No matter what types of plants you are growing indoors, you must be sure to always give them a rest. When it's dark, plants respirate, which is an important part of their growth process. The balance of rest time to active growth time affects many biological processes, including the growth rate, and the setting of buds and fruit.
Botanists usually divide plants into three categories relating to their preferred day length: short-day, long-day or day-neutral. Short-day plants, such as chrysanthemums, kalanchoe, azaleas and begonias, will thrive on less than 12 hours of light per day. In fact, these plants must usually go through a series of even shorter days before they will set buds and flower.
Long-day plants require at least 14 to 18 hours of light each day. Most vegetables and garden flowers are long-day plants, and when they don't receive enough light they get pale and leggy. Day-neutral plants, including foliage plants, geraniums, coleus and African violets, are usually satisfied with 8 to 12 hours of light all year-round.
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