| Author | Content |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
September 08, 2009
12:46 PM Post #7040553
| I posted this question in another forum but thought I might posted in here as well to see if I can get some answers.
Hello I am a fairly new gardener so this question might sound silly to some of you.
I have been trying so grow veggies from seed for about a month now and I do have a small set up of grow lights that are set up in my bedroom.
I have tried to grow lettuce from seed but even though they were under grow lights the stems were too long and spindly, therefore the plant always wanted to bend.
I've read in other forums throought the internet that I am supposed to place the lights very close to my new seedlings expecially lettuce so they don't become spindly and long.
My question is, I always place my seeds on top of the frindge until they start poking out and then place them on the grow lights but different seeds and vegetables or herbs come out at different rates so how can I adjust my lights accordingly if some of my seedlings came out before some others and therefore have had time to grow.
Example is parsley or cilantro, according to the package it takes a good 2-3 weeks for the seedlings to emerge or even pepper takes a little longer than say tomatoes or cucumbers or basil which for me took just 48 hours to emerge.
Will investing in a heat mat solve this problem or is there any other way to do this?
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joannabanana
Calgary, AB
(Zone 3a)
September 09, 2009
02:20 PM Post #7044720
| I don't think you will need a heat mat since the lights generate quite a bit of heat. You could pick up a cheap digital thermometer with a little wire sensor and put the remote under or in the tray. That will give you a good guide of temperatures and day/night fluctuations |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
September 09, 2009
03:16 PM Post #7044846
| Thank you Joanabanana.
I have been doing a lot of research and some people use their electric blankets instead of the heat mat.
I think right now I will just keep my seeds on top of the fridge and see if that works. This heat mats are just so expensive, and to tell you the thruth I much rather spend the $ on a rain barrel, which I think I would use more. |
Francis_Eric
Aurora, IL
September 17, 2009
01:20 PM Post #7074358
| your plants are getting leggy, because you have no wind on them, plants grow during the night,
what I do is keep a fan blowing on them, once leaves start forming after a while you could probaly take the fan off.
(I haven't cultivated too many different kinds of plants Indoors,
but I have noticed after the second set of leaves they seem to grow smaller, and not leggy I think this is the most Important time to keep a fan on them.
like I said I haven't grown that many types of seeds indoors though)
I have also hung a papper clip On a plant before It didn't grow as leggy as the rest did.
They will be even smaller if the fan is on 24 hours a day
(at least for my plants when I was first starting them off.).
have you considered germinating In a terrarium it holds In the humidity
I have left some Of My Ginkgo seeds IN a grocery bag
(outside In the shade, and it's not even summer)
right now the soil is as warm as baby bath water (or small kids bath water) |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
01:58 PM Post #7077980
| Thank you Francis_Eric for the tip.
Yes I have heard that before from other folks that it is good to place a small fan and have the wind make the stemps stronger. I have not yet placed a fan in my seedlings but I was finnaly able to purchase a timer so the lights go on and off automatically and also place my grow lights a lot closer to the seedlings, they really seem to be doing a lot better now and are not as leggy as before.
I wish I could start all my seeds outdoors but we've been getting really bad rains every day and I am afraid that the poor seeds would not survive.
So far I've only planted some lettuce outside in containers from seed and they seem to be sprouting great and also mesclum salad but have not tried anything else.
I will definetely place a fan close to my lights and see if this helps with the problem.
The terrarium idea sounds like a really good one, are they prety expensive? |
Francis_Eric
Aurora, IL
September 18, 2009
06:01 PM Post #7078796
| A (closed ) terraium can be anything thats closed and lets light through
a storage container with ceram wrap over it if your really Ona tight budget (or glass)
, those things that cover a cake (I jkust asked some one A cake keeper)
it just need to be enclosed let light in , and hold in humidity.
have you heard of
http://www.freecycle.org
you could ask on that site or also give stuff away.
we gave our working washing machine to some people when we upgraded.
very useful if your looking for things people wouldn't have any use for no a days
(records 8 tracks or like a mentioned cake keepers)
I was searching, the other day, And I found this On terrariums (So I saved it)
he shows how to make one out of a light bulb.
