Starting seeds indoors without grow lights - is it really possible?
Rick (zone 6b, MA)
7 years ago
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Starting Seeds indoors without bug issues?
Comments (14)I would like to comment that seedlings need nutritional support pretty soon after germination. I would not wait for several weeks....a few days, perhaps. Those dissolved elements are required in each of those rapidly multiplying cells and your mix won't be providing much. Keep a close eye out for fungus gnats, though. Jiffy Mix is very conducive to those darned little things. The adult gnats don't feed on fungus! Most of them don't feed at all, a few species sip flower nectar. They are born to procreate. It is only the larvae that feeds on stuff in the soil. They will love the Jiffy Mix....See MoreNeed advice, going to try and start seeds indoors again
Comments (24)I have the same shelf as zenman, but I don't use a heat mat. I buy the mylar blankets from the sports dept at Walmart. They are in a small box hanging on a rack and the cost is about $3. I drape this small blanket over the top shelf and attach it with clothes pins to cover down to the next shelf. I don't use any lights on the top shelf, and because heat rises, the heat from the lights on the second shelf heat the area above that shelf. The blanket holds the heat in and the tray with the dome cover holds the moisture in the tray. At the first sign of germination, I remove the dome and move the tray down under the lights and drop the lights down until they almost touch the plants. I grow in a building that is well insulated and will only add heat if the outside temp is below freezing. The lights create some heat, but I intentional grow tomatoes on a cooler shelf. Peppers, on the other hand, need to be on one of the open shelves that has a light under it as they will benefit from the extra heat that rises from that light. I also have my light fixtures plugged into surge protectors so that I can control all of the lights by just flipping a switch rather than plugging and unplugging cords. The sports blankets that I use look a little like aluminum foil, but are soft and almost transparent. When I first start the plants I use another blanket to wrap around the shelves because the silver color tends to reflect more light onto the plants (I think). Sometimes I remove it from the lower shelves and some years I just add a small fan to make sure there is some air movement on the plants. Later in the season, I remove it because I don't want the plants to be too hot, but I leave the top part covered and continue to use it as a germination chamber. I am attaching a picture, but the light wasn't on in the room when I took the picture so you have to look closely to see the top shelf which has no lights. I have watered from the bottom, from the top, and misted and I never have had damping off, so I can't say which is best. I would never mist if I wasn't running a fan though. Here is a link that might be useful: My shelf...See MoreCan i grow meyer lemons indoors without a lot of light?
Comments (9)I live in the Pacific Northwest and bring my potted citrus in each winter. Usually, I just put it in a poorly lit corner with an incandescent and minimal watering. Yes the fruit will hold, and I have an orange tree that will even bloom under those conditions ( much to my surprise ), but will not set fruit ( not to my surprise ). Don't let them get TOO dry, though. However, this year, I brought them into the living room and set up a lot of grow lights. I have two very small Meyer Lemons, one of the original type and on improved. Both are sharing 24" fluorescent grow lights with other plants, and both are blooming. You can buy these 24" fixtures, including the bulb for $10 or less at Walmart or sometimes the supermarket. The light usually has a reddish color. You can replace the bulb, and if you do, get a sunlight bulb, or, if you want to spring for it, a full spectrum bulb (garden shop). If you have a lot of space and want a bigger indoor garden, get a 48" shop light which holds two bulbs. Put in one sunlight bulb and one daylight bulb ( which will look blue next to the sunlight bulb ). Suspend this from a chain and hook in the ceiling. This gives a good light combination. Incidentally, YOU TOO will enjoy these lights, especially on dark winter days. If you are growing them with a lot of light, though, check the soil constantly. They can use a lot of water -- just don't over water. I don't know whether these can self pollinate. Maybe someone could tell me? Mona Everett...See MoreGrowing Tomato (& Tomatillos) from seed without artificial light
Comments (14)early ssabukis aliana goji faranji Awesome tomatoes! ESA is a cropping machine with loads of small yellow plums. Goji Faranji makes big wonking beefsteaks, sometimes they are a bit ruffly-but this I think is related to hotter weather and when it cools down a bit then the fruits are smoother. If you let GF mature completely on the vine it's incredibly delicious. It's fine too if you pick them a bit green and let ripen on the counter, but leave it on the vine until it feels like a baby's tushie when you squeeze it and you have tomato nirvana....See MoreChristina Sanford
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agonaturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
7 years agoRick (zone 6b, MA)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoaniajs
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRick (zone 6b, MA) thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UKootockalockatuvik_7a
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agodigdirt2
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRick (zone 6b, MA)
7 years agoUser
7 years ago
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