Instead of lowering my lights, I raise the flats. Some flats grow different under the same light, so I can lower a flat as they grow. Many things can be used under the flats, small boxes, old cake or muffin pans...works for me! Great information on the time, thank you! ❤

@MIgardener

5 ай бұрын

That’s the way to do it sometimes! Thanks for watching!

@vancouvervixen4253

5 ай бұрын

So smart

@beentheredonethat6584

5 ай бұрын

I find that system works so much easier than trying to raise/lower the lights.

@midwestribeye7820

5 ай бұрын

That's what I do, too.

@lesbetts5694

4 ай бұрын

ya this is so much easyier then moving lights up and down

I hang those reflective emergency sheets around the grow light area. The light is reflected back and forth, plants grow strong and don't lean. Can get at any dollar store for a buck.

@CoveredandCommitted

3 ай бұрын

Excellent idea! I was using aluminum foil, but those blankets are much bigger!

@Arcflash207

7 күн бұрын

White paint is easier and cheaper

I'm growing kale indoors this winter. 12 hour on/off cycle under a 4 foot shop light is working out very well.

Great comments. Lighting is often experimenting…taking things slowly…watching how your plants react.

@MIgardener

5 ай бұрын

So true! Thanks for watching!

Thanks Luke. Your timing works for me. My setup has four wire shelving with four single strip meds of 5000 Lumina each.set to highest length. I use silver reflective sheet film around the shelving which magnifies the brightness. Works great for this small back yard gardener. The wrapping also acts as a small green house elevating room temperature slightly to assist growth. Love learning to grow from seed, so over plant and gives extras to family, friends and neighbors. It is a good bonding event we can all smile about. Thank you Luke for your info so I can bring joy in my own way..

I'm really grateful for you, Luke. My main problem with most gardening resources is that they assume we know some basics that I personally did not know, as someone who was basically never around any gardeners but really wanted to learn. You're really great at explaining in layperson's terms all the little hows and whys that those other resources don't. The "whys" also make it easier to remember what you teach us. So, many thanks. :)

@sherrikarlstedt6442

5 ай бұрын

Totally agree.

@MainstreetMarvels

5 ай бұрын

Man! I’ve been waiting for a video on this

Side reflectors do make a big difference. Plants in a reflective wall grow tent will get more light across the length of the plant vs. just shining straight down. also consider turning your plants from time to time and adding/removing stands to move your plants closer/further away from the lights as needed.

@nk-dw2hm

5 ай бұрын

Depends on the plants to a degree, since some people are very skilled at keeping a very even canopy

Always good to find out what works for other people. My indoor plants are in a grow tent. I have two 600 watt, marine full spectrum led lights. I like them because I can grow with all blue/white leds and not get the too much light leaf burns. I try to keep the lights around 4" to 6" above the plant tops. I set my timer for 16 hours on to grow plants that are short and very dense. When I want blooms I shorten the day length to 12 hours per day. The inside of the grow tent reflects the light to the lower leaves to keep them full. Now out in my old greenhouse the plastic is not really letting in the full intensity I need for vegetables so I hung some cheap four foot led shop lights. They are a couple of feet above the plants but they are just there to add to the natural light levels from the sun. They are on a 12 hour on schedule. They've increased grow speed by close to 100%.

@dougbas3980

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. My greenhouse has old plastic. I think this year I had better augment the light as you have. I appreciate the idea.

@haroldgreen1425

3 ай бұрын

@@dougbas3980 Amazon has some multiples available. I ordered something like a set of six led four foot shop lights fairly cheaply.

Like all things gardening, pay attention to the plant. I just lost my avocado to over "enthusiatic" fertilizing because well the soil was "depleted." I am praying it forgives me and returns after being moved and pruned...I should have just enjoyed how happy it was and ignored all of the "instructions." Oh well...

@garrettp377

5 ай бұрын

My avacado had a similar reaction to upsizing the pot! Shrivelled up for about 4 months and finally after pruning back its forgiving me lol. Fingers crossed yours rebounds as well!

@bobtrainor199

5 ай бұрын

Good job explaining the proper use of grow lights. I am currently experimenting with LED strip light.

