Question

CFL light  

CFL and Philips Flores   Hi!,
Two weeks ago I have bought a cat palm from wal-mart for my new apartment room, problem is that it gets almost no natural light. I am very dependant on artificial light. Right now I have it under a 100 watt equivalent 24 watt CFL florescent bulb (Cool white spectrum) and a 32 watt philips Linear cool white Fluorescent Light, will this do??, what can you suggest in terms of artificial lighting for this type of palm?.
The lighting is timed on a 8/16 cycle every day.
I do not plan on growing under artificial light for long, just until spring/summer comes along.
-In need of advice. Thank You!

Answer
Hi Melcher,

Let me start by saying that your existing setup is probably just fine for the next several months.

Cat Palms prefer lots of bright, but indirect natural sunlight. Artificial lights do not provide the full spectrum of light that sunlight does. However, fluorescent lights do provide lots of light in the blue range that plants require and some in the red range that plants also need. If you have the option, changing one of the cool white bulbs to warm white would provide a better balance of blue-red light quality.

You might want to move the CFL a bit more above the plant so that the light is not so concentrated on one section of the Palm at the expense of the other sections. You didn't indicate if the CFL is a flood or a spotlight. Flood lights are preferred because they spread the light over a wider range.

The fluorescent tube covers a broader area and is good in that respect. However, because light intensity drops off significantly with every foot of distance, the closer the tube is to the plant, the more helpful it will be for your Palm.

Finally, I would suggest a 12 hour on, 12 hour off cycle for your Palm.

I have written detailed articles on light and on Palm care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected]. I have also written an indoor plant care book in a PDF format that I can sell you if you contact me at my email address.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and NOMINATION for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at: www.HorticulturalHelp.com

or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com