Brittany Lawyer

Lesson #37

GH Management
Subject: Plants and Light

1/16/14

PA Standards: 8.5 Compare the techniques of plant maintenance with lighting needs.
Objectives: Students will be introduced to the concepts of plants and light requirements
for photosynthesis and growth.
Vocabulary: photosynthesis, intensity, footcandles, shade, photoperiod, phototropism,
Pre-Class Warm Up: Display plants with different lighting needs ferns (low light),
cactus (high light) Discuss.
Lesson Guidelines: Since light is needed for photosynthesis, plant growth is affected by
light intensity (strength) and by photoperiod (length of daylight). Reduced light
intensity of the winter results in less food being made and less vigorous growth by plants.
Length of the day influences whether flowering will occur in certain plants.
Photosynthesis is most efficient in many GHs when the light intensity is about 6000
footcandles (amount of light given by a standard candle at a distance of one foot).
During the summer months the maximum light intensity reaches 10000 footcandles and
may need to be shaded to reduce light intensity. Some plants like African violets need
reduced light intensity all of the time. A shade cloth can do this. In the winter, all the
sunlight possible is needed so some GHs regularly clean the covering to avoid dirt
lowering the intensity.
The length of the day affects many plants. The chrysanthemum naturally flowers in the
fall during short days and long nights. To induce flowering in the spring or summer,
growers artificially shorten the length of the day. This reaction of plants to the length of
the day or night is called photoperiodic response. These long night plants need at least
14 hours of uninterrupted darkness to induce flowering. This is called the critical night
length. Different plants have different critical night lengths. Short night or long day
plants require less than 12 hours of darkness per day to flower. Day neutral plants are
not affected by daylength.
Research has shown that the best growth of plants occurs when they are exposed to the
full range of the visible light spectrum. If growing plants under artificial lights, it is at
least important to have equal amounts of blue and red wave lengths or else the plants will
be very short or very tall. Many of these additional lights are specialized for plants, but
fluorescent lights do a good job for promoting plant growth and photoperiod.
Phototropism is the effect of plants turning toward the sun. This one sided bending
occurs if the light source is only on one side.
Have students fill out the achievement review on light.
Work with Russells plants and organizeGH duties as needed.
Resources: Commercial GH Management Boodley, 1998, light meter, worksheets