(I just saw a light fixture thrown out The same day I found his web site Now I wish I would of grabbed it.)
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/ |
Francis_Eric
Aurora, IL
September 18, 2009
06:10 PM Post #7078825
| this is just for starting seeds
I put ceram wrap directly over a pot I thin k iT killed my tree,
it was a paw paw tree so maybe it's just the species because of too much heat.
I think it needed more air though. (since roots need oxygen.) |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 18, 2009
06:15 PM Post #7078838
| Be careful with terrariums, plastic wrap, etc...if you aren't careful they can hold in too much humidity and increase your chances of damping off and other fungal problems. I have a set of domes that fit over my seed starting flats, and I leave the domes on until the seedlings germinate, but once they've sprouted I generally take the domes off in order to avoid fungal problems like that. |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
06:56 PM Post #7078944
| Ecrane3: Yes that's what I have domes or I just use a zip log bag and as soon as I see a little sprout, even if all the seeds are not out I take the plastic off and place them under my grow lights right away, I read this on a herb book and that's how I've been doing it.
Francis_Eric, did you poke some holes in the ceram wrap, if not that might have cause the problem, I alway poke a few holes so the seedlings can breathe.
Francis_Eric: Yes I've heard of the freecycle I have not used it for quite some time now but that is certainly a good idea.
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Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
September 19, 2009
10:38 AM Post #7080898
| To my experience, some vegetables just need more light than a grow lights can give them, or even a sunny room. I had been successfully sprouting all sortsa things - salvia, red hibiscus, petunias, etc. under lights but the broccoli I started just could not get enough light, even 24/7. They had to be moved outside.
I have also had the problem of different seeds having different needs in the same trays - it just doesn't work too good, does it? |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 19, 2009
10:58 AM Post #7080953
| What I usually do is buy the little six-cell containers to fill my flats with. Each 6-pack gets all the same kind of seed, and that way if some things sprout sooner than others or are ready to be moved outdoors sooner I don't have to worry about having all sorts of different things mixed together, I can just shuffle the 6-packs around so that all the un-germinated stuff is on heat mats with a dome, recently sprouted things have no dome/heat mat but good lighting, things bigger than that getting acclimated to outdoors, etc. |
Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
September 19, 2009
11:51 AM Post #7081057
| Smart! |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 11, 2009
09:02 PM Post #7265373
| O.K my new grow light system is almost completed. Now what type of fluorecent lights should I buy? I've heard that you can buy regular warm fluorencent lights instead of the plant lights, is this right?
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Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
November 11, 2009
09:09 PM Post #7265389
| I just got whatever fit my fixture, two 40 watts. |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 12, 2009
05:05 PM Post #7267986
| Yes but don't some fluorecent lights generate too much heat for plants to handle? |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 12, 2009
07:21 PM Post #7268312
| O.K here's my new system. I am using my old grow lights on the first shelve but I am planning to add a lot more to the others. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
November 12, 2009
08:03 PM Post #7268479
| Actually, I think it's just the opposite - the incandescent lights create heat whereas aren't the fluorescent cool lights?
Oh, and I just saw on another thread, you should be using T8s (some kind of rating, I don't know what) instead of T12s. Here's the thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1055418/ |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 12, 2009
08:08 PM Post #7268503
| Thank you pagancat, I think you might be right. I'll check that thread. |
joannabanana
Calgary, AB
(Zone 3a)
November 12, 2009
09:07 PM Post #7268720
| Carminator1,
You can also use one cool florescent & one warm florescent to achieve a wider light spectrum.
