Gardening under lights : the complete guide for indoor growers / Leslie F. Halleck.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"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.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

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. Excerpted from Gardening under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers by Leslie F. Halleck All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

According to Halleck, a certified professional horticulturalist, blogger, and former director of horticultural research at the Dallas Arboretum, "Green thumbs are earned, not born." So, by the time anyone wanting to learn more about successfully growing plants indoors finishes this guide, they will definitely feel like they have earned their own verdant digit. Explaining the principles of how plants use light is the foundation of this title, and Halleck provides the data on everything from the use of light to propagation and the care of plants indoors. A special section bonus details in-depth what is needed to grow a range of edible and ornamental plants indoors. VERDICT With a stellar combination of botanical knowledge and street smarts, this will provide those who are just trying to keep their African violet alive with a good tip or two among the vast treasure trove of information. However, this impressive gardening tome will be most prized by gardeners who want to dig down deep into the subject.-John Charles, formerly with Scottsdale P.L., AZ © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

The first section of Gardening Under Lights covers the technical side of growing plants, including a detailed discussion on light, measuring light, and the variety of grow lights. This section also includes chapters on conditions in the environment, specifically pests, diseases, propagation, and care of plants. The most interesting part of the book is its second section, which includes individual descriptions of edible and ornamental plants: beet roots, cannabis, African violets, orchids, and more. For each plant, there are colored photos, light requirements, propagation, growing medium, water, fertilization, pests, and diseases. Halleck, a professional horticulturist, writes engagingly for those with more than a passing interest in indoor gardening (and possibly a greenhouse). For medium-sized and large academic and public library gardening collections.--Bulson, Christine Copyright 2010 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

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.