What would happen if my plants recieved sun light 24 hours a day every day?
Question:I am growing some Jalapeno chilli plants under grow lights. I turn the light on first thing in the morning then turn it off last thing at night. But what would happen if I left the light on 24hours a day everyday? Would the plants benefit from the extra light or do they require periods of complete darkness in order to sustain a health photosynthetic cycle?
Answers:
Most plants require a period of darkness. If they are in light 24 hours the products of the light reactions of photosynthesis start to back up because they are not being used up in the dark reactions. As a result the plant can die. A lot of towns found this out when they planted trees and shrubs in a downtown area just to have them die. Most originally thought it was due to car and bus pollution but it was determined that it was the light--when the sun went down the street lights come on--light 24 hours.
That being said there are a small group of plants that have managed to adapt to a 24 hour light period without dying but it's still healthier for them to have some darkness. Peppers aren't one of them.
I'm not sure, but the worse case scenario is some spicy chili, yes? Go Jalepenos!!
More Related Questions & Answers...