Aluminum foil for more sun?

[garudamon11]

Hello, I've red that you can use aluminum foil to maximize the amount of sunlight your plants get, I think its a pretty interesting idea because I don't get much sun and my plants are clearly crying for more sun, I would like to try the aluminum foil but I've got a few questions first:
How do you use it exactly? What can I use to make it stand?
Is it going to burn my plants?
Is it actually effective? Has anybody tried it?

[Bobberman]

Anything that reflects light will work . Here are a few ideas that I have used before. White gravel, alum pie pans, strrofoam plates and even white plastic! I have some heavy white brick that I use all the time below my peppers! The bricks work great because they hold some heat for the peppers at night..Perlite sprinkled around the plant also works great. Its not just the extra light it is the extra heat at night especially for peppers! That was the problem in Pa. this year too many cool nights for peppers!

[garudamon11]

So it actually works? Thats great! Sunlight is my main problem since I live in an apartment but heat isnt a problem at all.
How do you actually use aluminum plates or cardboard covered with aluminum foil? I'm not sure about how far I should put it but if it has to be far then I havent got enough space inside, and does it have to be at the same height as the plant or is it ok to reflect the light at the bottom of the leaves?

[applestar]

You'll notice immediate increase in light just by lining the surface the plants are on and any nearby walls for example. White painted surface also increases reflected light in the general area. Mirrors on the walls can help too. I once had a large potted palm in the corner of the living room with a north-facing window and I used white ceramic tiles on the floor and mirror tiles on the walls in that corner from floor to ceiling as well as the ceiling, then set an upward floodlight canister on the floor corner behind the plant.

It can look like a junkyard, construction site, house of mirrors, or upscale white modern. You should consider the kind of look you want. Since I only do this during the winter when I have so many plants inside, My "decoration" styles sometime dip into the junky in some rooms, but I like to try to keep things looking a bit more "designed" in some rooms.

A hinged folding screen made of cardboard lined with aluminum or Mylar foil or wood panels painted pearly white, and stood on the interior side of the plants will light up the plants although now you can't see them from inside anymore and the room interior will be darker.

A large appliance crate/packing box lined with aluminum foil/mylar with open side to the window and top flap cut along the sides and angled upward works wonders too.

I mention Mylar because Mylar survival blanket inexpensive and great for this purpose. Also, you can cut open and recycle the potato chips/crisps bags. They are usually shiny or white inside.

[garudamon11]

The wall around the plants is white and so are the curtains, but my plants still lean towards the window, and my dill is acting weird, its leaves are folding and its growing leggy (I'll take a picture tomorrow) my plants get direct sun from 7 AM to 10:30 AM btw.
I think I'll try the aluminum foil for a coupel of days to see how my plants do then I'll decide if I should use it or not

[rainbowgardener]

Leaning towards the window and getting leggy are both definite signs of not enough light and 3 hrs of morning light through the window (I.e. from one direction only) is clearly not enough. Have you thought about a lamp?

I have my indoor plants that need light in a corner with windows on two sides and I have this

https://www.target.com/p/5-Head-Floor-Lamp-Includes-CFL-Bulb/-/A-12242007

where you can aim different heads at different plants.

[garudamon11]

A light would be a good idea but the electricity cost in here is .

I applied simple sheets of aluminum foil and my plants seem to be doing okay with them, no burns or anything.

But does anyone know whats wrong with my dill? Why are the leaves like this?

[img]https://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9420/blah001.jpg[/img]

[organicgardenerswife]

I have used aluminum foil for starting plants already. I do not know if it helped that much, but it did seem to make that the plants were less likely to lean towards the window.

The way I used it, I lined a box with foil, shiny side out, and either set the plants inside the box, or set the box on its' side, behind the plants, opposite the sun.