How Light Affects The Growth Of A Plant & Problems With Too Little Light

Light is something that sustains all life on this planet, but we may wonder why does plants grow with light? When you buy a new plant, you may wonder what kind of light do plants need? DO all plants need the same amount of light? How can I tell if my plant is having problems with too little light?
How light affects the growth of a plant

All things need energy to grow. We get energy from the food we eat. Plants get energy from light through a process called photosynthesis. This is how light affects the growth of a plant. Without light, a plant would not be able to produce the energy it needs to grow.
What kind of light do plants need

While plants need light to grow, not all light or plants are the same. If someone asks ìwhat kind of light do plants needî, they may be referring to the light spectrum. Plants are affected by light that falls into the ìblueî spectrum of the light scale. Daylight, fluorescent light and grow lights all have ìblueî tones in them and will help provide the light your plant needs. Incandescent and halogen lights are more ìredî and will not help your plant grow.

The question ìwhat kind of light do plants needî may also refer to time needed in light. Normally they are referred to as low / shade, medium / part sun or high / full sun plants. Low or shade plants may need only a few hours of light a day while high or full sun plants need 8 or more hours of light a day.
Problems with too little light

Sometimes a plant will not get enough light and will have problems with too little light. Plants affected by light shortages or too little blue light will have the following signs:

* Stems will be leggy or stretched out
* Leaves turn yellow
* Leaves are too small
* Leave or stems are spindly
* Brown tips on leaves
* Brown edges on leaves
* Lower leaves dry up
* Variegated leaves lose their variegation

Contact Information

Gardening Know How
57 Wandle Ave
Bedford, OH 44146