Q.How Will My Olive Tree Do With Primarily A Grow Light?
I am the happy new owner of an Arbequina olive tree! Problem is I only have four windows twofacing north twofacing west. I don’t know how this beautiful baby is going to do with primarily a grow light but I was wondering if you might tell me? It will see a lot of daylight but very little direct sun. So I need to know if what kind of grow light I purchase matters? I read something briefly on my way to your website about a broad spectrum Samsung grow light. So if you know somebody who knows some thing I wanna do right as best I can in my small apartment in Downtown Chicago with this olive tree as I can I certainly would love to see fruit but keeping it alive and beautiful would be better than nothing. Thank you
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
You have quite an array of choices, here! Depending on how much you are willing to spend, there are good options for each category of lighting.
The first option for supplemental lighting will be a T5 or T5 HO panel. You will want, at least, 200 watts of light to keep the tree happy. This is a tried and true source of light if you can balance the very small usable light penetration depth.
Next will be my preference. Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) units. These come in 315 watts and 630 watts. This is a powerful and efficient light source, but you have two choices- Powerful and REALLY Powerful. They will light a 4x4 to 5x5 area comfortably.
Next, you have the two tried and true fixtures. Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) which range from 120 watts up to well into the 1000's of watts range. They are costly to run and require cooling, as a must. They have a great penetration depth and grow plants very well if you can keep the area cool. That tends to be a problem for most.
Last, you have LED. This is not a feasible option for most people. The panels that actually grow plants well are VERY expensive. The cheaper panels do not have the spectrum or intensity needed to sustain proper growth when compared to the other fixtures. For this reason, I do not recommend this type of lighting for most, though some of the best lights on the market ARE LEDs. They are, simply, not in price range for the average consumer.
Whatever you choose, make sure to have at least 200 watts of light to keep your tree happy.
For more information on growing olives indoors, read this article:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/olive/olive-houseplant-growing.htm
