Tips for Fresh Gardeners: The Right Amount of Light Exposure

Oh, yes. This is a tough one. Seedlings need a lot of light. But how much is actually enough and not too much? The answer depends on whether you grow indoors or outdoors. I know that the right amount of light exposure can be a huge concern for a fresh gardener. I’ve been there. That is why I would like to give you guys some tips on how I define light in gardening and deal with the signs of too much or too little light.   

Tips for Fresh Gardeners: The Right Amount of Light Exposure

Indoor Lights Exposure Requirements

Light is light, no matter if it’s indoors or outdoors. But if you grow plants indoors, you have a powerful alley – artificial light. When you grow indoors, you’ll probably need to get some grow light such as fluorescent, high intensity discharge (HID), plasma and light emitting diode (LED).

After picking the grow light, you should choose where to put it. The best solution is to hang it above the seedlings as close as possible without touching them. When the seedlings appear, you should leave the lights on for at least 12 hours a day (not more than 15).

Outdoor Lights Exposure Requirements

Poor light levels can cause the seedlings to grow tall and leggy. But the question is – how to determine what partial shade, light shade or part sun mean? Based on my experience and with the help of a quick research, I think I might have an answer to this one.

Here it goes – full shade means that no direct sunlight reaches the ground, partial shade refers to areas where your plants are exposed to direct morning or afternoon sun, light shade is a shade created by trees with high branches, part sun is similar to partial shade with an exception of some midday sun involved, and full sun indicates at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

A plant’s adaptability basically depends on two things - climate and plant itself. Generally speaking I would say that most plants prefer a site with morning sun and late-afternoon shade.

The right amount of light exposure, proper sowing and adequate watering make the list of 3 huge concerns of most fresh gardeners.

I’m here to help you make your first gardening steps, so don’t hesitate and leave your comment if you have a question or suggestion. See you, my fellow gardeners!