mustbetribbin
Well-Known Member
If you are going with fluorescent lighting, it's a good idea to pay attention to the spectrum color/temp, a seedling placed too close to a 6500k daylight bulb will get toasted faster than a 2700- 3200K bulb would do, but for seedlings I always suggest incandescent & flouro combined (cheap/gentle/effective), maybe a 25watt matched up with around 4000-5000k flouro bulb, I keep my lights away from my seedlings around 2 feet away, I don't get stretched stems this way because I use at least 2 light sources usually, say 2- 23w cfl flouros matched up to one incandescent.
Seedlings don't need highly intensified lighting, lower output bulb types like the ones I mentioned above have done well for me in my setup thus far. If you use incandescent bulbs just be sure to widen out the spectrum a bit away from the 2700k that they already emit, need to be sure and add some blue/green light in there also, I'd try and find 4100k bulbs me personally, now that cfl bulbs are becoming more rare, 2-4ft T5 bulbs are becoming the go to option to reach for when looking for different spectrum varieties, since T5's are still produced for agricultural/growing purposes.
I'd probably go without adding any cloning fluids to the substrate and might even recommend rinsing the clone plugs out before use, just trying to figure what might have occurred other than then not receiving adequate light. They do benefit and experience enhanced grow from red/far red/ NIR/ IR/ UV (the rest of the spectrum is of benefit after the seedling breaks the soil) emitted above the soil before the seedling even breaks it's shell, I recommend having your lights running by at around the 36hr mark after they have hit the soil, this is typically when the seedling first begins to imbibe water from outside of its shell inwards, as soon as the seed starts receiving those first water molecules light can be used to enhance a seedlings growth.
Seedlings are able to harvest photons through the stem before the first leaves even begin to collect light, seedlings are born with specialized proteins along the stem that provides them with this benefit.
But back to the spectrum thing if I may for a moment, how close the light is to the plant depends on how large the growing area is, now a seedling at 10" away in 1x2 metal cabinet is going to be receiving more photons/UV from a flouro at this distance than it would in a 6x6 area with the same bulb, the smaller the area, the further away the bulb should be to the plant, granted the same bulb is being used. I keep my 4100k T5 bulbs at least 18-20" away from my germinating seedlings initially, and my cfl bulbs I keep them about 24-36 inches depending on the color spectrum, most people don't realize the coiled/condensed energy that those cfl bulbs emit (I use a reflector on mine, in the open room it may vary, so definitely try and find your own sweet spot with which ever lighting you decide on) so I would use some caution if I were you, and just keep an eye on them, if they stretch any just move them slightly closer to the light or add an extra bulb nearby, easy peasy.
Let me know if you've got any other Qs, thanks & take care friend.
Seedlings don't need highly intensified lighting, lower output bulb types like the ones I mentioned above have done well for me in my setup thus far. If you use incandescent bulbs just be sure to widen out the spectrum a bit away from the 2700k that they already emit, need to be sure and add some blue/green light in there also, I'd try and find 4100k bulbs me personally, now that cfl bulbs are becoming more rare, 2-4ft T5 bulbs are becoming the go to option to reach for when looking for different spectrum varieties, since T5's are still produced for agricultural/growing purposes.
I'd probably go without adding any cloning fluids to the substrate and might even recommend rinsing the clone plugs out before use, just trying to figure what might have occurred other than then not receiving adequate light. They do benefit and experience enhanced grow from red/far red/ NIR/ IR/ UV (the rest of the spectrum is of benefit after the seedling breaks the soil) emitted above the soil before the seedling even breaks it's shell, I recommend having your lights running by at around the 36hr mark after they have hit the soil, this is typically when the seedling first begins to imbibe water from outside of its shell inwards, as soon as the seed starts receiving those first water molecules light can be used to enhance a seedlings growth.
Seedlings are able to harvest photons through the stem before the first leaves even begin to collect light, seedlings are born with specialized proteins along the stem that provides them with this benefit.
But back to the spectrum thing if I may for a moment, how close the light is to the plant depends on how large the growing area is, now a seedling at 10" away in 1x2 metal cabinet is going to be receiving more photons/UV from a flouro at this distance than it would in a 6x6 area with the same bulb, the smaller the area, the further away the bulb should be to the plant, granted the same bulb is being used. I keep my 4100k T5 bulbs at least 18-20" away from my germinating seedlings initially, and my cfl bulbs I keep them about 24-36 inches depending on the color spectrum, most people don't realize the coiled/condensed energy that those cfl bulbs emit (I use a reflector on mine, in the open room it may vary, so definitely try and find your own sweet spot with which ever lighting you decide on) so I would use some caution if I were you, and just keep an eye on them, if they stretch any just move them slightly closer to the light or add an extra bulb nearby, easy peasy.
Let me know if you've got any other Qs, thanks & take care friend.
