need. Now, in winter, some of the lemons are illuminated with LED lamps, and some with fluorescent lamps, and under these and other lamps the plants feel good, the difference is not noticeable.

Installing the time relay

There is another trick to lighting plants - this is the use of a time relay. It is sold in electrical goods and in shops for aquarists. We set a weekly backlight schedule: days, on and off times. No need to remember what time to turn on and off. Very handy - set it once and forget it.

Automatic timer will turn on and off the light at the right time

Behavior of seedlings at the beginning of illumination

Also from personal observation: if your lemons previously received insufficient light, and then you immediately installed a powerful backlight, then some plants may have sheets larger than standard ones. It's not scary, the next growth will already give normal leaves. If possible, then you need to increase the illumination gradually, but if this is not done, then it's okay.

Summary of artificial lighting for indoor plants

Pavlovsk lemons, as light-loving plants in the autumn-winter period, need additional illumination, especially if they live on server or shaded windows. The most energy-efficient and efficient at home method of supplementing indoor lemons and tangerines will be the use of specialized fluorescent lamps for plants labeled Bio, Flora or the like. LED phytolamps are also suitable for lighting, if you are sure that their spectrum meets the needs of plants. These lamps are expensive the best option assemble them yourself. Well, to automate the processes of turning on and off the lamps, use a time relay.

Proper lighting will provide the plant with everything necessary for the development of fruit ripening.

We will make Pavlova Lemons great again!

Lamps for plants (phytolamps sodium, LED, fluorescent, ultraviolet, gas discharge and others) buy in the PhytoTechnologies online store at competitive prices! Suitable lamps are needed for plants, consult a company consultant and specify which fitolamp is suitable for you, then place an order and the very next day your vegetation will delight you with growth and flowering! Managers will professionally select a suitable phytoluminaire for your needs, taking into account the location of your garden (the type of fixture mounting depends on this, or a phytofloor lamp may be suitable for you), and depending on the lighting area, we will help you determine the power (70W, 100W. , 150W, 250W, 400W).

Why do we need lamps for plants (phytolamps) and how to choose the most effective one?

Various modifications and designs intended for lighting plants are commonly called phytolamps, by adding two words phyto (from Greek) plants and lamps. The difference between phytolamps and incandescent or fluorescent lamps is that phytolamps generate photons in a narrow color range, which is necessary to create favorable artificial conditions similar to natural ones.

In the winter-autumn period, produce plants in industrial scale was not possible until recently. For the first time, experiments on this topic were carried out by the Russian botanist Andrei Sergeevich Famintsy in 1868, he used a kerosene lamp for the artificial cultivation of plants. Everything changed with the invention of phytolamps, now, with the creation of appropriate conditions (heat, humidity) and the main lighting, almost any plants are grown. all year round regardless of weather and time of year. Experiments have proven that the blue spectrum stimulates plant growth, and the red spectrum stimulates fruit ripening. At home, it is easy to grow seedlings and prepare strong seedlings for growing plants in country or garden beds. In addition, it became possible cultivation exotic plants, such as lemon or the Indian plant Tulsi, at home!

Well, we figured out why we need lamps for plants, and now let's move on to each of them separately.

Energy saving lamps for plants or housekeeper

The Internet is replete with connoisseurs who advise using housekeepers instead of phytolamps for plants and seedlings, however, their effectiveness is easily disputed by comparison with fluorescent or sodium lamps. The light output of housekeepers is low, which is ineffective for plants, such lighting is used as an additional and not so powerful resource, so we will not pay much attention to it.

Fluorescent lamps for plants

Phytolamps of this type were used first, due to the lack of analogues. As we have already read above, the first lamps were incandescent and fluorescent, incandescent lamps are not suitable for artificial lighting of plants due to the luminescence spectrum (it is far from solar) and inefficient use of efficiency. 95% of the efficiency is spent on heat recovery, which is suitable for heating, but not for lighting plants.

Fluorescent phytolamps win in the fight against incandescent lamps, the first advantage is economical consumption electricity, the second is the proximity of the light flux to solar radiation, pay attention not to light, but to radiation, which is harmful to people. Fluorescent lamps are also called fluorescent lamps.

Luminescent phytolamps such as Osram Flora are designed in such a way that they do not create ultraviolet and infrared radiation harmful to green plant cells (not for humans), but at the same time they generate photons in the red and blue luminous spectrum.

It is worth noting the low cost relative to other phytolamps for plants and seedlings. Of the advantages of this lamp, probably everything.

