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The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center - Shroomery

The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center - Shroomery

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tripzine.com : Cultivating Diviner's Sage , by Will Biefuss<br />

fluorescent bulbs will maintain your plants through the<br />

winter until you can get them back outside in the spring.<br />

High Pressure Sodium (HPS) or Metal Halide (MH) lights<br />

can also be used. <strong>The</strong>y come in 400w <strong>and</strong> 1000w sizes.<br />

Unless you have a large area to cover, the 400w is<br />

plenty. A 400w MH system costs about $200 <strong>and</strong> puts<br />

out as many lumens as twenty fluorescent bulbs. This<br />

fixture would provide enough light for an eight by eight<br />

foot growing space. However, you need to be careful to<br />

keep the light at least two feet above the tops of the<br />

plants. If the leaves start to blush red, then the light is<br />

too close. Leaves will lighten in color when exposed to<br />

high light levels; this is fine <strong>and</strong> does not affect potency.<br />

If you do use one of these lights, your plants will require<br />

more humidity as the extra heat the lights give off will<br />

quickly dry out the leaves. HPS lights are higher in the<br />

red spectrum <strong>and</strong> emit a golden light, MH lights are more<br />

balanced <strong>and</strong> are usually better for use with <strong>Salvia</strong><br />

<strong>divinorum</strong>.<br />

Humidity<br />

One fallacy often heard about <strong>Salvia</strong> <strong>divinorum</strong> is that<br />

they need a lot of humidity to survive. In fact the plants<br />

do enjoy high humidity, <strong>and</strong> will achieve optimum growth<br />

if grown in these conditions, but they can be grown<br />

successfully in a low humidity environment with a few<br />

simple steps.<br />

<strong>The</strong> trick is to slowly acclimate the plant to a lower<br />

humidity environment over the course of several weeks.<br />

If you have ordered a cutting by mail, chances are good<br />

it came from a high humidity environment in a<br />

greenhouse. Give it high humidity initially by misting it<br />

often or placing it in a tent with a humidifier, but slowly<br />

reduce the humidity over the course of the next month.<br />

<strong>The</strong> plant will do just fine, <strong>and</strong> will be much less hassle<br />

for you. In the winter when my plants are indoors, I<br />

cover the walls with plastic sheeting <strong>and</strong> spray the plants<br />

three times a day with a pump-style tank sprayer. This<br />

takes less than fifteen minutes a day <strong>and</strong> I never have a<br />

problem with leaf edges turning brown - the typical sign<br />

http://www.tripzine.com/articles.asp?id=salviagrow (4 of 7) [04.09.01 10:22:40]

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