09/05/2026
I decided to share some information on using artificial lighting to grow African violets. People often ask: "What should the distance between shelves be?", "What kind of lamps and wattage do you use?", and "How long should the lights stay on?" Let’s go through it step by step 🌸
1) Over the years of growing my collection, I’ve concluded that the ideal distance between shelves is 40 cm (or 50 cm for large rosettes on a wick-watering system).
2) I use LED lamps. For 120x60 cm shelves, I use two 16-watt Barrina lamps (with a color temperature of 6500K)—either 120 cm or 80 cm long.
3) The lights for the entire collection run for exactly 12 hours. I use a smart plug to automate turning the lights on and off (this is very convenient if I need to go away for a few days).