Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

by Leslie F. Halleck

Overview

“If you want to grow plants indoors, you need this book.” —Niki Jabbour, author and staff writer at savvygardening.com

Gardening Under Lights is a highly-detailed, accessible guide for seed starters, plant collectors, houseplant fans, and anyone who wants to successfully garden indoors any time of the year. You’ll learn the basics of photosynthesis, the science of light, how to accurately measure how much light a plant needs, and details about the most up-to-date tools and gear available. Also included are tips and techniques for helping ornamental plants (like orchids, succulents, bonsai, and more) and edible plants (arugula, cannabis, oregano, tomatoes, and more) thrive indoors. Whether you are a vegetable gardener who wants to extend the growing season, a balcony gardener short on outdoor space, or a specialty plant collector, Gardening Under Lights is a must-have.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604698657
Publisher:	Timber Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/10/2018
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	546,702
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Leslie F. Halleck is a dedicated horticulturist with a master's in horticulture from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Professional Horticulturist (CPH) via The American Society for Horticulture Science, with more than 25 years of green industry experience in research, greenhouse production, public gardens, garden center retail, landscape and design services, and gardening communications. Her work has been published in many scientific, industry, and consumer horticulture publications such as Fine Gardening, Greenhouse Management Magazine, and more. She currently runs Halleck Horticultural, LLC, a company that provides consulting services to green industry businesses, as well as horticultural consulting.

Read an Excerpt

Preface
Being obsessed with plants by the time I was 18 years old didn’t exactly make me popular at parties. As my original plant friend, Carolyn, will tell you, the two of us could clear a room quickly once the surrounding college partygoers heard us talking about our cactus or cross-pollination. We just couldn’t help ourselves, and we’re still at it today. However, my status at The University of North Texas as one of only two students (at the time) concentrating in botany, my curious reputation as a gardener, and my college job as a garden-center employee made my phone ring a bit more frequently than my social status warranted. If only I had known I could have made some cash telling anonymous callers how to stop killing their closet so-called tomato plants. But I was never interested in what was actually growing in their closets. I was content to be knee-deep in my outdoor ornamental and vegetable garden, not to mention obsessed with an increasingly large collection of houseplants. But I’m glad those closet gardeners called, because it was the start of my horticultural consulting career—and, as it turns out, this book.

I spent my first two years of university life at UNT as an art major before I switched to biology and botany. As such, aesthetic considerations are infused into all my pursuits, even the scientific ones. The fusion of art and horticulture is natural. Growing plants and food indoors doesn’t have to be utilitarian; it can be a beautiful practice that blends into our living space and lifestyles. own attractive plant lighting.

As a graduate student at Michigan State University, my research focused on greenhouse production and flowering of perennial plants. Therefore, you will also encounter some science and math, which may seem a bit confounding at first. If you don’t need this information, feel free to skip it. If you have intensive indoor gardening goals, however, the more in-depth how-tos on measuring and calculating your indoor lighting needs will likely form the basis of your long-term success.

As it turns out, writing this book feels like I’m coming full circle to bring the closet garden to light. I hope this book encourages your interest in, and creates new possibilities for, growing plants where you once thought you could not. Perhaps you’re on a mission to grow more of your own food or medicinals, even if all you have is a kitchen counter, a guest room corner, or a small closet. You may want to extend your vegetable-gardening season by getting a jump-start on propagation or growing indoors off-season. Having control over your own food source is a powerful feeling. It’s good to eat fresh, hyperlocal, and clean. Or maybe, like me all those years ago, you have caught the plant-collecting bug and there just aren’t enough windowsills left in your home to feed your growing plant family. In any case, you’ve come to the right place.

Table of Contents

Preface 6

Introduction 9

Light

Why Plants Need Light 12

How Plants Respond to Light 18

Measuring Light 36

Grow Lamps 52

Growing Conditions

Managing Your Environment 88

Common Pests and Diseases 108

Propagation and Plant Care 120

Plants

Edible Plants 152

Ornamental Plants 198

Conclusion 228

Resources 230

References and Bibliography 233

Photography and Illustration Credits 235

Acknowledgments 236

Index 237

Editorial Reviews

This scientifically grounded yet accessible book is an essential guide to just about anything we might want to grow indoors.” —Kelly Norris, director of horticulture and education at Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

“This book nails it! Everything from breathtaking yet practical ways to grow your own food to basic starts for your indoor or outdoor garden.” —Bren Haas, founder of Creative Living with Bren Haas and host of GardenChat

“If you want to grow plants indoors, you need this book.” —Niki Jabbour, author and host of “The Weekend Gardener”

“Redefines how we approach growing plants in any indoor environment.” —Brie Arthur, author and horticulturist

“If you are a plant enthusiast, this is a must-read and will become an indispensable resource.” —Shawna Coronado, author, gardener, and wellness lifestyle advocate

“Halleck writes engagingly for those with more than a passing interest in indoor gardening.” —Booklist

“Gardening Under Lights is a wonderful introduction to growing indoors. . .  appropriate both for readers who want to know what lights to find to make a few more houseplants happy, and for readers who envision a more industrial production, Gardening Under Lights is a timely and very useful new book.” —NYBG’s Plant Talk 

“Explains all you need to know to grow almost anything indoors under lights. . . . Halleck will tell you what you need to be successful at indoor gardening.” —Garden Design

“Get ready for knowledge bomb after knowledge bomb in this one, plant friends.” —Bloom and Grow Radio 

“The definitive primer on indoor gardening.” —The Designer

“Whatever your skill level, Leslie’s bright ideas will light up your indoor garden—no sun required.” —Grower Talks

“If you are at all interested in gardening indoors, then this book is for you.” —The Professional Gardener Magazine

“Perhaps the hardest subject for a garden enthusiast to tackle is indoor lighting. . . . Into the darkness of my ignorance has come Gardening Under Lights. . . . This book is the answer to the prayers of gardeners everywhere.” —Southwest Gardening

“A really welcome book for those of us who haven't fully dipped our toes into the confusing world of artificial light for our plants.” —On the Ledge

“Halleck’s book walks readers through the basics and turns potentially confusing concepts into common knowledge. . . Gardening Under Lights doesn’t just tell you how to have an aesthetically pleasing and successful indoor garden—it shows you.” —Garden Center Magazine

“A detailed, accessible guide for seed starters, plant collectors, houseplant fans, and anyone who wants to successfully garden indoors any time of the year.” —Michigan Gardener
 

From the Publisher