@PorchGardeningWithPassion

4 ай бұрын

That is a great reminder for all of us! Less can be more 👊🏻💥👊🏻

@erikfreezer6282

4 ай бұрын

​@@bobtrainor199 May I ask if you would recommend these LED strips?

@lesbetts5694

4 ай бұрын

i lost my avocados to my kid and her puppy.

I am on the Michigan- ohio line, and have been learning more about seed planting indoors every year. I built my first greenhouse two years ago, last year built a larger one and transplanted my plants into the greenhouse when I think it is safe from frost. Before that I had always bought all my plants and it was over 200.$ I new I had to do something different.

@j.d.preppingerie6522

5 ай бұрын

What I did find out I was using about 60% garden dirt and the rest was Pete moss and worm castings, and that was to much dirt. I needed to boost my soil.

@sherriianiro747

5 ай бұрын

I know! Isn't that crazy? Good move with the greenhouse! 😊

@joybrown8644

5 ай бұрын

How much $ was the greenhouse? Size?

@j.d.preppingerie6522

5 ай бұрын

@@joybrown864416’x20’ D square cow panels from tractor supply, 6millgreen house plastic. I used scrap wood 24” tall around the bottom. I found that even with a small window at one end and a open door at the other, I still needed to buy a sun shade for the top inside.

There's lots of variables when growing indoors.. if your plants are growing tall and spindly chances are your lites are too far away, if the top of the plant is curling up and dying the lite is probably too close, a fan running on the plants help hardening off seedlings and is a good idea to run all the time ,, Nice post Luke!

@laurad7439

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for that fan reminder; I have to do that this year! I have an old work (computer) room where I no longer work from and that has become my grow area. Kind of small, but electric heat so I can make it as warm or cool as I want, and it has a door and it keeps the CAT away! She's a stinker. Problem is there is so much stuff in there at the moment, I need to make it that a priority to clean it out and get ready!

One thing to mention is that some long day plants shouldn't get more than about 12 hours even if they are further from the lights - the solution there is adding more light rather than longer so as not to trigger bolting or other physiological processes prematurely. Two things that this is especially important for are spinach and onions.

@LarsLarsen77

5 ай бұрын

There's not even any logic to it because not all plants are short day or long day, some measure the night instead, and they don't tell you if it's short days or long nights that trigger it (or vice versa), for example some plants think it's summer with a gas lantern technique of 12 hours of light with a single hour in the middle of the dark period (so they get a short night) but other plants require long days. I put a bonsai giant sequoia indoors under gas lantern light and instead of thinking it was summer i though it was winter and it went dormant. Normally you can put them under 18 hours of light no problem because they think it's summer, but not with 12on 5.5 off 1 on and 5.5 off.

@ThrashingCoyote

5 ай бұрын

I was actually going to ask about that, because I'm starting onion seeds! They're long day varieties so I know they need to have under 14 hours of daylight, but does it matter beyond that? Could I get away with 13 hours?

@prairielavender

5 ай бұрын

Hmmm....I thought long day plants did better with more hours of daylight and short day plants did better with less....

@ThrashingCoyote

5 ай бұрын

@@prairielavender That's correct as far as I can tell? But the long day onions still reach a point where they start bulbing, once they get around 14 hours of daylight according to what I've read. I don't want that to happen too early or else my onions will make tiny bulbs D:

@michaeldossett9046

5 ай бұрын

@@prairielavender It depends on your goals - short day plants initiate flower buds under short days (or long uninterrupted nights) and long-day plants initiate flower buds under long days. If you are growing a plant for the vegetative part of the plant, then you want to avoid triggering flower bud initiation and grow them under daylength conditions that will maximize vegetative growth and delay flowering.

Thank you! I like the advice of seeing how your plants respond to the grow lights. I just have house plants, but they all started suffering as the days got shorter. I'm setting up grow lights to fill in for the time the sun isn't coming through the window. They come on about an hour before the sun rises for just a few hours and then off. Then they come back on an hour before sunset and stay on for 4 hours. If my plants still struggle, I might leave them on for the entire day.

