HousePlants

In the last post you seen the glass jar I had my Mother-in-Law Tongue cuttings in, did you notice the color? It is green. While I was potting that plant and looking at my jar, I thought about writing this post.

Does color matter? Yes, it does. I have used many different color jars over my years of growing plants and here is what have come up with:

Clear: Clear has to be the worst color (yes, I know it is not a “color” but you know what I mean). Yeah, it lets in a lot of light but all that light can burn budding roots. If you do use a clear jar for cuttings make sure you put them in another color one when roots start showing or cover with something like foil. This applies to any light color jar.

Green (dark): I love my green jar; anything I put in there grows. It lets enough light get to the so-to-be-roots without burnings.

Blue: Blue has not worked well for me (dark or light blue), you would think it would be the same as green but it is not. I am not wise to the science behind colors but i think blue is more “reflective” then green (please, someone correct me if I am wrong).

Red (or pink)/Orange/Yellow: These are other bad colors for starter jars. I think they are just to “loud” for the plants.

The color is also important when tying plant up (like climbing plants). Black is best in this case.

This discussion will continue in later posts, in the mean time let me know what you think!

Here are some links about the color of light and plant growth, which applies since the light is colored in the jars:

(links open in New Window)

http://www.colormatters.com/science_faq2.html - I do not really agree with their take on what colors plants like and dislike. I have never found a plant that likes red.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_color_affect_plant_growth - “Aside from growth, the color of light can influence the timing of plant flowering and fruiting. It’s thought that light rich in the red wavelengths encourages tomato plants to flower and then fruit.”. I like how this Wiki Answer talks about the “wavelengths” of light, however it is incomplete.

http://www.ghorganics.com/New%20Findings%20on%20How%20Mulch%20Color%20Can%20Affect%20Food%20Plants.htm - I will have to send this link to my friend over at http://inthegarden.today.com and see if they want to try this out!!

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080627180038AAq3ugV&show=7 - See what others say at Yahoo Anwsers!! I would not put to much stock in something you read on AssociatedContent.com (“Source” for the first answer), all the articles are written by ‘normal’ people and most of the CP’s there could not find their way out of a paper bag!! Do not get me wrong, there may be a hand full of CP’s that know what they are talking about but they are few and far between.