The main disadvantage of fluorescent lamps for plants is the hazard to human and animal health.

The spectrum of the glow of these lamps greatly affects vision, and causes headaches with frequent use, in addition, some people experience allergic reactions on the skin in the form of a rash. These phytolamps are used in industry, observing safety standards (robe, headgear and goggles). An important disadvantage is their fragility relative to other phytolamps 8000 - 10000 hours of burning and a decrease in efficiency as they age, the luminous flux drops (is lost).

Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps (phytolamps) for plants

LED lamps for plants are a separate topic, due to the incredible PR on the Internet. If you are reading this article, then you know that by going to most online stores you will be offered to buy LED phytolamps. In the PhytoTechnology online store, LED phytolamps are presented, as we offer a wide range of products for growers and, as they say, everyone has their own opinion. Let's start with the pros, the advantage of LEDs is their long service life and low power consumption (economical).

As for the effectiveness of LED lamps for plants (phytolamps, modules and spotlights), it certainly is, but it is worth noting that LED phytolamps are different, and if you expect a miraculous effect from a purchased LED bulb for 1500 rubles in Leroy Merlin, OBI or Eldorado, and in our store, we are in a hurry to disappoint you, this will not happen, but we would like to. However, it is worth turning on the logic and thinking, would large manufacturers really begin to purchase expensive phytolamps, phytolamps and structures with higher energy consumption than LEDs for growing argo crops? Isn't it easier to buy a lot LED light bulbs and save on the cost of phytolamps and electricity bills. No, it’s not easier if it doesn’t give any effect, it’s money thrown to the wind, so experiments are being carried out that are designed to identify the pros and cons of certain phytolamps for plants. So smoothly we moved from pluses to minuses, and the last not unimportant minus of LED lamps for plants is their harm to human health. LED phytolamps essentially imitate fluorescent ones and shine in the blue and red spectrum, and as we remember, this kind of radiation negatively affects a person and requires special conditions for use. It is not recommended to be near these phytolamps to an unprotected person, with open areas of the body and eyes.

Sodium lamps for plants

Sodium phytolamps are gas-discharge, visually the luminous flux looks in yellow-orange shades, very reminiscent of sunlight. Today we can safely say that sodium phytolamps are the most efficient, economical, and popular among industrialists. We are being bullied with stories about miraculous LED lamps. But smart people, they will easily find information on the forums and websites of manufacturers, on YouTube and other places of information about how effective and popular they are. Some of the most attentive will have a question: - Stop, but what about the blue and red spectrum, which is so important for plants, and here yellow is on you, effective! It's simple, the fact is that sodium lamps, like LED and fluorescent lamps, have a blue and red light spectrum, but it is not visible human eye. Also, the advantage of sodium lamps for plants is a long service life, not like that of LEDs, but 25,000 hours of burning is not a little, 4-6 years.

In addition, during operation there is no decrease in light output and the lamp does not lose efficiency over time, such as a fluorescent lamp. Well, perhaps the last and not unimportant plus of sodium lamps is that they are harmless to people and animals, this is important for people who grow plants at home, and not in greenhouses. In Russia, well-known manufacturers of sodium and metal halide lamps are Reflux and Ecolum.

Metal halide phytolamps

Metal halide lamps for plants, like sodium lamps, belong to the category of gas discharge lamps. The main difference between metal halide lamps and other gas discharge lamps is the addition of a metal halide to enhance the light output effect. Such lamps have a color temperature of 3,000 to 6,000 K. The color rendering index of such lamps ranges from 65 to 85. They come with ceramic and quartz burners. Abbreviations for such lamps are DRI, DRIZ, DRIKZ.

Information from the PhytoTechnology store to buyers of lamps for plants

We sell products presented on the international market for crop products, and describe in detail the characteristics of each of them.

To get the effect of phytolamps, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information on the varieties of lamps for plants and with information about a particular plant, the method and conditions of its cultivation.

Refer only to special sources so that you are not misinformed, Answers-Mail will not work better to look for information in textbooks or on high-quality Internet resources! For this purpose, this article was created about lamps for plants, for a brief introduction and overview of phytolamps on the market and with us today.

What are the lamps, and which ones are suitable for plants

You need to start with the history of the emergence of lamps as such and their evolution, the first incandescent lamps were invented in the early 1800s, many inventors tried to make it as durable as possible but failed.

