Propagation: Deno Method for tomatoes and marigolds??, 3 by warriorswisdomkathy

warriorswisdomkathy wrote:
BetNC, I got germination on my tomato seeds beginning in just four days. I start with my homemade potting soil ( Peat and Peralite), then spread my seeds and lightly cover them with Vermiculite. I place in the tray and cover with a clear dome and under fluorescent lights. I don't wet my soil but make sure it's lightly damp and after the layer of Vermiculite I give them a light misting.. I may mist again during the day as I just want the soil mix barely damp. Usually I mist them twice a day till growth begins. Then when they are up and beginning to show good growth I actually water the pot gently.... After a few days under the dome I place them in another tray in the open air, keeping them close to the lights. I buy my lights from Home Depot, 4 ft shop lights are usually less than $12-14 and bulbs are a few $$$ each. One warm bulb and one cool bulb are great (one is more expensive than the other) but it's possible to use just cool lights to grow any of your babies! Keep the lights close to your trays, mine are approx 5" above the top of the pots. And I have shelves that are all the way up to 18" from the lights for more mature plants. I've build 2 plant/seeding stands for all the plants that I grow. But you can easily stay small and start a few trays. Under one 4ft light you can do 5 trays easily.... You can get some 1x2s at H.D. or Lowes and build yourself a unit to hang your light(s) from using chain and S hooks. (Build a open square box to hang your light from, or could use a long chain to hang them from the ceiling.) The chain allows you to readjust the height of your lights as growth commences. If plants get too leggy, move them closer to the lights. And they can even touch the lights without any damage from my experience.