Thank you so much for this Luke, it's really timely for me as I'm setting up a new area in a tiny lean-to greenhouse to grow my microgreens as I'm not keen on them being on the house any longer. The reflective film idea is fab. I just pulled out some polycarbonate to attach it to when it arrives. In previous years I haven't used enough lights and so hearing they can't really get too much I am encouraged to buy more and attach them lower to the trays. 😊

Thanks Luke! I've watched past videos and it's always nice to get a refresher right before I need to do seedlings again! Don't give in to the pressure to give a hard number! Stay strong! You give us knowledge and that gives us power - we can take any light from anything and apply it! Thanks!😆

I have recently discovered your videos and am binge watching them. So helpful and filling in gaps of knowledge that I didn't know existed.

I appreciate the info. It's always good to review before seed starting season.

I have a KlimaGro (probably one of the last made) indoor greenhouse unit. I have always struggled with how high to set my glass shelf and have added extra grow lights beneath the glass shelf etc. Your comment about lighting is often experimenting is very true in my case and watching this video has given me more insight to be able to tweak it a little bit more as far as the time I am leaving the lights on for my seedlings. I wasn’t leaving it on nearly as long as you suggest for tomatoes and they seemed to grow fairly slow. Thanks for the fresh information.

I am loving all this indoor info right now. I got a mini tabletop hydroponics kit for Christmas that you are helping me mess around with. 😊 My green stalks are sitting out in the freezing cold 🥶. Thanks Luke!

Since controlling all the variables I.e. light distance from plant, light output of bulb, light needs of individual seedling varieties, reflective qualities of walls, humidity of the grow room, even temperature of grow room - may be difficult for gardeners to control, I appreciate your comments on observing how the plants are doing, what the signs are of light deprivation, etc. This is going to be the only way most of us can judge how our seedlings are doing, so your experience with observing the expected growing habit of a plant and how to judge when something is going awry will be most appreciated. This does all come with experience, reading, vids, but it really takes, I think, 3-4 growing seasons to figure out the basics for your own plot. Or a grandfather to advise you. 🇨🇦

@firequeen2194

5 ай бұрын

I wish I had listened more to my granddad! I wasn’t gardening then but he knew a lot (and boy, would he tell you 😂). 😉

Luke it's very pleasing that you answered one of the questions I had about grow lights. I remember telling you what happened to me and how I fixed it. I had 2 tiny Roma tomatoes that I never transplanted. So I rolled the dice and transplanted them under my grow light. They are growing like crazy. I win! They may mature before I get them outside this spring, but I will enjoy watching them keep growing on. Another excellent video Luke. May the Lord keep blessing you and yours. Love you buddy.

@joybrown8644

5 ай бұрын

If they don’t grow TOO quickly, you could continue to pot them into bigger and bigger containers (2” diameter differences) as they grow. Each time, bury as much stem as possible as new roots will shoot out from it. Give them some artificial wind from a fan to help them grow stronger so they can withstand real weather once they make it outside.

I am glad you mentioned plants in Alaska regarding time with light on them. I have been running my grow lights 24 hours at a time for my leaf lettuce to see how things go and so far the results have been awesome! I have been adding some dead periods of a few hours here and there to not overwhelm my Oregano plants that are super tiny that I want/need to do well.

You are such a great teacher. I have watched other videos about light that left me feeling confused and unsure. You really broke it down and made it feel comfortable. I plan to start peppers today, along with my cool season plants like broccoli, kale, etc. Wish me luck on the peppers as they have been tough for me in the past. Hoping that with your helpful guidance I can produce some strong healthy pepper plants this year 🤞

I wrap my growing shelves on three sides with those mylar emergency blankets. The fourth side faces the sun. I also find that the fans blow around more once hitting the reflective blanket. Also holds in the heat and moisture, so it is not lost in the house.

This was very helpful. Thanks!!!🌿

Great information Luke, thank you!

Thanks Luke, and what great information about reflecting the light. I was wondering about the time because I’ve heard different times given by different people.

Spinach can thrive with only 4-6 h of light per day, I think, maybe other greens too? I grew up north of the arctic circle, and even if the temperature is perfect for growing spinach in the summer, it will bolt immediately cause of the midnightsun, and the light 24 h per day. ☀️😊☀️

Hi Luke, Many thanks for all this great information. The timing of your video is perfect for my needs. Much appreciated!

