I'm not an expert. But I start mine under the lights as soon as they've been planted and then they germinate under the lights and seem to do fine. But as your garage is colder, I'm not sure. I'd wait for someone more knowledgeable than me to come in here..

Depends on how closely and often you can monitor them. Easiest - Soon as they germinate under the lights they go. ;) Things can change quickly now, within hours, not days, and light is now their best friend.

Dave

Three days is about the norm for me so its not surprising. You can put them under the lights as soon as they pop up and the one's that have not come up yet, will eventually. Your garage is actually perfect for your seedlings. Give them 16 hours of light and keep them cooooool. That will asure you get a stout main stem. If you keep them warn they will get lanky and tall. Good luck.

Damon

Maybe I could put them in the garage under lights now, remove the cover, yet leave the heating pad till they all germinate??

When you sat pop up, do you mean like in my picture, or when they fully pop up and out?
Thanks

Brian, now

Put them under the lights now. LOL

The light and heating pad will keep them a little warmer if you get the light close enough.

Looking good
Corrie

I would take them off the grill and put them under the lights as soon as you see them emerge fron the mix.

Damon

My entire set up is in the garage. I have a thermometer set up next to the seedling rack, and the coldest I have seen it get down to is 49 degrees and that was when the highs were in the low 30's and the lows were about 14 outside for several days in a row. Of course those temps are out of the norm for here. I have actually seen it get as high as 80 in my garage this winter during a warm spell last week.

I have a heat pad to keep the soil warm for germination and they usually pop up in about 3 - 5 days even when the air temp gets a little low in there and get light immediately. If they don't get light soon, those little heads that are poking out will be several inches tall before you know it. The rest of them should follow in the next couple of days. Besides, with the shop lights only a few inches from the starts, it will give them a little more heat as well.

jj

49 degrees is fine. I had some plants die because I didn't get them under the lights soon enough. My reasoning was the exact same as yours. Even after they are under the lights and in the cooler garage, everything else germinated just fine.

They are off the grill under the lights!
I have two 72 pellet flats, one with the Tom, and the other with the peppers. Fits perfect end to end under the two shoplights
I moved the pad under the peppers.
Will report progress :)

Thanks all!!
Brian

The longer you wait to put the sprouts under lights, the lankier and weaker the stems will become. I usually start 25 seeds at a time in a covered tray I keep in my oven with the door partially open to keep them warm (this is an old fashioned oven that uses a gas pilot light, supplies just the right amount of heat). The second I notice even one sprouted I put the whole tray including unsprouted seeds under lights or take them outside during the day so they can get sunlight if its above 50 degrees outside.