The sources of information vary, so let's focus on Russian engineer and the inventor Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin, who in 1872 invented at that time the most durable lamp that burned for half an hour. After they began to pump out air from the flask, the lamp became more durable, and in 1873 these bulbs lit up in the lampposts of St. Petersburg.

Incandescent lamps emit light from a hot metal filament, platinum acts as the metal. Everyone knows Thomas Edison. a little later, a strong bamboo (coal) thread began to be used, but before he succeeded, he had to lead 6000 experiments, which allowed the lamps to burn for hundreds of hours.

The next breakthrough was fluorescent lamps, however, at the time of their invention, they, like incandescent lamps, were not as durable, Peter Cooper Hewitt suggested the use of mercury vapor for the first time, but we will talk about mercury lamps a little later. And only in 1927, Edmund Germer with his colleagues Friedrich Meyer and Hans Spanner, covered the ultraviolet lamp with a layer of phosphor, it turned out that such a lamp is capable of emitting natural and bright light, and mass sales of such lamps began in 1938.

After that, LED lamps were invented, the description takes place in this sequence based on mass sales, the first mention of diodes was described in 1907 by a British, and they were invented in 1962.

Now let's go directly to the plants and what kind of lamps are produced directly for them.

What are the requirements of plants for light

Each plant has its own requirements for light, depending on what kind of plant it is and what its usual habitat is. Our task is to create conditions similar to natural ones for a particular type of plant. As the plant grows, it needs more and more light, but how to solve this problem with only one phytolamp in stock? For full illumination of plants, it must be periodically rotated by 15-20 degrees in front of the phytolamp, since in natural conditions this is done by the sun moving across the sky and covering the maximum area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe plant. With a lack of lighting, plants stop growing, regardless of various kinds of top dressing and other conditions. Also, do not forget about the darkness, in no case should the plant be illuminated around the clock, unless we are talking about seedlings during the first weeks, in other cases it is important to observe the dark and light phytoperiod, turn the plant lamp on and off, depending on the vegetative stage of the plant and its requests for light.

Which grow lights are best?

Where to buy lamps for plants and how much?

The listed options for phytolamps for plants are presented in the PhytoTechnologies online store. You can buy lamps for plants of any modifications from us: fluorescent, LED, sodium and metal halide. We deliver to the regions Russian Federation in ways convenient for you.

Now about the price. Prices are listed on the site, and as you noticed, you can buy a lamp for plants for 900 rubles and 80,000 rubles. Why such a difference in price? Well, firstly, not every phytolamp works autonomously, meaning you cannot screw any plant lamp into a standard e27 cartridge and enjoy its glow, for most phytolamps to work, component parts are needed, this is a lamp, choke or trigger, mount, reflectors and others. Among other things, most of the lamps for plants are of an unpresentable appearance; until recently, they were used primarily only by industrialists. What does it mean? This means that the structures are bulky, rough soldering or welding is visible, electric wires stick out, unpolished materials, and a rough industrial look. This is not suitable for everyone at home, if the interior is made in some style, or you have an expensive winter Garden. But in our online store there are solutions for any customers, you only need to know what you want and tell us about it, and we will offer best option for solving problems.

If a lemon has “settled” in you, caring for it at home will require a lot of work. It belongs to remontant plants, therefore, under certain conditions, it is able to bloom and bear fruit all year round. But not everyone succeeds not only in tasting the fruits of their citrus, but also simply admiring the flowering. What is the reason? Let's figure it out.

Variety selection

First of all, for planting in the house, you should choose varieties specially bred for this purpose. They do not grow to gigantic dimensions, but at the same time they are characterized by high yields. Pay attention to these varieties of dwarf and semi-dwarf lemons:

• Meyer
• Pavlovsky
• Novogruzinsky
• Maykop
• Eureka
• Genoa

Among the most common varieties in our latitudes is the Meyer lemon, caring for it is the least troublesome compared to other species. This variety is sometimes referred to as Chinese Dwarf and its fruit is not as acidic as other varieties. Dwarf lemons do not have a rich harvest, but they will add comfort to the interior of the apartment.

Video about indoor lemon

Tall lemons will certainly please you with tasty and large fruits, but at the same time they require a lot of time for care, because in addition to the usual activities, they need more frequent pruning, garter and crown formation. If you are interested in such citruses, choose among the following varieties:

• Novogruzinsky
• Kursk

How to care for a lemon in an ordinary city apartment, when there is no heating, then windows to the north, then the air is too dry for citrus? You'll have to provide the tree comfortable conditions growth and development.

The first thing that is important for a lemon is light.

