@Har, thank you for responding!
The amount of daylight right before bringing it indoors was about 11 - 11.5 hours. I could not find much information about cold hardiness so I have been bringing them indoors when the temps start dropping below 60*F unless windy and then I bring them when its below 65*F. Under the grow lights, exposure was for 18 hours. That was the recommendation on the product for both high light plants and low light plants. The distance from the ilamas was about 22 inches from the tallest seedling and i raised it by another 12 inches but it didn't seem to matter much in reducing leaf loss. The temperature was a 70*f Humidity was 46-50%. I have not sprayed it with any chemicals or fertilizers. Thanks for sharing a little bit about the behavior of ilamas in Guatemala. Its interesting to hear that they thrive in higher altitudes with slightly cooler night temperatures. Where my family lives in Eastern El Salvador, its about to feel hotter in their dry season, probably because of the lower elevation. Temps don't stray much from low 70's and in other parts of El Salvador, it doesn't get lower then 60's.
@RadoSlav thanks for responding.
I did run into the post you linked but the pictures from the person that started the post posted pictures that looked more like a nutrient deficiency and left prematurely. Now that I see the rest of what others posted, it seems to be more related to my issue. Since I started this post, the closest thing I could find so far was a study in immediate drop of leaves related to citruses under grow lights. They call it winter leaf drop. The root temperature was found out to be too low and so the roots went into dormancy, and leaves continued to photosynthesize under the lights. The problem was that the roots help the leaves transpire and regulate leaf temperature. If the roots didn't work, then the leaves would drop from overheating. But since I found the info I have moved my seedlings to a northern window avoiding direct sunlight and they seem to be doing fine for now. New growth seems to be appearing so maybe the roots aren't dormant. I chose a northern window because I was afraid that the same thing would happen as under the grow lights under a southern window. I might test my southern window next fall along with grafting to to test for winter leaf drop. Outdoors, I have never had issues with sudden leaf drop, but the pots are warm from the sun and the outdoor conditions are as natural as possible. But who knows, maybe it isn't winter leaf drop or a natural dormancy like what happens in central America. Maybe its something emitted or lacking from the grow lights. My grow lights are led and don't advertise that they emit in the UV spectrum, just the visible spectrum. But I will see if I can try to integrate indoor glass and macralon with my grow light and see if that helps.
Topic: Ilama seedlings dropping new growth (Read 1229 times)