growing under grow lights

Kobwebz my lights have been working good too but I am not having too much luck with the soiless medium that I am starting my seeds in, the thing just dries out very quick and even though I watet practially every day the thing just turns into a hard sponge sometimes and just kills my little seedlings, I am using the miracle grow soiless potting mix, and I am dissapointed, besides it is expensive I have to add. Any ideas on better mixes to start off seeds?

I use a Premier PRO-Mix for seed starting and also new for me this year, Cocoa brick. Both are much better than the MG mix, which I haven't used for a few years now. I know what you mean. either sopping wet or parched. These other mixes are much better.

Are you covering the trays with anything? When I first started I used Park's 'bio dome' starter set - the cells are a good size, the trays keep the water in and the dome keeps the humidity in. http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/6529/

Seed starting media is pretty light so it's not going to keep moist for long.

Edited to say - Ooops, put my post in while Joanna was answering too - I agree with her comments too.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 7:19 PM

Great point PCat

I normally put the clear plastic domes on until they germinate. Although I tried fibrous begonias from seed for the 1st time and they seemed to be taking they sweet time in germinating, so I took the domes off & put saran wrap on the trays and moved the lights really close to the trays. Major heat generation from the lights...might be type of bulb ( +30ºC or +86ºF) soil surface temp. Most germinated now, so I put the domes back on. Once the tray looks like everything has germinated, then I will vent the domes with a clothes pin and then once they are obvious plants I will remove the domes completely and at that point start start running a fan. These begonia seedlings germinate really tiny & a magnifying glass may be required...not kidding. And by the looks of it the bronze leaf ones do germinate the same color as the soil just for extra fun I think. If you are up for an adventure, I say try seeding the fibrous begonias.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 6:40 PM

Joanna where can you get the cocoa brik mix, and do you have to mix it with other things as well such as perlite or vermiculite, sand etc...

Pagancat, I do have one of those domes you are talking about expecifically the one from Parks but as soon as the seedlings emerge I take the dome out since it would just get too hot for the seedlings to be under my lights and covered as well. I also tend to reuse a buch of yogurt containers to plant seeds or any other type of container.

A friend from here Daves told me that she uses regular potting soil for her seedling but makes sure that she waters them with a mix of water and peroxide to kill all the germs and avoid the damping off. have any of you tried this as well.

I bought the brick from a local garden center. Here's a web site with some info about it. It feels weird sorta grainy, but seems to work great.

http://www.ghorganics.com/Cocopeat.html

The other mixes I buy have a great proportion of perilite & vermiculite so I do not ad anything

Yes hydrogen peroxide will help control algae & fungus

And a number of other maladies - many people swear by it.

Carminator -- I have the exact same shelves set up for my lights; now if I could just figure out a better way to raise and lower the lights I'd be a very happy person. I have them hung from chains and the 2 top shelves aren't too bad, but the bottom one is a killer to try to adjust because my shelf is in a closet and I only have access to the front. Any suggestions, anyone?

Sandy

Boy I can see how that can be difficult, the only thing I can really think of is maybe trying to bring the plants up and not the lights down to them, maybe placing either school books you don't much care about or just some wood planks to prop the plants up towards the light, then as the plants grow just take some books away or wood for that matter.

I place all of my pots that I start seeds in, in holeless flats, also as they get bigger and planted into 6 packs and small pots and bottom water everything. When i'm waiting for the seeds to sprout the pots the seeds are in are covered with plastic wrap and I put rubberband around them, they then rain on themselves, from the heat on the prop. mats. Weedwhacker. try some coated wire or heavy string that you can adjust with knots that will help move the lights. I use jiffy mix seed starter sold in 30 quart bags and it's worked for me for years, you can probably get it in smaller sizes.

Weedwhacker...I just today set up one of my shelves to start some"take forever to germinate/bloom" seeds in the house.
I took a pic of the "s" hook system my DH made for all the shelving I'll use in the garage starting next month.
While I have the steel shelves from Lowes, I'd think if you could attach a screw to your set-up, you could use the same system to adjust your lights.
My shop lights have holes in the top so he fed an "s" hood through and clamped one end closed with pliers. The top "s" just hooks over the shelving. That's the one you may need to add a screw to your system to so the "s" hook has something to loop over.
Cheap chain cut as long as you could ever need it and you're good to go...Super easy and adjustable from the top or bottom of the chain.

Top...

Same system on the A-frames I use for dahlias and lilies...Starting with this...

Adjustable to this as they grow to different heights...

wow that A-frame set up is impressive .. wish I had that kind of room

That's what happens to the garage once I make the decision the 2 vehicle garage has to be converted to what DH calls the Green-Garage...and the vehicles stay outside till October first once the commitment is made. Not bad as of May, but March/April are yuck because we still have snow...Only way I can have the flowers we want all summer though...

That is a cool set-up. No way DH would let me do that. I have one little area from my garden stuff in the garage. Maybe DH seen me eyeballing the garage & that's why he bought me a greenhouse.

