Last weekend I moved my Z8/9/10 plants indoors -- Monday night we had the first sub-zero temperatures this fall. They will be under grow-lights all winter, until some time in late March or April. As in previous years, the timer is set for about 16h of light, after which the plants are in the dark. But I'm wondering -- do they really need the diurnal cycle ? Obviously, conifers growing above the Arctic Circle will have periods of no-night during the growing season, and no sunlight in winter. But what about sub-tropical conifers, and continuous light in winter, under grow lights ? Anybody know how this affects them, if at all ? Besides the biological aspects, I'm thinking that avoiding the many on-off cycles for the fluorescent lights and balasts might significantly improve their durability. The little bit of heat they generate simply reduces the load on my (electric) heating system, so no change there.
