This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

FW: Seeds Under Lights Versus Greenhouse



> ----------
> From: 	Susan Campanini
> Sent: 	Wednesday, May 28, 1997 11:16 AM
> To: 	'seeds-list@eskimo.com'
> Subject: 	RE: Seeds Under Lights Versus Greenhouse
> 
> 	Although a greenhouse is nearly always preferable for
> germinating and growing on of seedlings because of the greater amount
> of light, broader spectrum of light, better circulation of air, etc.,
> there is no reason why you can't enjoy growing a very wide range of
> wonderful plants from seed under lights.  There are lots of other
> factors in your success, however, in addition to the lighting itself.
> 	We were fortunate in our former home to have a cool basement
> that remained about 55 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the entire winter
> and that had a window for ventilation in the early spring when the
> weather was warmer and before the seedlings were ready to be hardened
> off and then planted out.
> 	For about five winters, we grew about 1500 plants each
> year(mainly rock garden perennials and small cushion alpines) from
> seed under lights in the basement.  We had wonderful germination and
> the seedlings almost always lived.  In fact, the project was so
> successful that we eventually stopped because we no longer had room,
> time, or energy to plant the seedlings (or sell them).
> 	We had plastic six-packs placed inside large plastic
> sweaterboxes on a table where the lights were attached with
> clothesline and old sausage-shaped window weights in a marvelous
> "pulley" system that my husband devised.  This way, when the seedling
> were tiny, the lights could be lowered to just above the small plants
> and then easily raised for watering and inspection and kept at a
> higher level when the plants were taller.  We had a timer and left the
> lights on for about 16 hours.  After the second season, we switched
> from the regular "cool white" fluourescent bulbs to the "warm white"
> with a wider spectrum and thought that the results were even better.
> 	Usually, we only kept the clear plastic lids on the sweaterboxes
> in the very beginning.  Once seeds had germinated, we removed the
> lids, misted the plastic cell packs inside with a very fine mist, and
> had a small fan going to provide circulation.  The mix itself was a
> sterile light soilless mix (Pro-Mix) like you would use for potting
> houseplants with half again addition of coarse builders sand.
> 	One trick we used was to soak the six-packs just BEFORE sowing
> in very hot tap water (with a little very dilute fertilizer in it).
> This way, the water helps dissolve inhibiting chemicals in the seed
> coat to speed germination.   Later watering, of course, should NOT be
> hot water.  For later watering, in the beginning, try using a device
> that creates a very fine mist (you can add very dilute fertilizer to
> the mist water when the seedlings are already showing some growth),
> then later you can use a turkey baster to add water carefully to
> selected portions of the six pack as needed, and then finally, when
> the seedlings are pretty large, you can use a regular watering can.
> 	This sequence of hot water, lid on, germination, lid off and
> misting, along with cool night temperatures and good air circulation,
> should give you good results  for the vast majority of perennial
> flowers.
> 	However, for some seeds, especially in the legume family such as
> astragalus, you may also need to use an emery board or very fine
> sandpaper to nick the coat (called "scarifying") before sowing.  There
> are also some genera, particularly woodland wildflowers, that profit
> from a period of weeks in the refrigerator, with the six-pack sealed
> inside a plastic zip bag before going under the lights.
> 	Also, for tiny seeds, we would sprinkle them on top of the mix
> and then add a final sprinkle--very thinly--of turkey grit.  You can
> use this turkey grit, and we sometimes did, as a topping for all of
> your seed pots. This protects the seeds when you mist and provides
> some protection from crown rot on the seedlings, especially for
> western plants that dislike high humidity.
> 	We did include impatiens in the plants we grew because I liked
> to have lots of annual impatiens to fill in the shady fern and
> wildflower beds and to plant out under shrubs.  BTW, for impatiens,
> buy one of those BLUE plastic report folders in the school supplies
> section of the drugstore and put it over the seed trays--it filters
> the light in such a way as to speed and improve germination greatly.
> 	In addition to impatiens we grew, literally, HUNDREDS, of
> species of rock garden plants, usually from seed acquired in the seed
> exchanges of national and international seed societies.  SO .... don't
> be discouraged.  and Enjoy!
> 
> 
> Susan Campanini
> in east central Illinois
> zone 5b, min temp -15F×
> e-mail:  campanin@uiuc.edu
> 
> Dr. Susan Campanini
> Coordinator of Instructional Development
> Guided Individual Study
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
> 302 E. John St., Suite 1406
> Phone:  (217)333-1320
> E-Mail: campanin@uiuc.edu
>  
> 
> ----------
> From: 	ronavar
> Sent: 	Tuesday, May 27, 1997 9:25 PM
> To: 	seeds-list@eskimo.com
> Subject: 	Seeds Under Lights Versus Greenhouse
> 
> I am new at starting seeds, and have used lights over the past couple
> of
> winters.  Here in Ontario, January days are short.  I always thought
> that leaving the lights on for 16 hours would be preferable to a
> greenhouse, making the plants believe we were having longer days than
> we
> really would be during the winter.
> 
> But recently I had a conversation with a man who grows plants for the
> main street of our town, and he mentioned that a greenhouse is
> preferable to lights, and that many plants grow better in a greenhouse
> than under lights.  His comment was "impatiens will do ok under
> lights,
> but that's about it".
> 
> Does anyone care to comment on this?  If it is true that some plants
> respond better to greenhouse conditions, and others to lights, does
> anyone have lists of which plants prefer which, and which plants don't
> care?
> 
> Would really appreciate some direction on this subject.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Heather in Markham, Ontario
> Cda Zone 6 / USDA Zone 5
> 
> 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE WOODYPLANTS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index