Illuminated citrus fruits in winter. Lighting for home lemon Lemon at home lighting

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, even though they are in a 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 of the 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 heating radiators is also not the best idea, the plant will dry out quickly from the increased temperature and dryness of the air.

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. You can find out the optimal height for a phytolamp by placing 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 carry out some preparatory activities. 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. The most optimal conditions for the room where you are going to place the plant for the winter are 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.

Many people who decide to buy a citrus tree opt for. It attracts with its decorative appearance, fragrant smell and original gloss of foliage. But in order for the plant to exist at home for a long period and bear fruit abundantly, you need to know how to properly care for indoor lemon.

- capricious exotic plant. Its homeland is India. But in wildlife there are no more wild representatives, a person has completely cultivated all the available species cultures of this representative.

Plant features:

• Lemon is a low plant or large shrub with powerful branches covered with prickly needles. Young shoots at the point of growth are distinguished by a violet-purple hue.
• The leaf is oblong, oval in shape with slightly protruding teeth. The leaves contain a large number of glands, which contain essential oil. When touching a leaf plate, thanks to these glands, a characteristic aroma is felt. The change of greenery is gradual. Each leaf lives up to a maximum of 3 years, then dries up and dies.
• The flowers on the lemon are inconspicuous, reach 4-5 cm. The inflorescences are white, visually represent a rare chamomile. They are bisexual, placed on a branch singly or in pairs. In some cases, there may be much more inflorescences in one place, but then some of them will have to be removed. This is necessary so that the developing fruits gain the maximum amount of nutrients.
• Each inflorescence from the moment of appearance to full disclosure lives from 7 to 9 weeks. Flowering lasts a short period of time, but the process of fruit formation before it begins to ripen can take up to 230-250 days. If the fruit started in the spring and summer, in a warm room and with sufficient, then the period of formation of a full-fledged lemon can be reduced to 180-210 days.
• If a tree produced flowers in the first year of its life, it is better to break them off, and let the plant get enough nutrients, grow even more. In the second year, the shrub will independently decide how many flowers remain on its branches. It is recommended to leave flowering if the tree has 20 full leaves.
• Small lemons are tied on the branches of a tree, both with the help of pollination and without it (parthenocarpic). In the latter case, the fruits differ only in the absence of seeds inside the slices of a ripened lemon.
• The fruits are ovoid or slightly oblong in shape. Initially, the skin of the fruit has a rich green tone. As it matures, the skin changes to light yellow. In addition, it has a pronounced specific smell. The pulp inside the fruit is juicy, quite sour, divided into 10-14 equivalent slices.

Care has a big impact on the health of the tree. If the conditions of detention are not appropriate, then the plant begins to throw off the leaves. Most often, this process occurs in the winter.

How many healthy leaves remain on the branches depends on whether there will be fragrant fruits next year. Each fruit should have at least 10-15 green leaves. With a smaller amount, the plant will refuse to bear fruit.

Watering is very important for shrubs. Irrigation should be carried out with warm water or room temperature. In different periods of the year, the introduction of nutrient moisture is different:

• From March to September inclusive, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly daily.
• From October to February, you need to reduce the amount of incoming moisture to 1 time per week.

The main thing is that in no case should the formation of swampy soil under the plant be allowed. This can lead to rotting of the root system. Then it will be either very difficult or impossible to save the bush.

Some experienced gardeners who know thoroughly lemon care can provoke a new round of flowering by canceling watering. So the owner of the lemon tree takes the plant to a forced rest, practically reducing the introduction of nutrient moisture. After being removed from rest, the shrub begins to bloom profusely and form sunny berries. But the main thing in this matter is not to overdo it. With a long absence of liquid, the leaves of the shrub twist into tubules, dry and fall off.

A prerequisite for active growth is top dressing. It should be applied weekly in summer and in winter, if fruits are formed, then once a month. Fertilization is carried out after watering after 2 hours:

• - mullein and water are combined in proportions of 1: 1, respectively, infused for 1 week. After the infusion is diluted in a ratio of 1:15 parts of water and watered under the root, trying not to fall on the foliage.
• Minerals - for this, in a specialized store, it is selected for citrus plants. Breed should be according to the instructions.

Lighting for a lemon is of great importance. It is best placed on the southeast side. But during the period of summer heat and scorching rays, it is recommended to shade with a curtain or move slightly into the shade. In winter, with a lack of daylight hours, it is necessary to additionally illuminate the bush with phytolamps, increasing the daylight hours to the maximum required 12 hours.

In order for the tree to grow its branches evenly and not stretch to one side, it needs to be scrolled once a month, exposing the sun to one side or the other.

Lack of light threatens to stop the growth and development of foliage and new shoots. In addition, the taste of ripe fruits will be poor - they will be saturated with acid.

The temperature regime for the fruitful cultivation of shrubs should be observed:

• At the time of flowering, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the region of +18 C. If the degrees are exceeded, the plant will shed its leaves and inflorescences.
• In spring, you need to reduce the degrees to +12 C, place the plant on a glazed balcony. This will provoke a good growth of leaf plates.
• In the winter months, the recommended temperature is +12..+17 C, additional lighting is needed for good growth.
• In summer, for better ripening, up to + 22 .. + 25 C is required.

