Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Ash on 16/02/2009 15:30:01

Title: Does having lights on affect a house plant's circadian rhythm?
Post by: Ash on 16/02/2009 15:30:01

Ash asked the Naked Scientists:
   
My dad and I were wondering about the following question:

Does having lights on affect a house plant's circadian rhythm, if it has
one?

Keep up the awesome work!

Thanks!

What do you think?

Title: Does having lights on affect a house plant's circadian rhythm?
Post by: Don_1 on 16/02/2009 15:52:17

Since the bulbs in use in the home do not imitate natural sunlight, they have no affect on the plant's growth or biological clock. However, if you had bulbs which emitted high levels of light in the blue spectrum, such as metal halide bulbs, or another type of 'daylight' bulb, it would have an effect on the growth rate and therefore it could be reasonably expected to have a similar effect on the house plant's whole circadian rhythm.

Title: Does having lights on affect a house plant's circadian rhythm?
Post by: lyner on 16/02/2009 16:26:05

They work very well in marijuana factories. They can provide midsummer / equatorial conditions all the time. It fools those plants - but perhaps they're stoned all the time and it means nothing to them.