Homemade lemon photo

For the arrangement of pots, it is better to choose south-east windows with moderate lighting, if you are lucky, of course, and you have them. But what to do if all your alternative is the north or south side.

On the northern windows, the lemon will noticeably lack light, so you will have to use fluorescent lamps, extending the daylight hours for the plant up to 12 hours. This is especially true for the winter period.

On the south side of the house, there is always plenty of light, and for a lemon, even in excess. Therefore, at noon it is necessary to shade your citrus, saving it from the destructive effect of direct sunlight, which can leave real burns on the leaves.

Lemon is a native of the Pacific tropics, so it is not surprising that the tree is demanding on thermal conditions.

In spring, during the budding period, the temperature in the room should be 14 - 16 degrees. A high degree contributes to the drying and dropping of buds, and a low degree slows down or even stops this process. During the dormant period, room temperature up to 26 degrees is sufficient. If possible, move your pet to a glazed balcony for the summer. Fresh air will benefit the lemon and the question of how to care for the lemon will not be so acute. However, you should be wary of both sudden changes in temperature and drafts. Like a true southerner, indoor lemon requires scrupulous care.

Pictured is homemade lemon

Moisture. This parameter is very important for a lemon. Therefore, it is necessary to control that the soil in the pot is constantly slightly moist. In summer, it is reasonable to increase the number to 3 waterings per week, and in winter you can reduce it to 1 time, but spray the air around the tree. This is provided that the heaters are far from the plant. It is imperative to water the lemon with non-cold water, which has settled for 5 hours. Water should not be poured directly under the root, but evenly over the entire surface of the soil. The air around the tree should also not be dry - at least 60% humidity. Otherwise, you risk seeing twisted, browning leaves on the lemon.

Lemon, like the rest of the plants in your home, needs support, so it needs to be fed periodically.

Young lemon trees do not need additional stimulation; lemons that have reached 3-4 years of age need to be fertilized.

Pictured is a lemon tree

You can purchase specialized mixtures of organic fertilizers, or you can use folk methods:

• For abundant fruiting, sometimes ordinary watering is replaced with infusion. eggshell. But you should not get carried away in this way, so as not to reduce the acidity of the soil with an excess of calcium.
• If the plant develops normally, has a healthy appearance and pleases with flowering, fertilization can be abandoned.
• During the growing season, it is worth feeding the lemon twice with superphosphate (50 grams of fertilizer per 1 liter).
• Ammonium nitrate is highly recommended to improve growth. It is taken in a proportion of 30 grams per liter of water. You can irrigate with this fertilizer monthly.
• Periodically water your lemon with a 7-day infusion of horse manure, ten times diluted.
• Lemon requires trace elements for normal development: magnesium, phosphorus, nitrogen and others. To make up for their deficiency, you can use the Citrus Mix fertilizer once a quarter. 2-3 grams of this fertilizer is diluted in a liter of water and used instead of the main watering.

Pruning and transplanting indoor lemon

Young lemon trees should be transplanted at least once a year.

Instances older than 3 years - with a frequency of 2-3 years. However, the need for a transplant may arise "unscheduled", for example, due to illness or deterioration of the lemon.

Pictured is a lemon transplant

1. The soil around the trunk is watered abundantly so that it softens, then the tree is carefully removed. In this case, extreme caution must be exercised so as not to disturb the earthen ball and not to hurt the root system.
2. If you find spoiled roots, cut them with a sharp knife or blade.
3. For transplanting, take a container 30-50% larger than the previous one. Too big, as well as too small a pot, contributes to growth retardation. Give preference to a cone-shaped container.
4. At the bottom of the pot, on the drain hole, place the shard in such a way that its convex side is on top. Then a drainage layer is laid (small pebbles, pebbles), a thin layer of dry manure and earth mixture.
5. Closer to the center of the pot, a tree is set along with a clod of earth. Slowly begin to fill the container between the lump and the walls of the pot with soil. You can lightly press the laid soil, but it is not necessary to compact it tightly.

Lemon pruning is done in order to form a beautiful crown and improve fruiting.

At a tree height of 20-25 cm from the ground, pinch the stem, allowing the side branches to develop. Please note that the first fruits appear on the branches of the 4th-5th order (row from the bottom) and until they are formed, there is no need to wait for the fruits.

Vertically grown branches should be pruned without pity.

To form the correct shape, the flower pot must be gently rotated relative to the sun every 10 days. Gardeners sometimes improve the crown using copper wire - they fix individual branches with it, giving them the desired direction of growth.