If the temperature rises to +25 C, then you need to additionally spray the shrub. If the humidity drops to a minimum, then the plant will begin to throw off the foliage and die. Spray in hot weather or if the shrub is next to a hot battery at least 2-3 times a day.

The optimum humidity is 60-70%. It is these requirements for the growth and development of a homemade lemon that are the best.

Young plants under the age of 3 years are recommended to be transplanted once every 12 months. Transplantation should be carried out by transshipment, so that the root system does not notice the replacement of the pot and the addition of new soil. During transshipment, part of the old earth is removed, from which all the nutrients have already been selected by the roots of the plant.

After the lemon crosses the age of 3, it is transplanted 1 time in 3 years. It is strictly forbidden to transplant a flowering or fruiting plant. For transplanting, prepare a fresh soil substrate. It should be loose, well permeable to water and oxygen. The reaction must be neutral, otherwise the shrub will not grow.

For a lemon, the following composition of the soil substrate is suitable:

• Sand - river.
• Sod connected to garden soil.
• Wood ash.
• Manure manure.

All ingredients must be taken in the same parts, and the ash should not exceed 1-2 tablespoons. By combining these components, you get an excellent nutrient mass that saturates the root system of the lemon tree with nutrients.

Pruning of fruit crops is most often carried out in the spring months, when the plant comes out of hibernation.

Long shoots are cut so that up to 5 healthy powerful leaves remain. If pruned on time and correctly, then a young lemon can form the first fruits as early as 2-3 years of age. Many varieties of lemons produce flowers only on branches of the 4th-5th order. It is worth controlling the number of flowers, because if you leave everything, then the tree may be depleted when the fruit is formed.

Under adverse conditions, a lemon tree can be attacked by various pests and diseases. The following uninvited guests are distinguished who can harm the bush:

• spider mite
• Shchitovka
• Aphid
• thrips

Any pest, upon close inspection, is easily visible on the lower part of the leaf, multiplies quickly and in large numbers. The fight is carried out after using a soap-ash solution. In addition, a regular shower helps well, while the leaves are washed both from the top and from the bottom.

In addition, infection with diseases is possible:

1. Infectious nature - not always subject to treatment. Often the affected bush is removed so as not to infect healthy species and burned to prevent disease.
2. Fungal diseases (mold, late blight, soot fungus, root rot) - to eliminate the problem, the affected areas are removed, rotten roots are cut off. Fresh sections are treated with activated charcoal or potassium permanganate solution. If necessary, spraying with chemicals is carried out.
3. Viral diseases (leaf mosaic, citrus cancer, xylopsorosis, trithesis) cannot be cured. The pot is removed and burned.

More information can be found in the video:

A homemade lemon tree is a godsend for many gardeners. Not every plant can simultaneously please with decorative foliage, fragrant flowers, growing and already ripe fruits. The advantage of homemade lemons is absolute naturalness. And although getting a harvest does not always come out quickly, indoor citruses grow tastier and juicier than store ones. If the grower wants to harvest a decent harvest, one must responsibly approach the cultivation of a homemade lemon: how to care for the plant, when to mold and feed - everyone who has purchased citrus should know this.

The citrus guest comes from subtropical regions, so it does not take root well in open ground in cold winters. However, growing it indoors can be successful. To do this, you must initially organize competent care for homemade lemon: maintain a constant humidity of the air, soil, provide a sufficient amount of light and heat.

In flower shops or nurseries, it will not be difficult to purchase seeds or seedlings of varieties that are adapted to adverse conditions. In the wild, the plant can reach an impressive size, and for growing in a room, samples are taken no higher than 1.5-2 m. For the winter, the foliage of a subtropical guest does not fall off, which is why it is called evergreen. Leaf plates last 2-3 years, so they must be protected. - a solid competitor for lemon, he also boasts elegant decoration.

In room conditions, flowering is possible twice a year: in early spring and late autumn.

The best varieties of citrus trees for the home are dwarfs and semi-dwarfs:

Dwarf varieties do not differ in yield, they are grown mainly for decorative purposes. Taller trees can reward the grower with large fruits in large quantities.

How to care for indoor citrus?

Lemon tree care consists in constant monitoring of humidity, temperature and lighting. He needs the right selection of the composition of the soil, its friability. Do not ignore the formation of the bush. The gardener must initially know how to cut a lemon so that it develops harmoniously and produces more fragrant fruits.

• Lighting and temperature conditions in summer and winter

Southern windows and other places with good lighting are suitable for growing. Lemon prefers bright light and long daylight hours. Young specimens are best shaded from the midday sun, as fragile leaves will get a serious burn. Organizing, cypress, variegated ficuses also take into account this rule, despite the fact that these plants are photophilous.

The temperature in the room where the lemon is kept should be moderately warm. Sharp drops are contraindicated, therefore, during winter ventilation, the pot must be removed from the windowsill without changing the position of the crown to the light. In summer, the plant can be sent to the garden or to the open balcony.

The crown develops better if it is not often turned over in different directions to the light.

