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Growing from Seed

Starting seeds under my undercabinet lights?

15 years ago

Ok, this is my first post and will be my first time growing anything from seed. Can I start my vegetable seeds on my countertop under my cabinets where the lights are mounted? They are 10w fluorescent bulbs. Is that too dim? We no longer keep potatoes in a bowl on the counter b/c we notice they sprout quickly under the bulbs...

Featured Answer

ragtimegal

15 years ago

I tried this with your inspiration and advice from this thread, and it worked! I have several lights mounted under my cabinets, but only one that is a traditional 4 foot light, that I am assuming is 40W. The others are shorter and likely less wattage. I raised up the trays on stacks of books and removed the plastic cover from the light. My seedlings popped within a few days! (I kept the lights on 24/7)

This isn't my permanent setup, as I have a rack set up and will be buying several lights this weekend from HD, but it does seem to help. Then again, I am a newbie, so if I went and talked to them in funny voices and they popped up I would probably attribute it to that...wait...maybe the funny voices DID help out. ; )

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Comments (7)

digdirt2
15 years ago
It isn't ideal but you sure can try it. But you will have to elevate the seed trays up on something so they sit just an inch below the lights then lower them as the plants grow keeping the 1" distance. And if there is a plastic cover on the lights, remove it so more light will reach the plants. Those covers reduce the amout of light and change the spectrum a fair bit.

Good luck.

Dave
belleville_rose_gr
15 years ago
I agree with digdirt the closer the better to keep from having leggy seedlings. This year I have kept my lights on 24/7 what difference in growth rates. I decided this morning to go to 16 hrs of light because many of my plants are starting to bud or bloom. I don't want this yet even though its nice seeing a Pansy opened in January. I will update my blog after work today.

Here is a link that might be useful: gardening by the seat of my pants
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Yes, my T12s are 4ft long. I'm not sure if they come in different lengths or not. I just happened to get my setup for free. I know a lady who knew I was starting peppers indoors last year. She told me that when she bought her house, the previous owner left a bunch of old office light fixtures in her attic and offered them to me. There were 4 of these, that look like they came out of an office cieling. I bought a few electrical cords and 6500K bulbs, wired them up, and they worked fine. I added chains to the fixtures to adjust the height when necessary, and hung them from the ceiling in my basement. The fixtures measure roughly 4ft x 2ft, with 4 bulbs per fixture, so they cover quite a bit of surface area. My basement (right now, in the winter) stays at around 64*F. Under the lights, it gets to around 82*F. Personally, I don't think I need to reflect any light around, but your situation may be different, depending on what type of setup you decide on. I have heard of people (myself included) lining a cardboard box with aluminum foil. Just be sure to allow enough space for air circulation. You don't want the seedlings to suffocate. After they have sprouted, you'll want a small fan moving the air around in the room. I'm sure others will chime in with some more advice. Like I said, this is only my second year growing. Hope that helps, Mike
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macheske
15 years ago
I have to be a little sceptical on this one. A 10W flouresent puts out only about 650 lumens of light, assuming that they're T12's. I use about 40 times that per 4 trays of plants. Does the undercabinet light have multiple bulbs in a concentrated space? That could help. Otherwise, I'd have to say that it doesn't sound like enough light to me.
Rick
bettycbowen
15 years ago
wow great idea. My windowsills are just not sunny enough, but my undercabinet lights are BRIGHT. And warm. They will melt butter.
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years ago
For most seeds to germinate, the amount of light makes no difference. The amount of heat/moisture is the key to germination. When leaves appear and produce carbohydrates by photosyntheses THEN the amount of light is critical. With light meters sold at nursery suppliers everywhere for $25 reading directly in foot candles, I am surprised so many gardeners guess at the amount of light at their seedlings. Al
ragtimegal
15 years ago
Even though everything I have read told me that the seeds don't need light, I put them under them anyway, as they had not sprouted in a week and it's cold in my house (I was getting impatient!). I don't have a warming mat yet, and perhaps the warmth from the light helped them(?)...it could have just been their time to sprout anyway, but I figured that it couldn't hurt much to do it.

The seedlings are now happy under the lights, so I suppose if one has no other light alternatives, the under cabinet setup could work, with the right accommodations.

With the success that has been made with the setups that many gardeners here have talked about(I'm referencing shop lights, but I am sure there are others), I probably wouldn't buy a light meter. The cost isn't prohibitive, but as a newbie, I don't know if I'd feel the need for it just yet...of course, I am a gadget gal, and as I learn more over time that may change.

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