The formation of the crown is also carried out at the time of picking the fruit. A ripe lemon is cut not only with the stalk, but also with a section of the branch itself with 1-2 internodes. Thus, the growth of the branch is stimulated.

Lemon is very whimsical to environment and reacts instantly to the slightest fluctuations in temperature or humidity. Measures must be taken to save the plant.

Dried citrus needs watering. By appearance foliage - it becomes yellowish-brown and rare - it is easy to guess the cause of the disease. But do not rush to irrigate the soil abundantly, you can ruin the root system. It is better to pour a little settled water under the root, and spray around the crown. You can wrap the trunk with gauze, folded in several layers and soaked in water. Let the tree stand in such a "dress" for several hours, but do not leave it overnight.

Excess watering will quickly make itself felt with sudden leaf fall. Healthy-looking leaves suddenly fly around en masse. As soon as a symptom is identified, immediately transplant. Carefully remove the tree from the pot, place it along with the earth clod on newspaper or cardboard so that the roots dry out. You need to plant in the soil, slightly moistened and continue to water sparingly.

Pictured is a homemade lemon with fallen leaves

A frozen lemon is very difficult to save. In conditions of a sharp cold snap, the vital activity of the plant may stop. In addition to falling leaves, the trunk darkens when frosting. You can try to resuscitate. To do this, move the lemon to a warmer room, extend the daylight hours with the help of artificial lights. It makes sense to transplant into another pot. When excavating, be sure to inspect the rhizome, remove dead and rotten parts. Remove dead branches.

Overheating is no less dangerous for citrus. The brown spots that appear on the leaves clearly indicate overheating. Therefore, on hot summer days, remove the container with the plant deep into the room. Make sure that the air from the air conditioner does not get on the crown. Additional watering or cooling is not required.

Important! You can not often change the place and habitat, it takes a long time and poorly adapts to new circumstances. Therefore, it slows down growth and fruiting, and may even show signs of illness. Both drafts and unventilated rooms are equally detrimental to him.

Photo of a lemon tree

Pests and diseases of lemon

Appearing white flies may indicate congestion. Their larvae feed on roots and cause significant damage to the plant. Insecticides are used to control them. various kinds- solutions for irrigation and aerosol forms for the destruction of insects that have managed to hatch. Karbofos and Aktelik are quite effective in the fight against these insects.

It is necessary to regularly look at the leaves of the lemon, on which mites and scale insects can settle. Outwardly, ticks look like tiny spiders. They are given out by the color orange or brown, which stands out noticeably against the green background of the back of the leaves. They tighten the damaged areas with a thin cobweb, by which it is easy to recognize pests. Rinse the twigs and leaves on both sides several times at intervals of three to four days under a shower head with strong water pressure. Effective multiple spraying infusions

• garlic (1 medium-sized head insist in 0.5 liters of water),
• onion (1 onion, grated on a fine grater, poured with a liter of water),
• bay leaf (2-3 leaves per 0.5-liter jar of water)
• strong tea leaves green tea(for 2 cups of boiled water 2 tablespoons of dry tea leaves).

Attention! It is not recommended to water the soil with these means.

Scale insects look like small brown turtles, motionless and tightly attached to the leaves. It's hard to fight them. Three times with a weekly interval, thoroughly wipe the plant, including leaves on both sides, twigs and trunk, with a mixture of soap and kerosene, taken in a ratio of 1 / 0.5. Cover the ground with cardboard or polyethylene, wrap the trunk at the very bottom with a narrow bandage to prevent liquid from penetrating into the root system.

Often lemons "get sick" from improper care. Browning leaves on the outside healthy plant, and even during the flowering period - one of the ailments. In this case, reconsider the conditions for keeping the flower, it may make sense to transplant it. But in this case, choose a soil other than at present. Maybe it was the acidity of the soil that caused the disease.

Video about indoor lemon pests

As for the human body, disease prevention is important for citrus fruits. To prevent diseases, follow the regimen, transplant, trim damaged areas. Sometimes a sudden disease can be dictated by the depletion of the plant itself. In this case, limit flowering to a few buds, and, no matter how sorry, remove the rest. Each house has its own separate microclimate, not always suitable for lemon. The task of the owner of the plant is to gradually adapt it to the existing conditions.

Sometimes the process of caring for a lemon at home is comparable in terms of trouble to caring for young children - it is difficult at the beginning, but all work is rewarded when the tree begins to grow actively.