Lemon care in winter is moderate. The room should be cooler - from 10 to 14 ° C warm. An ideal accommodation option is a warmed loggia. If the tree has not gone into the dormant phase, then the temperature is maintained at about + 18 ° C, while it is necessary to extend the daylight hours up to 12 hours with the help of a lamp.

• Watering a lemon without errors

Depending on the air temperature, the amount and frequency of water application is changed. In hot weather, moisture is applied daily. Water is taken warm, settled for at least 7-8 hours. From September to March, one watering per week will suffice. After each introduction of liquid, the soil must be loosened so that air flows freely to the roots. The plant does not tolerate both drought and waterlogging. It is necessary to focus on the volume of the pot, the temperature regime.

The smaller the pot and the looser the soil, the faster it dries out. In rooms with central heating, you need to water more and more often. Humidify so that the liquid penetrates through the drainage hole onto the pan. Excess water is removed after 20 minutes. In this way, it will be possible to wet the entire earthen lump, and not just its upper part.

Lemon care involves spraying in hot weather. Foliage is processed from a spray bottle 2-3 times a week. Spraying is carried out both in summer and in winter, when the heating radiators are operating at full capacity. To increase the humidity of the air will help placing a tray with water or a humidifier next to the tree. If there is a practice of caring for this plant, then it is possible to grow wild for a bountiful harvest.

When caring for a lemon in a pot, it is important not to forget about fertilizing. During the growing season, feed every 10 days. Fertilizers are suitable for both mineral for citrus fruits and organic ones, for example, mullein solution. Before applying fertilizer for 2-3 hours, the soil is watered. This will protect the root system from burns. In winter, fertilizers will also be useful, but the frequency of their application is once a month. If the tree has a healthy appearance, it blooms and forms fruits, then for a while you can refrain from applying fertilizers.

Rules for transplanting and pruning

When transplanting citrus, a drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay or coarse sand must be laid at the bottom of the box. Drainage holes must be made in any container to drain water. Liquid stagnation must not be allowed. The soil in the pot should be loose, without lumps. The reaction is neutral or slightly acidic. Lemon develops well in soil of medium nutritional value: humus, sand and leafy soil are taken in equal proportions. A container for transplantation is needed 3-4 cm larger than the previous one in diameter.

Pruning is necessary to approach the flowering period. The shoots are also shortened in order to create a neat crown. It is pinched, removing the apical kidney. At least 4-5 leaves should remain on the shoot. The lemon tree is pruned in the spring at the beginning of flowering.

Pruning homemade lemons play an important role. If it is ignored, then the tree will not give enough fruit or will not bloom at all. If in one year the lemon has formed much more ovaries than usual, then the weakest branches with buds must be removed. Too many fruits will deplete the plant.

As soon as the lemon peel turns yellow, the lemons must be harvested. If you are late with the collection, they will become too sour and dense.

Video about cropping rules.

How to increase productivity?

The room lemon gives the first harvest, depending on the method of reproduction. If a tree is grown from a seed, then it is not worth waiting for fruits before 5-7 years. Sometimes it takes at least a decade before fruiting begins. A bush obtained from a cutting, with proper care, begins to bear fruit for 2-3 years.

Secrets of a bountiful harvest:

Growing problems

What difficulties can be encountered in growing? There are several problems:

1. Falling leaves and buds occurs when there is a lack of moisture, drying out of the soil, excessive dryness of the air. Leaf loss can also be caused by waterlogging. It is recommended to transplant the tree by taking out the roots with a clod of earth and pre-drying on a newspaper sheet.
2. The leaves become pale with a lack of lighting, a minimum amount of nutrients.
3. Lack of flowering - a cramped or overall pot is to blame.
4. The tips of the leaf plates turn brown due to lack of moisture and dry air.

As a prevention of fungal diseases, the soil is watered every 2 years with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

If no mistakes were made at all stages of cultivation, then after a few years the florist can be content with mouth-watering lemon slices for tea throughout the year. In addition to fragrant and tonic supplements, they will be useful during the cold season.

Growing citrus plants at home is not a difficult process, but it should be approached correctly. Lemon, tangerine, orange and other exotic plants are, as a rule, natives of tropical latitudes, cultivated and adapted for home cultivation. 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 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 natural light is reduced 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, plants start the processes of consuming stored nutrients, which will significantly slow down the development and growth of the 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.

In central 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, electrical energy is supplied to it, the consumption of this energy by the lamp 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.

With northern windows or windows shaded by foliage of street trees, citrus plants simply need illumination for good development. Otherwise, you will face constant loss of leaves in lemons and tangerines, slow and oppressed growth of shoots, the citrus plant will be on the verge 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 will notice that plants absorb red and blue colors very well and hardly 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.

Scientists have long noticed this fact, and designed lamps with a narrow specialization - lighting plants for their effective growth.

Types of fitolamps for highlighting citrus plants

For domestic use, the most suitable lamps are fluorescent lamps and LED lamps. 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. They have the best characteristic 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, it is a good way to illuminate plants and economical if you have a spectrometer at hand that 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. Such lamps have a high cost, the best option is to 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!