Something I tried last year was using one of those emergency blankets for reflection off the wall. I have my seed starting shelves in the basement, so it worked great to staple it to the wall. Looks like yours is located in a nice area, so you could attach the blanket to the stand on the sides & back.
Joanne
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 12, 2009
09:14 PM Post #7268740
| Wow Joanne you have a great system there. Mine is in the dining room, unfortunately we don't have basements here in mobile.
I did place some foil paper underneath where the bulbs go to try to get a better spectrum. By the way where did you get a light fixture with 4 fluorecent lights attached to it, mine only has 2 attached to it.
Carmen |
joannabanana
Calgary, AB
(Zone 3a)
November 12, 2009
09:52 PM Post #7268814
| Santa went to Lee Valley Tools a couple of years ago |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 12, 2009
10:21 PM Post #7268896
| That really looks nice I'll have to check my local stores for something similar. |
DenverJude
Denver, CO
(Zone 5b)
November 14, 2009
03:09 PM Post #7273792
| It's my understanding that the lights need to be only 3 - 4 inches above the top of the foliage or else the plants will stretch to try to reach the light. I don't know how you set up yours, but hanging the fixtures so that they can be adjusted as the plants grow should help. |
Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
November 14, 2009
03:38 PM Post #7273852
| That's important - sometimes even closer. You can buy lengths of inexpensive, lightweight chain at any big box/ ACE, etc... |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 14, 2009
04:59 PM Post #7274054
| Yes I have them in chains so I can adjust the height of the lights as the plant grows, I have a few seedlings right now and so far so good, the leaves are almost touching the lights, so I have them pretty low.
Now I just have to find a nice house for my seedlings when they get big enough. |
joannabanana
Calgary, AB
(Zone 3a)
November 14, 2009
06:30 PM Post #7274313
| One of the very best resources out there is from Garden Gate Magazine. They sell a book, DVD and fish fertilizer combo pack for seed starting. I have played the DVD for a garden group every year in January. Well worth the money. Google Garden Gate magazine & go to stores for the books & dvds. I would highly recommend the combo pack. |
Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
November 15, 2009
10:15 AM Post #7275911
| I might have to do that - my only 'local' bookstore has stopped carrying it. I hate subscribing to magazines 'cause I often don't read every issue, but in this case... |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 16, 2009
11:08 AM Post #7278844
| Joannabanana, thank you for the info, I know my library carries organic magazine so I was going to check some out, I'll have to ask about garden gate, it does look interesting. |
joannabanana
Calgary, AB
(Zone 3a)
November 16, 2009
11:47 AM Post #7278993
| You can only get the DVD from Garden Gate. It is made by them and is a MUST HAVE for seed starting advice. The book can be found anywhere books are sold or possibly your library.
The New Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel.
Edit the type-o and also to say, the book is truly a reference book. There are no color pictures, so the DVD for me is where I gained the most info from. The book is great, but not the type to actually read cover to cover.
Thanks ;)
This message was edited Nov 16, 2009 9:28 AM |
Pagancat
(Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN
(Zone 6b)
November 16, 2009
11:55 AM Post #7279024
| Or even the New Seed-Starters, same author... [giggle]... |
carminator1
mobile, AL
(Zone 8a)
November 18, 2009
11:17 AM Post #7286116
| Joannabanana, thank you, I am a very visual person also and love to watch gardening videos. By the way there is a video that helped me a lot it is called organic gardening made easy by Lee Ohara, he explains how to start your organic garden using raise beds in a limited space, irrigation system, how to enrich the soil etc... very informative. So far my veggies are all doing good thanks to his system.
I am also looking into the garden girl series, she has a 2 DVD set on how to start your organic garden as well, she is all over youtube and I love watching her short videos, I think the DVD is an extended vertion but I am not sure, the whole thing is 4 hours long and only $20 which I don't think is much but I still have so many projects to do, like build more raise beds, buy fruit trees etc... and I only get so much $ per month to do it all, so I have to be careful on how I spend my $.
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