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seeds Small Grow/Germination Box

BigJosh

BigJosh

I have a 29 Gal fish tank that I plan to use for my germination box. It is about 30in Long x 12in Wide x 18in deep. I can cover the glass with aluminum foil to reflect and keep light in and replace the bulb for a 24in 20w grow aquarium bulb.

1. Can this setup work?
2. Do I need a heat pad under the cups to heat the soil?
3. Will 1x20w bulb be enough for that space?
4. Can a small 6" oscillating fan give enough breeze?
 
I'm no expert, and it should definitely work, but a 29 is way deeper than you would need I would think.
You probably won't need to heat unless it's COLD in the room, and is the 20W fluorescent (T5 T8 or T12) or compact fluorescent?
 
FWIW,

To germinate seeds, I use a 10" octagonal plastic to-go unit and stick it over a 105 watt CFL bulb (with a 5/8" board that is the cover over the light). Tomato and most pepper seeds take about 4-5 days to sprout. The seeds get placed in potting mix and completely saturated with water, and the to-go tray gets covered with the lid.

Mike
 
Just some stuff I know. I think your fan will be enough for the air. Your light im not 100% sure about. I have always heard that each plant should get between 30w-45w per plant. But when your doing seedlings you might be able to get away with less, I dont know. Also for good germination optimum temp should be about 85 degrees If I recall maybe it was only 75, please someone clear that up for me. I would do a little research on germination/grow boxes and what is required for producing healthy seedlings.
 
I dont know th difference between the t-5 to t-8 but the 2 that I am looking at are T-8 and T-12. The 105 watt CFL bulb is $60 which would be about the cost of my entire setup including soil and such. I dont know that I am ready for that commitment. My house stays about 74-78 and I wont be growing them indoors just germinating.
 
germinationpercent.jpg
 
If its just for germination then you don't really need any light, just heat and humidity, but once the seeds start to sprout you'll want to get them under lights right away. You probably don't want a fan during germination since it will dry things out quicker, but you want to exchange the air/CO2 in the box a few times a day
 
I have that exact same mat. Not that entire kit, but that mat. I have had success with it and for what your doing I would think it should be ok to use. You can even get a thermostat for that mat if you want to have control over the heat otherwise I think it kicks out 20 degrees warmer than the surroundings its in.
 
crazy,

I had 400+ plants and used only 525 watts (CFL) but they were seedlings. For growing plants, they need about 2300 foot candles apiece if you are using MH bulbs. HPS require a bit more. That would mean a MH needs 21-38 watts per square foot if one is keeping them a foot from the plant canopy and running them 18 hours a day (roughly!)

Mike
 
BigJosh said:
The 105 watt CFL bulb is $60 which would be about the cost of my entire setup including soil and such.
Click to expand...

Someone must have seen you coming. :onfire:

Check out 1000bulbs.com I paid less than half of $60.

Mike
 
Hi Mike, What is that figure when using fluorescent?

Im currently using a 36w 2x 2' shoplight (as you call it) in a 2 foot squared box.

I think they are about 1300 - 1400 lumen per bulb so say 2600 lumen. The plan is to just get them to plants in 6" pots and not the whole flowering and fruiting. How many extra 20w cfl's will I need?

If it comes to it I can always plonk a 250w cfl in there which is about 16,000 lumen. :hell:

I only have 2 little 1day old seedlings in there so far so they wont be required yet.

Chris
 
Chris,

I don't know the formula for fluros but it is probably about half-way between the MH and HPS. I do know that last year, I had two four-foot shop lights (total of 160 watts) and covered a four foot long by 22 inch wide area and the plants were great.

One thing I read - if you do not have a high light intensity, you can compensate by keeping temps cooler. The plants will grow slower but won't get leggy.

Mike
 
BigJosh said:
I dont know th difference between the t-5 to t-8 but the 2 that I am looking at are T-8 and T-12. The 105 watt CFL bulb is $60 which would be about the cost of my entire setup including soil and such. I dont know that I am ready for that commitment. My house stays about 74-78 and I wont be growing them indoors just germinating.
Click to expand...

If you have to choose between t8 and t12, go with the t8. The bulbs are smaller, more efficient, and put off way less heat( I have tried several different lighting types on a salt water tanks and T12 fixtures and MH fixtures were causing temps to get too high). I've got $30 in 2 4ft t8 fixtures and 4 bulbs and seedlings love the amount of light and grow very well. I tried CFL and light seems to be more concentrated , and when I used them some of the seedlings had a tendancy to lean towards the light if it was not directly above them.
 
I often use the same heating mat in the link, or I just skip the whole germination setup and do the paper-towel germination tecnique which saves a lot of space and equipment.
I would also stay away from peat pellets, they are very problematic
 
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