Hello,
This is a question regarding my Pachira Aquatica tree - see the following pic :
Sadly it's becoming a former glory of itself, which is shame cause it's a really cool talking point in my flat, and I love it. So much so that I thought some additional light might help. Remembering my friend's from university 'grow up', I bought a sodium floodlight which is on from 4am to 7am, and then 9am through to 6pm.
I did some cursory research after wards and read that halide lights are better than sodium lights as plants have a better reaction - I was always taught that orange was the best colour because it was absorbed most by green leaves. However it seems that the colour temperature has a bearing on the efficiency of the photosynthesis...
My flood light's about 75W - is that strong enough, or is it not going to make any difference? Would a 150W halide bulb work better? Since I installed the lamp about 3 weeks ago, I've not noticed any reduction in the rate of drop-off.
I think I'm sadly resigned to the fact that my flat is just too dark (no direct sunlight except in Summer for an hour) to support such a plant, even though they are advertised as being low light plants.
I don't think the leaf drop-off is due to over / under watering - the planter has a bed of gravel and I keep that wet to aid humidity, and I spray the plant every week or so (I travel a lot so I'm not actually here that much). I let the top of the soil dry before watering - again
- typically every week. The flat's warm all year round.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance,
Tom.