Street Lights:

[Palmə häl′ik]

Any comments or perils of wisdom on this?

Do palms need a 'night cycle'? - I've got two Majestys under one now...

~Ray.

[junglegalfla]

Don't think it's an issue. I have a alley light in my yard and leave two flood lights on all night for protection. Has not seemed to affect the palms. My lights just draw more insects which brings out the frogs & toads.

[Mark Heath]

I have been wondering this myself! At the palm grove i have a street light right in the middle of the property. I guess i'll find out in 5 years or so,

[John Case]

There are a numbet of plants the require hours of darkness/light to thrive. Tomatoes come to mind, they thrive on 20 hours of light a day. Poinsettias need total darkness for some time in the fall in order to blossom.

Unless someone can simulate light/dark conditions and do a scientific study on this, I don't know if there is an answer to this.

I vote that street lights are beneficial to Majesty Palm growth (non-scientific opinion)!

[Kris]

Sodium vapour,mercury vapour light,metal halide or any light above 150 watts working all nights near the palms does help in grouth rate and in some palms they tend to grow towards the direction of the light(Bend or lean).

but on any case it does help the palm to grow faster,than palms growing under natural lighting conditions..

Love,

Kris

[rockos82]

I wouldn't worry about street lights. It is true they have the type of bulbs people use to grow things but they lose their light spectrum range and intensity after 4 to 8 months after installed. Or so I have heard.

[Carlo Morici]

Street lights on a windless night warm up the air and this help the growth, especially in winter. I have seen roystoneas and veitchias "helped" by lights.

By my home there is a baobab (a deciduous tree). A light hanging over a branch of the tree prevent leaf shedding. That is: the tree is leafless in winter except it keeps a few leaves on the branch warmed up by the light.

I believe wind matters. If lights are set in a windless place (among buildings, narrow streets,etc.), their warmth stays. Air movement in wider roads wipe away their effect.

Carlo

[Palmə häl′ik]

Hmm.

I'm may just measure temp differences in my front yard now this winter...

I could have a microclimate up under there!

~Ray.

[epicure3]

Only if one falls over onto the palm. Otherwise, no.

[Kris]

Hmm.

I'm may just measure temp differences in my front yard now this winter...

I could have a microclimate up under there!

~Ray.

[Palmə häl′ik]

NeverKnow. Could be +/- 1degree F!

And yes, they're pretty much directly under the light. Although the actual light is probably 15ft or more higher... I'm anxious to compare them with one I have out back... It doesn't see the street light, so I can use it as a comparison... I just don't care for these palms much so they've been replaced w/ Foxtails... And now the two Majestys reside under HPS glow!

~Ray.

[LJG]

I remember from one of my botany classes that deciduous trees under street lamps drop leaves later then the same trees away from the lights - proving it is not just temps, but also amount of light is a deciding factor on when deciduous trees drop. So they do have a proven effect on trees. No idea on palms.

[Jeff Searle]

What about certain other types of plants grown in the garage under grow lights?

Jeff

[Palmə häl′ik]

'tomato' plants!