That window of 10-18 hours is the main thing I was looking for, as I've been considering either getting a timer or just leaving my grow lights on constantly, so this gives me a start knowing I'll need to get a simple timer for my lights.

Thanks. That was awesome. Best explanation on use of grow lights and I've watched several Blessings to you and family, and much gratitude to you for all that you do to help us navigate growing our own food. Happy New Year. Namaste.

How does this impact onion seedlings? Should I plan to stay below their hours needed to begin bulb formation?

@j2badventuring83

5 ай бұрын

My onions were tiny last year. Was wondering whether I gave them too much light in their early stages.

@mezenman

5 ай бұрын

I never turn my lights off. I’m having no problems. Leaving the lights on helps me control the temperature in the tents.

Great video it was very informative and helpful!

Thank you, very very helpful! I have grow lights and they are too far from the plants.

I greatly appreciate this video, which explains a lot about light time and conditions. Just moved from AZ to Utah, so growing conditions are very different than what I'm used to. Thanks so much, big fan, not just your videos but your seeds too!!

I’m excited to try to grow begonias this year!!😁

Good info. I also like to use mylar blankets around my grow racks to reflect the light back onto my seedlings. Seems to help keep them warm, too.

Good video for newbies especially

Great info!! Thanks Luke!

When my seeds first germinate I star them at a 16-8 for light/dark . Once they get established about 2 weeks after germination I bring them down to around a 12-12 or to resemble more of a spring day in Indiana. Around the 4th week I also introduce a fan onto the plants to get them good air flow since they start to get a little crowded and get them to become more sturdy by trying to stabilize themselves from what they think is the wind trying to blow them over. I feel as if while the fan drys them out faster it also prevents mildew from starting and forces the plants to take up the water faster before the fan takes the moisture away.

@katherinegooch8147

4 ай бұрын

How long do you leave them under the grow lights?

@JSJTOUTDOORS

4 ай бұрын

@@katherinegooch8147 as far as before transplanting them into the ground? If you look at the seed packet you are wanting grow it will say something like start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost date . Really this is just a guideline to give you an idea of when to start them. You can start them sooner or later than that. The problem with starting sooner is they may get too big and you run out of space and light to keep them under. If you start later you will just have a slightly smaller plant to start come planting time. As far as how long you want to keep them under the light , you will want to keep them under a light source daily for a set amount of hours until the weather outside is warm enough they won’t get frost on them and they can be hardened off. Hopefully this answers your question.

@dw9666

3 ай бұрын

The more plants transpire the more moisture along with nutrients are pulled into the plants, it's a good thing

Great video, thank you for all your advice.

The biggest factor for how well your plants are doing inside is lumens. Outdoor sunshine is over 100000 lumens. So basically, the more the better. You don't need special lights, you just need high lumens at a cool colour (towards blue) for starting seeds. For time, minimum 8 for growing phase of seedings. If you keep a full grown plant indoors and want it to flower - switch to warmer colour light (red) and 18 hours. The idea is to mimic nature.

@bryanlendroth2548

5 ай бұрын

Lumens are irrelevant when it comes to plants. Lumens only measure the brightness of a light source. The measurements that matter are PPFD and DLI. PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) measures the amount of light photons that actually hit your plants in the PAR range (Photosynthetically Active Radiation - 400nm to 700nm). It is measured in number of micromoles per square meter per second (umol/m2/s). (A micromole is the equivalent to 62 quadrillion photons.) DLI (Daily Light Integral) is the number of photons that a plant needs per day. You need to adjust the light source so that the plant receives a particular PPFD for a certain number of hours to reach its DLI. Each plant is different and will require a certain PPFD for a certain number of hours.

@johnmontgomery3725

5 ай бұрын

@@bryanlendroth2548correct 400-600 is ideal for young plants and anywhere between 600-1000 in flower I find ideal

@GregMallory1

3 ай бұрын

Preach! ​@@bryanlendroth2548

Helpful explanation of how the grow light reaches each plant. Thank you! 🪴💡

OMGosh! A coincidence you would upload this today! I have been wondering about this! Thanks for sharing!!😊😊❤

I’m thanks for the good info. Just in time for me. Havagudun and have a blessed new year.

