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Re: Seedling Update

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

From: Patricia Santhuff <psanthuff@mindspring.com>
> Today, as an experiment and in preparation for the tomato and pepper
> seedlings I hope to have soon, I changed the lightbulbs in the fluorescent
> fixtures. What I had were bulbs sold for plants and aquariums. I couldn't
> find *warm* bulbs which is what I've repeatedly seen recommended to go
> along with the cool bulb so what I put in were one "regular" fluorescent
> and one "cool" fluorescent in each of the two fixtures.
>
> WOW. I can't believe the difference in the AMOUNT of light compared with
> the other bulbs. With those reflective surfaces in there, it's like a
> tanning booth or something! I'll bet I'm not going to have leggy tomato
> seedlings.
>
> Patricia

I have only ever used the "Regular" bulbs.  I found that covering all
nearby surfaces (the walls around the seed starting area) in
aluminum foil helped with the usable amount of light quite a bit.
(actually got that idea from watching some TV show about
illicit growing of stuff.  While I am unlikely to go for a CO2
injection system, or expensive lights, the aluminum foil
was a cheap idea that seems to work for veggies)
I also found that using an oscillating fan helped keep the plants
stockier.  Some plants that I forgot to rotate to be near the fan
received as much light as the rest of the starts, but were
leggier then the ones exposed to the fan.
Two issues with fluorescents.  Wattage, or how much light
they can deliver.  (actually how much energy they use but
there is nearly 1-1 relationship to delivarable light).
And wavelengths they give off.  fluorescents actually give
off a lot of light in the UV spectrum and the white coating on
the inside, blocks the UV and fluoreces (spelling...) producing
the visible light.  Some aquarium bulbs are uncoated or
only lightly coated.  Giving off very little visible light but
quite a bit of UV, this is needed (so I have read) by
plants that while underwater are used to getting UV from
the sun.
Some have suggested in the past that Aquarium or
"Gro" lights are necessary for good starts, others indicate
that perhaps they are helpful for growing full size plants,
but are of minimal use for starting plants.  I don't know
where the truth of the matter actually lies, just that
so called regular bulbs seem to work fine for starts
for many of us.  Floros can age and older bulbs
while apearing quite bright can actually be very much
dimmer then new bulbs.  I solve this problem by using
new bulbs in the seed starting area and whenever a
bulb dies someplace else in the basement, I steal
a bulb from the seed starting area and give the
starting area a new bulb.
Ron Souliere


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