Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand March/April 2020 | Page 18

bare
ROOTS
Featured Contributors
KG Kent Gruetzmacher, MFA, is a
Colorado-based freelance writer and
the director of business development
at Mac & Fulton Talent Partners,
an employment recruiting firm
dedicated to the indoor gardening
and hydroponics industry. He is
interested in utilising his MA in
Humanities to critically explore the
many cultural and business facets of
this youthful, emergent industry by
way of his entrepreneurial projects.
MM Monica Mansfield owned an
indoor garden store for 5½ years
before selling the business to
start a seven-acre homestead
with her husband, Owen. Monica
is passionate about gardening,
sustainable living, and holistic
health. She writes about these topics
and her homestead adventures on
her blog, thenaturelifeproject.com.
Contributors
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A
Chris Bond
Luis Cordova
Kasey Craig
Grubbycup
Philip McIntosh
Dr. Lynette Morgan
Alan Ray
PHOTOPERIOD
AUS/NZ EDITION • VOL.18 NO.2
March/April 2020
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Photoperiod refers to the ratio of a plant’s exposure to light in a 24-hour period.
Many types of plants require certain lengths of light exposure to enter various life
cycle stages. The number of hours of darkness — not the photoperiod itself — is what
influences photoperiodic plant responses, including flowering, stem extension, and
dormancy. Growers can control the photoperiod in a plant’s life cycle to appropriately
encourage the plant’s vegetative state, flowering, ripening, and ultimate harvest.
Some plants also respond favourably to a longer than natural photoperiod by
producing a more abundant yield. A given photoperiod exerts profound effects
on the growth and flowering of many plant species, and manipulation of this light/
dark cycle is essential for the success of many greenhouse crops. Indoor plants in the
vegetative stage should ideally be receiving 18 hours of light and six hours of darkness
in a 24-hour time period. This is represented as an 18/6 photoperiod. This is only a
recommended average; with any given crop requiring more or less light/darkness.
If planted outside, photoperiod crops are dependent on natural light cycles: they
must be planted at the beginning of the summer and naturally enter flowering mode
at the end of the summer when the days become shorter.
Check out Dr. Lynette Morgan's article on photoperiod on page 46.
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