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Lights for germination
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Posted by mojorisin57 08816 (My Page) on Wed, Dec 8, 04 at 10:35
| I'm a newbie and I want some advice on lights to be used in germination and growing on of annual/perennial seeds. Is a 4' Home Depot shop light with 2 bulbs (one warm white and one cool white) the way to go? I read on a web site that these inexpensive shop lights greatly shorten the life of the bulbs. Are the fancy Gro and show lights any better? What about Agrosun full-spectrum bulbs? Any opinion of the expensive Tek-Light T5 bulbs? I want to grow the perennial seedings into good size 3-4" pot sized plants indoors for about 5 months before moving outdoors in the spring so I need a good light source. Does anyone now of a good books/pamplet/web site on growing under fluorescent lights? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Lights for germination
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I got this from this forum:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18505/105363 So I got a shoplight too like yours, from the same place. hehe I'm where you are as far as which bulbs to use. But my plants are adults already. Some people say I should mix bulbs (one cool, one warm; or even one cool, one daylight). Other people say I should just use cool bulbs only, or even have them both be 'grolux' bulbs... I'm surprised noone has told me yet to not use any bulbs. lol The dilemma:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg1208535921726.html |
RE: Lights for germination
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| Toxie, I germinated and grew over 250 seedlings last winter under 4' shop lights from walmart and used cool white bulbs from home depot about $2.00 each. Last year I went crazy with all the conflicting info about lighting. simplicity is my motto. I grew perennials, annuals & vegges and didn't lose any, they thrived out in my garden. As far as not using any bulbs try winter sowing forum!! best wishes:) |
RE: Lights for germination
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| Never make the mistake of using bulbs bought at a flea market. They always turn out to be industrial rejects. With two bulbs on it wasn't any brighter than my computer screen. I knew a quater a bulb was to good to be true! |
RE: Lights for germination
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| The key to using shop lights and the bulbs of your choice - warm, cold, full spectrum, grow, schmo...is to position them 2-4" from the surface of the plants, otherwise they get spindly and weak and cannot be fixed. |
RE: Lights for germination
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This is my first year giving growing under light a "professional" try previously just used a couple of grow light bulbs over a table. Got florescent fixtures hung and ready to fill trays. Some where i read about overdriving bulbs by changing the wiring. Fill me in. Also what color bulb or K rating do you use. I have an old (1957) book on gardening under lights that talks about T-10 bulbs.. Also using a ratio of 3 watts florescent to 1 watt incadescent. Studies have found that florescent while giving green growth it's the incadescent invisable red rays that produces flowers. Granted this book is 40 years old and by now there must be grow lights that duplicate the sun thanks derfy@sbcglobal.net |
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