Started Germ but have couple of questions about light distance and watering

Hey,

Just begun germinateion today under soil. I am using the method posted by Hobbes in Weed Science.

I have my cups 30" away from my 4 85W CFL's and on a 12/12 cycle until it sprouts. When it sprouts I'll switch to 18/6. Are my light too far away? How close should I have them? The temp at the cups are 72 degrees. See my journal in my sig for pics.

The other question I have is about watering. I sprinkled a small amount of water over the cups so the soil is lightly damp. Should I water again when the soil dries out or more often?

Any help greatly received.

Anyone have a view on either of these? Really don't want to mess it up so the wise old heads of RIU please guide me..

I personally keep my 200w ECO CFL (200 actual watts not equivalent) 6inches away from the tops of my pots until my seeds sprout and that is set to an 18/6 cycle

Once they sprout i keep the light around 3-4inches away from the tops

with your 85w CFL's i would keep them within 6inches.


You only need to go as high as you have if you are using HPS or MH


J

i would also add that i have a little clip on fan that blows constantly at my lamp removing any heat from between the tops of my plants and the CFL.

J

I'd have my light closer, as close as I could without affecting temp but definitely under 24", but i'm not that experienced. You should keep soil moist but never soggy. I was told to keep humidity up a little at this stage too, this can be accomplished by a little plastic wrap misted on underside and placed over top of cup, to be removed upon sprout breaking surface.

I basically keep my lights as close as I can get them without exceeding ~85f at the tops. The only reason not too is if you have too large an area for your light/reflector and have to pull it back to expose the entire area. The plants themselves can easily take up to 90, and for periods in excess of 100, however higher temps can inhibit bud development, so ideal is far from extremes. Most people will tell you that 78-80 is ideal, up to 85 is nothing to be concerned about. The lower end is better in flower, and veg can handle slightly higher than flower with no averse effects. For checking, an IR thermometer from radioshack is less than $20 and can tell you precisely what temp the leaves themselves are It is incredibly unlikely that you can keep temps low enough to get the light too close, so going by temp really is the best way to maximize light. Sprouts tend to like it toward the higher end of that range, so 80-85 isn't bad. the key is making sure they don't get too dry, and increased heat will increase evaporation if you don't use something to trap it.

Do not underestimate how much airflow can help. With my T5's, if the leaves get within 4" of the bulbs they will start to burn, with an oscillating fan blowing across the bulbs my leaves can be touching them without burning.