Home growing: tips for success
Light, pots and drainage, watering, feeding, balconies and hand pollination – the basics for windowsills, balconies and terraces. Every figure comes from a cited source. The full text is in Finnish.
Rule: we never invent figures. If a source has no exact value, we say so.
Key figures
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Light | indoor herbs about 12 h of artificial light a day; seedlings 14–16 h with lamps 10–15 cm above them | [2] |
| Pot size | at least 2 litres; the bigger the plant, the bigger the pot | [1] |
| Watering | test moisture with a finger about 5 cm deep; soak a bone-dry pot for half an hour | [1] |
| Pollination | tomato: vibrate daily; below 15 °C and above 30 °C impair it | [5] |
🔆 Grow lights and daily light integral (DLI)
DLI is the total amount of photosynthetic light a plant receives in a day (mol/m²/day). For grow lights it is calculated from the light intensity at the top of the canopy (PPFD, µmol/m²/s) and the hours the lights are on: DLI = PPFD × hours × 3,600 / 1,000,000. Fruiting crops such as tomatoes need much more light than leafy greens. [3]
The full guide (care, pests, beginner and professional tips) is currently in Finnish. The figures above are the same and come from the sources below.
These are general guidelines. Always check the variety, seed packet or fertiliser instructions and current regulations.
Sources
- Martat: Ruukkuviljely
- University of Minnesota Extension: Growing herbs
- Virginia Cooperative Extension SPES-720: Calculating and using daily light integral (DLI), taulukko 3
- Utah State University Extension: Grow your own microgreens
- Martat: Tomaatin kasvatus
- Mississippi State University Extension: Vibrating toothbrush vs. electric pollinator (greenhouse tomatoes)
- Martat: Paprikan kasvatus
- Martat: Ikkunakurkku