How many people use the top of the grow light fixture as heating for seedlings? (the regular horitcultural growlights that are 4 feet long) I place a lot of my seedlings on top of the lights as they do give off heat and my seeds sprout much faster.
As soon as I see the sprout emerge I then move the pots underneath the lights where the trays are. I can propagate lots of seeds this way much faster. When the seedlings are about 4-6 inches tall the pots then get moved to metal shelving units that I have set up in another area. They receive southern exposure during the day followed by another system of growlights from a light fixture set about 3 feet from the top of the plants. My house is beginning to look like an assembly line. I have those metal shelving units all over the place and will soon have to buy more as there are lots of other seeds waiting to be sown.
Joydie
Grow Light kits as heating
I use every heat source I can get my hands on since I only have 2 heat mats. One light I have doesn't give off much heat...must be a different brand. :o)
Deanne,
I find any amount of heat is good...the seeds sprout much faster this way. I've tested brug seeds with and without heat and the ones with heat sprouted within the 2-4 week range whereas the ones without heat are still sitting doing nothing even after a month. Mind you I'm in zone 6 and do not have the pleasure of warm outdoor temps at this time of year.
Joydie
Joydie, I have one light that is mounted within a wood framework. I'm amazed at how much heat comes through that one inch board that it is hooked too. Makes a great little heat mat, but wonder what happens to those seeds when the lights go out for the night?
I have the pots my brug seeds are planted in sitting on the table on a heating pad, set on low. The heating pad is plugged into the same power strip that my growlights are plugged into. The power strip is plugged into an automatic timer to shut on and off. On all the time except from midnight to 8 AM. Therefore, the heating pad shuts off at night also. My house is an almost continuous 68 degrees. Should the heating pad be plugged into it's own outlet so it doesn't shut off?
Brugie and JoanJ,
I have my lights off for about 7 hours during the night, but back on the rest of the time. I try to keep the conditions more akin to the outside with it a little cooler at night so I don't have to acclimatize my plants when I put them outside in the spring.
Joydie