Is everyone using indoor grow lights for seedlings?

[FALaholic]

This time around I tried getting my seed sprouts to start their grow in the out doors; differing from the usual grow lights for ~30 days. The results have not been promising. Some have survived and are flourishing, while the majority have died out. Just wanted to ask if everyone is starting their seedlings under lights, rather than placing them outside.

 

[Aaron]

I've been starting mine indoors next to a southeast corner window for natural light. I think the ideal way especially in a climate like yours would be to start in their permanent positions. If you loose some oh well. There's a reason the plants make so many seeds. That would of course depend on the number of seeds you have to sacrifice.

 

[leverhead]

I don't use lights, I've got a sliding glass door that faces SW. By the time the Sun gets too high to reach in far enough, everything is outdoors.

 

[Knucklehead]

I use florescent lights. I tried a window but mine have the low-E glass and the seedlings kept dying. Artificial light solved the problem.

 

[Markw]

I start my seedlings off in a propagator in the conservatory that is south facing. I don't use any artificial lights, but I might turn on the florescent lights for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. I have done this for a few years now and never had any problems, For us over here I think keeping the temperature up in the early stages is more important.

 

[Knucklehead]

Threads on using lights:
http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthr...-plants-under-lights-gt-share-your-experience

http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?1870-Grow-light-question

http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?395-lighting-for-seedlings

Heat pads under seedlings:
http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?2334-Heat-Pads-Under-Seed-Trays

 

[deluxestogie]

No lights. Just sun through a window. http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?2108-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2013#4

Bob

 

[indianjoe]

No lights here either, just sunshine, I start my seedlings on a 60 foot enclosed back porch.

 

[madhouse]

I dont use lights just my south facing conservatory, most times of year they sprout just fine as its a heated room, its keeping them alive with the lack of light that's the problem i find.
just a little observation, and i did some reading on this, some strains are photo dependent planting them under the soils surface can resulting poor germination, Havana strains for one.

 

[bonehead]

i use lights on a timer to start plants. if you use low watt florecents the lights have to be very close to the plants or they will stretch to the light. you wan't short stocky plants not leggy plants that fall over.

 

[Chicken]

i proablly have the most extensive set-up. for starting anything under light's.

i will eventually start my whole garden under my light's in my grow-room.

the bacca is just one of the '' things'' i grow in the summer.

and i start all of it in my grow room.

> i dont grow nothing il-legal in there , but i could very easily.

..heres some pics of my '' creation''

>

it's so much easier to start things under light's you really get a jump on the season, my starting-room also doubles as my kiln,

 

[chillardbee]

In 2012 I started direct in soil out side in a make shift, ventilated cold frame. probably the hardest way to get them up but I had a 60 out of 60 take.

last year I germinated in paper towels then once they were sprouted I transfered over to soil and sat them in better built cold frames (see my 2013 grow blog).

In both cases, I was transplanting in about 6 weeks from starting them. One of the benifits is that they did not need to be climatized. I think if you started under lights, being a more controled enviroment, you would have be transplanting in a shorter amount of time with bigger plants.

 

[Dean]

I use t5 fleuroscent tubes, used to use similar to chicken but cost, cost... Chickens way is the most natural with the best intensity and most complete blue spectrum. I used to sell hydro products for that other weed. It also generates plenty of heat in a cold climate.

a cheap way to get into the (hid) High intensity discharge lights is to pick up a few old shop fittings. Most will be 150w hid halides. Bulbs in the US are worth nothing many come out of china.

a good HID will cover a lot more ground than a strip fleuro. A good 600w will cover 2m square or more for baccy seedlings. The cost is a lot more also but would benefit those with a very short growing season.

i am a bit frugal as I get older and now want to rely more on the sun. For the plants I need to get in, moving them in and out of the sun is my goal. It has worked well so far.

hope this helps a bit

cheers

 

[BDaniel]

Due to our extreme cold temperatures, we can't put anything in the ground till late May, so I start mine indoors in a few weeks from now. For lighting I use a combination of metal halide and fluorescent light. The halide is on a timer and will only come on for about 4 hours, the fluorescent lights then come on for the remainder of the day.

 

[bonehead]

i use agrosun bulbs in a couple of hydrofarm air cooled hoods with duel output switchable balasts. they are expensive and i start vegetables and herbs under them. for tobacco i have had good sucess useing regular florecent lights. last year i got three high intensity florecent lights for cheap. two were used for a couple of months and one was still in the box. i am going to start my tobacco with them this year. i grow most of my vegetables hydroponaclly outside in two american hydroponics 3' by 3' ebb & flow tables and eight hydroponic smart pots. both systems work great. i wan't to make an aqua farm hydro table out of a 275 gallon ibc tote but i don't think it will be this year. it would be cool to grow fish and vegetables at the same time without using anything for nutrients exept fishfood, the water that the fish are in and at the same time using the plants as the fish filter.

 

[Dean]

Aquaponics a great gesture. Yes it works but not as well as you would think. It is a fine line between stocking density and useable nitrogen.

 

[bonehead]

Aquaponics a great gesture. Yes it works but not as well as you would think. It is a fine line between stocking density and useable nitrogen.

i saw someone grow tilapia and bibbed lettuce and herbs and they didn't have to filter the water or feed the plants just the fish. it was set up like an ebb and flow table they had an airpump with a airstone for o2. they had a aquarium pump on a timer to flood the table and used gravity for the return of water to the tank. they said you have to let the fish stay in the tank for a week or two before you plant. if you have a couple of gallons of aquarium water from a fishtank cleanout to add it is all the better it worked great from what i saw. if i could have half of the success they had i would be happy.