I've moved the T5 FL back to its original place (about 1') from the shelf. I realize the sprouts could benefit from the additional lighting. I was trying to come up with a way I could suspend the light from the ceiling; looks like I'll need to buy some hooks.

So far the sprouts are doing well, they are increasing in height and leaves are starting to develop. I hope to have the seedlings well rooted in a week, at which time I'd like to put them under my HID.

The seedlings/sprouts are on a 24 hour light cycle. Since this light would interfeer with my own sleeping schedule, I've decided to hang up the plastic poly using only push pins and let it drape down. This turn out to be better than I expected. The light is very well contained, infact I did a test with my HID light on and it was so effective that I couldn't see any light through the plastic! I also did a test with my duct to ensure there would not be too much stress on the fan. Sure enough, all is good, the fan is working great. Last night I left the fan on all night and I noticed all that happened was the humidity went down to 30%. I was surprised that the temperature didn't drop below 70°F. The soil of my 4" pots could use some dry humidity to help dry out the soil. Its been about 3 days since water was provided and the soil is still moist.

When I am ready to use my HID light I will need to make changes to the way the plastic is draped because it could burn/melt the plastic. I've thought up a great idea: I'll make a frame from wood that is attached to the top of my closet frame. Once I have the frame in place, it'll be a joke to hang up the plastic and staple it down. I've even purchased a zipper for a doorway.

Now the fan is off, the humidity has reached 50% and I believe that should be dry enough for the soil to dry out. I'm a little concerned about the height of the seedlings. I know the length of the stem is a direct indication of the light it is receiving. My Afghani plants have the longest stem (about 2-3"). I believe if they were under an HID, the stem would be fatter and shorter. I'm not too concerned about it because I plan on putting them under the HID in a week or so, and I also know that this is only the first node, so there is no importance on its height.

The heating pad was turned off on Day 4. I forgot to mention this and I remembered today when I asked myself: "Why is the growth slowed down? and why has the average temperature gone down?". At first I just assumed it was because of the plastic I put up. Then I came to the conclusion that the heat and growth were going hand-in-hand. When I discovered this, my first instinct was the put the heating pad back on and get the growth going again. I decided against this because of the original reason of why I took the heat off in the first place. I took the heating pad off because I was worried the plants would be come too dependant on this heat and I also didn't know how much time I should give them heat. Since I saw all the seeds sprouted and well on their way to becoming well rooted seedlings, I realized there is no need for the heating pad. This also explained why the soil was not drying out as quickly as I had expected. Now that I am aware of this, I feel the seedlings in the 4" pots would benefit from HID light, whereas the sprouts in the grow cubes, should remain under the fluorescent light for a little longer. I've also noticed the seedlings in the Miracle Grow are growing faster than the grow cubes and no doubt its because of the nutrients in the soil. I've learned from this that I should germinate seeds and plant them into the soil as soon as possible instead of trying to grow them in the cubes. Obviously the cubes are best for clones. Due to the fact Miracle Grow comes with nutrients in its potting mix, I will not give any nutrients to the plants until they are in the vegetative stage.

Today I was at home hardware looking for a solution to my curtain idea. I found a bunch of curtain rods with various styles and sizes but nothing really exciting. The price was unreasonable since I didn't need it to look pretty or operate with industrial strength and integrity. Instead, I came up with the great idea of making the wooden frame (mentioned above). The interesting part is that I got the idea by looking at an awning with the fabric removed/destroyed where the alumninum frame was exposed. Some of the best ideas, come when you're stoned out of your tree .