grow lights not enough

some of my seedlings are very tall with ony the first set of leaves, and I have a sweet pea seedling that is about a foot long with only the first set of leaves. Are these all not any good?

yardqueen1948 - If you could post a photo of exactly what your seedlings look like and what your growlight looks like that would help,but generally if the seedlings are very elongated >they need more light...

You mention already having some type of growlight,but perhaps the growlight that you are using is too low wattage and/or too far away from the plants...

If the seeedlings survive until you can place them outdoors into brighter light >they should still continue to grow...

TTY,...

Ron

Ron is right of course. It doesn't hurt to have a leggy vine as long as they survive till you place it outside. You can wrap the leggy part around and around the bottom of the bamboo pole or whatever you use. Then the nice, strong growth is all that shows going up the trellis or pole. I've had to do it many a time. lol

Jackie

I have found that keeping the grow lights on 24 hours a day is not deterimental to the seedlings and does not prevent indoor blooming.

I think the light needs to be brighter, not more hours. I quit using grow lights for that same reason. My tomatoe plants were 3' long in a 4 inch pot. The "Grow Lux" lights were not bright enough for the plants.
Frank

I also use very bright MH and HPS lighting.

Frank, you didn't by chance have those tomato seedlings on your heat mat, did you? Regardless of how bright your light or how close you have it to the top of the seedling (2-3 inches is ideal if you're using cool florescent shop lights), bottom heat will make tomato seedlings leggy and spindly like angel hair pasta! Of course, with a leggy tomato seedling, you can fix a good bit of the problem by burying it as deeply as possible when you up-pot it (up to the first true leaves is great if you can manage it)... additional roots form along the buried stem, and all is good!

I've been following Carolyn's method for starting tomatoes from seed, with excellent results. Check out the link to her seed starting tips in the tomato forum resource sticky. ;-)

So, back on topic.... For those of us without MH lights... Do MG seedlings generally do OK under regular florescent lights? My light shelves are set up with two double tube 48" shop light fixtures over each shelf (4x40 watts), and I can fit 4 flats on a shelf.

I have grown an MG under a 27 watt flourescent and it even bloomed and produced seed. I think you will be okay.

Yardqueen, I have all mine under 32 watt fluorescents, all are either budding or blooming. I have some just on the window sill getting south sunlight, they are nice and full but just coming into bud now. All were started Mid January.

This is just my opinion, but I think your lights are not bright enough , and you are trying to compensate with hours of light. Hours of light can not make up the difference. Light intensity is more relevant.
Brightness + hours of photoperiod is extremely important. Just as the temp difference between the bottom heat and the top temp are important. The year is young, and you have a lot of time to explore these mysteries. Frank

You can't get much brighter than a 1000watt metal halide light.

Critter. no I didn't have them on a heat mat. That was years back and such a funny story I still refer back to it. I live in western Oregon where the skys are very dark all winter. Extra light in my climate is a given.
Have you see the movie, "Saving Grace"? The Halide lights in that movie are similar to what Bindweed Beth is using. She has blooms, inside, during the winter months. Frank

Here is a cameo elegance I have growing at my desk at work. It is just growing under a 27 watt compact full spectrum light. The shot was taken looking up at the ceiling, it is growing up above my head when I am seated at my desk.

Here's a shot of just the top. It's grabbing on to the light.

That's a happy plant! I'll bet the full spectrum light is nice for you as well as for your JMG.

I think the brighter lights or the grow lights are more important for long-term growing or for getting blooms... I'm switching out the lights over my AVs so I have one "cool" and one "warm" bulb (32 watt T-8 bulbs), which should help a bit there.

The cheaper cool florescent tubes seem to be just fine for starting most seedlings -- in fact, DeBaggio recommends them over "grow lights" for herb seedlings.

The reason they advocate cool flourecents for seedlings is because light closer to the blue spectrum favors vegetative growth and light on the "warm" or red/orange spectrum favors blooming and setting fruit or seed.