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beginner grow light tips?

gardenvato

gardenvato

i want to start my peppers in about a week or so, and ive been looking at the different grow lights offered on amazon.com as well as with some other sources, but all its done is got me confused.

what type of light will be best for germinating seeds? keeping in mind room temperature this time of year is about 65F, how close will the light need to be positioned to the flat and will i need to put together some type of insulating apparatus? i already have a heat mat that will be under the flat, but i dont think that will supply near enough heat.

also, once the true leaves start, will i need to put them under a different type of light or will the same one be good enough?

thanks for any and all tips you guys have.
 
A normal fluro is enough for most people i think, they are inexpensive and you can change to a proper grow tube if you want (they are cheap too but it is debatable what real benfits are gained imo).
Keep in mind that you don't need light to germ that can happen in darkness but when the seeds pop their heads up get the light onto them pronto. Also try to keep the light as close as possible to the little seedlings ;)
 
I just use regular old shop lights like you can get at Home Depot, Lowes or whatever home improvement store is in your area. I just use the regular old Cool White bulbs as well. I bought a grow light once for like $60 and the shop lights do the same job for $15 including bulbs. The proper grow lights can get pretty expensive and you can get the same results for far less money. Just make sure you keep the lights only a couple inches above the plants as floros do not give off a very intense light. Also, a timer helps a lot. You can get one for about $10 - $15. I run my lights for 16 hours a day on a timer.

65 degrees is fine to grow the plants in. I start in a 72 cell flat on a heat mat and then pot up to 16 oz plastic cups after the seedlings get 2 sets of leaves. My grow room is my unheated garage that can get down to 45 at night if the temp gets down to 20 outside. If it gets that cold I just leave the lights on a night to give a little extra heat.

Hope this helps
jacob
 
As already stated, you don't need light for germination, just heat and humidity. Once the plants have germinated they really don't need humidity or much heat, they just need good light. I usually just use cheap floro shop lights but if you start too early you will likely need something bigger/stronger to use before setout
 
If you can use the sun and suppliment with artificial light. I am using one of those 14 amp 225 LED light panels from Ebay and a couple CFL's. CFL= Compact flourescent lights. I switch out the 2700k and 6500k every week or so. CFL's are cheap.
 
Stormin,

It's 14 watts, not amps!

A couple of years ago, I was experimenting with those lights, as I really like them. I had like three tomato seedlings, maybe 2" tall just under - as in an inch or so - a red/blue panel. One seedling bent itself at a 90 degree angle to grow toward a blue bulb!

I have two of them working upstairs now, about two feet above two banana plants. They seem to love it but they do get some diffused sunlight for a few hours a day.

Mike
 
My bad trying to post and watch football at the same time. You are correct. 14 watt LED panel.

I have heard others say that their plants turned under the red/blue led's. I don't have that issue. My plants are in the window during the day and are put under the lights for additional light for a few hours each evening.
 
Here is a nice link that explains how lights work in a lot of detail and what size and type of light you need for the stage of the plant. I'm followed the chart exactly and I ended up with 3' plus plants in about 3 months of growing from seed.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Here are some additional links to charts that i've used in the past. I've done a LOT of research and reading and based on all the information i've found these charts seem to be right on.

Getting Started: Lighting For Indoor Crops

HID Lighting De-Mystified (a little)

The Digital Sun: Better Light for Better Results

LEDs: Lighting for Hyperspace Crops or Just Hype?
 
I am a firm believer that it is always better to keep it as simple as possible. You will find grow lights can be quite expensive, but if you are just starting seeds and growing them transplants to the outside, then I would stick with cheap 4' florescent shop lights. They work great, easy on the budget and I have been using them ever since I started growing. Now, if you are trying to grow exclusively indoors, then the more expensive 'Grow Lights' maybe what you need.
 
Yah, I think I'll stick with the cheap florescent lights. My unemployment checks won't let me afford an expensive lighting rig!
 
Last year, after doing lots of studying and comparing costs, I ended up going with 105 watt CFL bulbs - five of them to cover a slightly smaller than 4'x8' area. The 4' shops lights would have been a bit better buy:
Type Cost Watts Lumens
CFL 125 525 34,400
Shop 95 480 31,100

But, it was easier for me to install the CFL bulbs in the grow chamber. As others have stated, though, these were only for seedlings. I've seen set-ups where one can use six shop lights, running vertically around a plant, to grow a tomato or pepper.

It's all in what one plans to grow.

Mike
 
scarpetti said:
Yah, I think I'll stick with the cheap florescent lights. My unemployment checks won't let me afford an expensive lighting rig!
Click to expand...

I hear you on trying to save a buck or two. The only reason I run 400watt MH for my seeds and 1000 watt HPS for my plants is because I got the equipment next to nothing! My dual MH/HPS 400 ballast and 3 hortilux bulbs cost $60 and the 1000 watt HPS ballast and hortilux bulb cost $40. Toss in 2 cool tubes and 2 fans for another $60 and my ENTIRE setup was just under $200.00 with timers. Although they cost more to run being able to pick hundreds of fruit from a 5' plant that took around 3 months to grow is indeed priceless!
 
LGHT said:
I hear you on trying to save a buck or two. The only reason I run 400watt MH for my seeds and 1000 watt HPS for my plants is because I got the equipment next to nothing! My dual MH/HPS 400 ballast and 3 hortilux bulbs cost $60 and the 1000 watt HPS ballast and hortilux bulb cost $40. Toss in 2 cool tubes and 2 fans for another $60 and my ENTIRE setup was just under $200.00 with timers. Although they cost more to run being able to pick hundreds of fruit from a 5' plant that took around 3 months to grow is indeed priceless!
Click to expand...

So how much do you charge for shipping to Cincinnati, OH? :onfire:

Mike
 
I have great success using the cheapest floro lights I can find but I use a half decent reflector on my "shop light" type lights too. Just don't start too early or you'll run out of room or need to pay huge hydro$$ and buy bigger lights$$. For me its only about getting an early start to the outdoor season and not having an expensive grow-op. Let the sun do most of the work when possible.
 
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