CM you have a wonderful setup in your garage, I wish I could use my garage the same way, and I have to say that no I don't have my cars in the garage, my DH has proclaimed that the garage from now on will be called the man cave and only boys are allowed LOL. He even has a bathroom sign posted that has a picture of just men. By the way he keeps all his tools and junk in the gasrage right now is not very organized but hopefuly soon it will be and I wont have to jump to go from one place to another. Also I envy all of you that have green houses I would love to get one but since we might be here just for 4 years I just can't afford to set one up, I have learned that Harbor freight has wonderful greenhouses for not a lot of money.

Weedwaker I think what you are doing is good for growing your plants I have done the same many times because they just grow at diff intervals.

Chocolate moose , we all want your garage. You are truly blessed. I work out of my basement, it's big, with 80 4 foot shop lights set up on shop shelves, it works, but your set up is so much beter I sell my baby perennials in the spring off my driveway yard sale like and it helps pay the taxes.

Thanks all! DH spoils me all year so I'll stay through the AK winters...LOL
What's funny is when he came up with the idea for the A frames, I had one 4 feet tall. The next year he made was all proud and made me a second one. I outgrew those in short time...The third year he got the 8-footers and said "THAT'S IT!". You can't go any higher or you won't be able to reach. (I'm 5'2") Because they are angled, they are about 61/2-7 feet...He's a Keeper!

What a sweetie!

That's awesome!

I can understand that, AK winters must be extremely hard, boy and we tend to complain about our few weeks of cold weather here.

I just started my seedlings under grow lights 5 days ago, I already have about a 90% germination rate (in domes) and many of the plants have already reached 1-2 inches. Should I immediately remove the domes? I noticed that a few of the plants have water on their leaves and a couple have fallen over, I want to be sure to avoid the leggy and fungus things everyone has been talking about, thanks.

1scottU1, I usually tend to cover the seeds with plastic baggies just the same as your domes, but I always remove it as soon as I see that the seeds have sprouted, they need the air and sometimes it just gets too hot under the domes as well, some people let the domes intact but open the vents to let some air circulation in. Since you have grow lights they should be warm and cozy without the domes once they have emerged. hope this helps.

Yes, everything carminator1 said

And actually adding a small fan helps make them stronger, as well - but you have to watch that they don't dry out.

Pagancat, I've been meaning to buy a small fan for my seedlings just because of what you mention, but have not done it just yet, instead I have been trying to pass my hand and shake them a litle bit to kind of emulate the fan idea, so far the tomatoes at least have robust and not spindly stems at all.

One question though, I had planted some basil as well and they were growing wonderfully, but as soon as they get too close to the light source the tips of the leaves just start turning brown and then it spreads to the whole leaf, i am wondering if maybe I should just not place the basil under grow lights at all, would this solve the problem? Anybody has grown basil under the grow lights?

I think the light is scorching the leaves, so I would either raise the light a few inches or move them. I start under lights, but move everything to the greenhouse so they are still small when they get into the GH.

I agree with Joanna - I'd move them to a windowsill ASAP if you can't get them outside.

Shaking is good, even blowing on them (and good for your lungs, lol) would help. Hey, even a little C02 there.

no baby shaking.... LOL

Hey it works! Blowing them works too, Actually I heard that even giving them a couple of shakes outside when already planted in the dirt makes them stronger as well.

Right - no HUMAN baby shaking, lol! Plantlets, 'nother story.

Aside from light regarding growing veggies in the house, is the temp. lettuce and quite a few others are cool weather crops. If grown too warm, they become leggy. Outside they often bolt to seed.

They same plants also germinate best at cooler temps.

Just my 2 cents worth

how can you tell if a young plant (one week old and between 2-3 inches tall) is leggy?

I want to thank you all for your advice, I've removed my domes, two of which had vents and the other 3 flats that just had the clear tops. I've also added the small fan but am wondering how long do you let it blow on them at one time? Also, does anyone know if these same rules apply to flowers? I've planted 160 "Vinca Cora Punch Hybrid" most of which have germinated and look really good however I'm worried their to wet even though I followed the directions of the seed starting kit, I've removed the cover, poured out the excess water and have added the fan.

Thanks.

I guess if they are stretched out, tall and skinny stemmed that looks like it will flop over if you blow on it, I would say that it is leggy.

I had a problem with basil too. It kept growing up against the lights. So I kept moving the lights up. And by the time I got home, it would be up to the light again. After several rounds of this, I finally decided that I should move it much farther from the light (and heat?).

It was too late, though, and the poor thing was freakishly tall and exhausted. I have plenty of seeds to keep trying, though. I don't know why I didn't think to snap the top off, but I have a feeling that wouldn't have fully solved the problem. Maybe I should let it get its true leaves and then move it to the window, which gets a fair amount of winter light, but has a tree in front of it that will leaf out in the spring. I'd rather it grow slowly and full than the way it did.

The rest of my herbs, though, are doing fine under lights.

I'm curious about what causes basil to bolt so quickly like that. The amount of time it has light (11 hours)? The strength of the light (regular fluorescents)? Or the heat (house is in upper 70s, not sure how hot it is right next to the lights, window nearby is cool)?

joannabanana - thanks, I'll go and check those out. I've also attached a few pictures here of my tomatos and the smaller ones are the flowers, all planted 8 days ago, do you think those tomatos look leggy?