Definitely a question I have always had thanks 🙂

It is a misconception that all of Alaska gets 24 hours of sunlight all summer long. Only the area above the Arctic Circle get 24 hours of sunlight for any extended period of time, and that isn’t even all summer long. The ground there is also perma-frost and nothing can grow up there except things like lichens, etc. Also, the sunlight gained, or lost, is around 5+ minutes/day depending on where in the state you live. The farther north the greater the increase/loss.

@davewitty3307

4 ай бұрын

I came here looking for someone else that will laugh with me about the same comment! Anyone that understands USDA zones in Alaska will also laugh with us!

I have a set of grow shelves, which we've surrounded by reflective Mylar on hooks. My lights (2 LED grow light strips per shelf) are hung with skinny strips of velcro, so they're easily moved up and down. I have them all plugged into a couple 16hr timers. And that's for everything. Seems to work just fine. I raise the lights as the seedlings get bigger.

Thank you for this information.

great info! thank you. very helpful- just got our lights put up! yay

Thanks . That helped a lot.!

Thank you for the threshold, that actually helps.

This makes sense. Right now I'm thinking of getting a grow tent but what I don't like about them is that you have to open it and close it to access the plants and they're expensive. Something came to mind that might reflect light really well. My idea is a big pyramid with a reflective surface inside. The point should reflect the light better than a square box. Not sure what I'd use to make one that size, but I'm curious what it would do.

Thanks for your video

Completely unrelated but I'm loving the integrated MIgardener shopping underneath the video. I need ALL the seeds

According to the Old Farmers Almanac starting today thru Sunday I can sow my onions seeds

Good timing! I started some lettuce and decided to use more reflective ( tin foil ) stuff for better light. I want to avoid buying lettuce for good, I never use that much but still like it around.

Luke, seeing a video from you puts me in a good gardening mood. I’ve learned a lot watching your videos and grew some amazing lettuce high-intensity style. My sister got me some of your seeds for Xmas and I can’t wait to try out the complimentary salad mix that was included! Thanks for making these videos

All that time is a fair amount of power. How do you compensate for putting the seedlings in a sunny window for a portion of the day? It is far less light, but it would off set some of the grow light time. If you have at least 6 hrs in a window then add in 6 hrs under grow lights would that equal 8 hrs?

Thank you for spreading knowledge 🤓 Checking for signs the plants give us are always the way to go! 🌱 Just a question pop up after what you said. So I shouldn’t leave the grow lights on for more than 18 hours? Why is that? You said that in Alaska they get over that amount of daylight at certain times of the year. How does that differ from the grow lights, when it comes to length of time? 🤔

I've been growing red shiso indoors in just natural sunlight up around 46 degrees north and had problems with the plants flowering, which terminates the vegetative growing stage of the plant's lifecycle. I learned the hard way that they will go to flower if given less than 16 hours of light since they're obligate short day plants when it comes to flowering. There are so many variables regarding light that are plant-specific. It's hard to know what to even consider.

In my polytunnels when used to extend seasons particularly late fall. My rule for commercial hanging grow lights down a 12ft row double row planting of peas or 24 broccoli plants in grow bags: Once sun hours fall under 12hrs the lights are on 2 hrs before sunrise. As the sun hours decrease to 11 and skies are cloudy the grow lights are on for 14hrs. Lights are within 24" of plants - raised inch for inch as they grow. For tabletop seedlings I maintain space of less than 8-10" above seedlings for only 8 hrs per day - also keeping similar seedlings under the same grow light distance/intensity . None are leggy and fertilizing at 1st true leaves I end up with lush vigorous starts. I use a high PPFD professional light that's dimmable. Watch your seedlings, they tell you what they need.

i bought all the mirrors i could find at yard sales and thrift shops and put the all over my grow room

Im growing Coast Redwoods in a greenhouse. I have a grow light about 2ft above the top of the trees. I have the lights on a timer 7a to 7p. With a light meter I have determined the grow lights are brighter than an overcast sunlit day or in the shade but not as bright as sunshine. When it is a bright sunny day I wheel the trees outside. My trees are in growbags in a garden wagon. So far So good. In May they will go into the ground. !

