Seedling Lighting Question

GhanjaBuck · #1 01-02-2008, 02:34 PM

I am preparing to germinate for my first grow. I have a 1000W MH for vegging. Can I put the seedlings under the MH right after germination or will that be too much? Should I get some flour tubes for the sides of my room and just start with them? If I do that they wont be adjustable as far as height.

Schmidty · #2 01-02-2008, 02:46 PM

I typically wait until the seedlings are about an inch tall, and then place them under veg lighting. I'm not sure if there's any best practices here though...

Chiceh · #3 01-02-2008, 02:51 PM

I put mine under flouro grow shop light until at least 3 to 4 nodes high and strong. Then you can put em under the 1000 watt mh for vegging. If you put them under that too soon, they can't handle it. Trust me, I have tried and watched them shrivel up, lol.

stevey007 · #4 01-02-2008, 02:56 PM

Yeah I would recommend fluoro, Seedlings under strong lights tend to mutate, they seem to come right later on but are a bit slower growing.

GhanjaBuck · #5 01-02-2008, 03:01 PM

These are my thoughts....in nature...they start with full sunlight! How could it hurt 'em? I am not questioning your responses at all...i am just dreading the fact that I need to make another trip to home depot...spend some more $ on lights! I have already blown my budget completely LOL!

GhanjaBuck · #6 01-02-2008, 03:19 PM

How bout this? What if I just start them with about 600 watts of regular incandescent for the first 10 days or so? Would that work?

delerious · #7 01-02-2008, 04:05 PM

regular incandescent would be way too heat (especially 600 watts worth) with little if any usable spectrum. The shop lights are the 4 foot fluorescent, I got mine at Walmart for $15.I forget what my bulbs cost, I think it was less than $10. Get daylight bulbs. If you don't have anything to hang them from, I've seen people put them up on boxes, wood, ceramic blocks (under the edges). Here's 2 pics of the light and bulbs I got.

GhanjaBuck · #8 01-03-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delerious

regular incandescent would be way too heat (especially 600 watts worth) with little if any usable spectrum. The shop lights are the 4 foot fluorescent, I got mine at Walmart for $15.I forget what my bulbs cost, I think it was less than $10. Get daylight bulbs. If you don't have anything to hang them from, I've seen people put them up on boxes, wood, ceramic blocks (under the edges). Here's 2 pics of the light and bulbs I got.

Thanks! My Wal-Mart had the same fixtures for under $9 each! So I got 3. 1 will be for the seedlings. The other 2 are going to be side lighting for my room! I am putting the daylight in the seedling one. I will put 1 each daylight and warm white in the side fixtures for my room! Thanks again.