This is super interesting! I have a Moth Orchid that sits on a table next my coral reef tank and It has bloomed last month and then put on another stem and has 8 blooms on that one alone! 😮 I think the UV/Blue spectrum I am using for my corals, also seems to benefit plants. Which makes sense. Both cases (grow lights/reef tank lights) are to mimic the sun.

@gingerdean1521

5 ай бұрын

Talking of blue light I just use shop lights and put one Cool(blue light) and one Warm (red) in and it has worked for years. I do keep the seedlings really close to the bulbs

I like the guidelines that you gave. All plants have different needs and all lights do have different output and colors of light. I probably have not been giving some of my plants and trees enough time under the lights.

LUKE! TRIFECTA and $2 SEED PACKS

Really depends on indoor temperature where your grow setup is also.

Hey Luke! Thanks for the tips. I've always wondered if I should try to mimic the day/night effect with my grow lights. I guess it's a variable answer requiring experimentation. But that's not my question. You mentioned having reflective surfaces around the plants. My first thought was to use aluminum foil. Then I got real and thought, would it be advantageous to hang those reflective survival blankets around my racks including around the open sides of my racks? Mine are stuck in a corner in my basement due to space constraints, so ventilation is already compromised, but I digress. Anyway, those blankets are quite reflective and very lightweight, but they would also block ventilation if hung on the open side of the racks. What are your thoughts?

Looking for video about starting seeds under gtow light (blue light) and how long those lights need to be on etc. Will need this video later.

Helps to use a par meter app to calculate the DLI and compare the plant’s needs to the DLI the light can provide based on the light positioning and whether or not you are using some basic light reflection materials.

I have tomatoes, peppers, malabar spinach, longevity spinach, turmeric and Roselle in my basement. All from last summers garden and doing well so far. Using grow lights of course.

I get discounted broccoli seed around September and grow microgreens. I over winter cayenne peppers. I can't grow basil fast enough.

T information. I was just 😮going to buy my first grow light

Light power has an Inverse Squared rule to maintain the same level. so if you double the distance you would increase time by 4x and if you reduce by 1/2 you would decrease time to 1/4th the time. triple or reduce by a 1/3 it is 9x and to a 1/9th of the time.

My seedlings are in a greenhouse, so I only give the plants enough to extend the daylight to 14 hours per day! This is around the length of daylight during peak growing season!

I'd like to see you address seedling problems under grow lights, like leaves curling or turning yellow.

10 hours minimum. Got it. Thanks, Luke!!

I just lowered my grow light close to a foot. The greens are located at a southern facing window. They get actual sun and a grow light. May put a smaller size light up. 4ft to 2ft. The 4ft overhang alot and 2 barely overhang if any

I like to start in my cheap amazon 2x2 tent with 1 amazon led grow light in January then yhen planys get bigger and weather warms lil more in end of feb march they go into garage in a cheap 2x4 tent with 2 amazon led lights then after that outside when weather is right. I use 14-15 hours run time as a happy medium. I check to see how many daylight hours there will be in start of spring or when planting starters outside and mimic that. Happy growin everyone!

I've heard that onions with too much light become too leafy and dont grow as good of blubs (or something like that). Any input?

Thank you for this, I was unsure how long to leave my grow lights on for, the height etc. I'm growing, chillies, tomatoes, peppers, basil at the moment. I've got different types of grow lights so will no adjust them depending on what I am growiing.

What about covering your lights and plants with that heavy white /black plastic, would that concentrate the light Just in the plant area? Think i bought it at a hydroponic shop.

Great info as always. Reminds me, we can use some @Nighthawkinlight ultra reflective nano barium sulfate or whatever is cost effective similar reflective paint to use around the perimeter of the grow room. Not only reflect the heat back in the IR range, the useful light in the visible and I guess UV range. Excellent sir! Affirmation station and then way some, because that's what you do young man. 🙂

Thank you

When starting seeds with a grow light and humidity dome, could I get away without drainage?

Luke,would 'emergency reflecting blankets' work good for my seedlings?

What type of grow lights do you have?

I'm trying to see if I can grow alyssum as a houseplant. I've got tiny sprouts now. We'll see what happens.

Thank you so much for all of your knowledge, and taking the time to share it.

Good information. What do you think about an App like Photone Grow light meter, does this help or just add more questions.

@SpyderInsyder

5 ай бұрын

It works good enough, ppfd and dli are key, that's why some plants are full sun, partial shade etc.

Could a reflective material on the wall help?

thx

I'm trying to figure out how far apart my grow lights need to be? I'm not talking about the distance between the lights and the plants, I'm talking about how far apart on the parallel my light bulbs should be. My lights are Barrina T8 LED grow lights. 2' long, 20W, 2500 LM and 5000K. I'll be upsizing my new seed starting shelving unit and will be using Barrina T8 LED bulbs that are 4' long, 40W, 5000LM, 6500K. These will be fully height adjustable but I'm not sure how far apart these bulbs should be? Thanks for your help and suggestions

Watching your recent videos, its clear that they new indoor potting system is for outdoor use only...

I live in Fairbanks, Alaska. It might be light 24 hours a day, but the sun is on or near the horizon for most of the “night time” hours, so not much photosynthesis is occurring. Also, our last frost date is June (and we had a hard frost the first week of June last year) and first frosts happen in September so our growing season is super short.

You are probably going to laugh about this but I start my seedlings in Large wire type pet crates so that my cats can't bother them. That puts the seedling trays about 2 feet from the light. I don't remember how many lumens are in the bulbs of my light fixtures so I will have to check that. I'm interested in the reflector panels and I'm wondering are they sold for that purpose or is that something easy to make?

@knitnonymous

5 ай бұрын

Could you maybe hang the lights from the top of the cage, using chains to lower them as needed?

@jillmarczak9561

5 ай бұрын

Genius! I use cardboard wrapped with aluminum foil and put around them!

@stephaniestatnick

5 ай бұрын

The reflector panels are insulation panels from a big box store. Easy to cut to size for your needs :)

@marthakratz7877

5 ай бұрын

@@knitnonymous Thank you. Yes, I definitely plan to do that.

@marthakratz7877

5 ай бұрын

@@jillmarczak9561 Perfect. Thank you.

Thanks if buying from a box store make certain they cover the light spectrum plants need and realize shop lights at box stores don't have that spectrum.

What about the onions I'm starting? I don't want them to bulb when they are little. I know that they are very daylight hours sensitive.

If I’m seed starting in a screened in porch that gets sunlight but not directly would you recommend using a grow light as well?

@danih7577

4 ай бұрын

Yes i do my seed starting in an enclosed porch surrounded by windows not screens. The lights also provide warmth, although i also run a small space heater to keep the chill out and in dead winter i sometimes place a cardboard box over the lamp when watching for germination. I don’t have expensive grow lights like this video. A couple of my lights are just small clip on portable singles. I use my enclosed porch in warmer months too with a box fan for circulation. You should definitely consider ordering a couple cheap lights and experiment bc having an enclosed porch is like having a greenhouse once you learn to troubleshoot it’s own unique environment, you can grow pretty much anything. Mine is southern exposure . Also you can go completely carefree and learn winter gardening. Put seeds in domed containers for winter stratification . Water occasional and remove domes at 60 -65 f generally speaking. Wintering alone should give you a jump on the season and can move outside or leave containers all winter outside in the snow. The seeds will build their energy up and burst. There’s so much you can do with your enclosure and some great experiments. My biggest problem was damp rot. I learned circulation, under-watering, and worm castings gave me success 9 out of 10 times. It’s all trial and error to learn our unique micro climates. What an abundance my porch has provided. When I began everything would die, often at transplant stage. I’m glad I didn’t give up because the possibilities are endless now for pretty much everything that I want to grow. Ps lettuce and micro greens can be grown perpetually in your enclosed porch . Can you please update in spring? I think you’re going to get hooked 😄 and grow good things.

@rachelh.5652

4 ай бұрын

@@danih7577 thank you for your thorough response! I love the cardboard box idea too, honestly I’ve failed multiple times in the porch before so was starting to get discouraged so it’s really nice to hear that someone else has gone through similar and ended up finding success!! I’ll definitely keep experimenting to find what works, I live where there isn’t snow so I’m sure it’ll be a little different but definitely gonna try to get more airflow for them in case that’s been a problem