Is this suitable for a indoor sproutling starter?

Hello fellow growers!

Saddened to say but i have tried to start sprout lings indoor before and for some reason they all sprouted but then turned yellow, dried up, then died..

On the other hand when it was warm enough to do all stages outdoor, i never had a problem starting my babies.. Now it is spring and i am determined to have myself some nicely sized plants, i have already germinated around 20 seeds, to my amazement there is over a 85% germ rate, not that i am going to grow 15 or more plants, but it is surely enough to ensure i will have plants.

To my point, i only have 1 26W CFL bulb, Daylight bulb. I am only wanting the seedling to be under a light for a week until the temperature outside is a little warmer at night. My question is, in a drawer with reflective surfaces will one CFL be enough to have these babies grow a few inches? I plan to move outdoor as soon as possible, and also, i just planted the germinated seeds a day ago, should this CFL be on constant or here and there to help the seeds grow upward?

I should also include that one light will only be over 4 sprouts, in jiffy soil to start them out.

Sorry if i confused anyone, and thanks in advance!

Temperature in cabinet/drawer is a steady 70-75, with humidity around 50-60%.

I'm not convinced you'll get a few inches of growth from a single 26w bulb over 4 plants. In your position, I would quadruple (at least) the amount of light you've currently got.

With that single bulb, you might have just enough light for the seedlings to develop a set of true leaves, but I wouldn't expect much more growth. If you aren't interested in buying more bulbs, just plant them outside. You won't get much of a head-start on any significant growth by putting them under 26w.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Good luck.

I just did four plants in solo cups under a 23W and 42W with no problems. Srouted in paper towel and then moved into the cups with MG seed starter with baggies over them for more humidity 9only thing I will MG for). Once the first leaves looked okay, I kept the lights about 2-3" off them on an 18-6 schedule. Both lights had domes to focus the light. They were in my little cab for about 10 days before I moved them under the big lights.

SunnyJim - I will roll one for you tonight. What am I saying, I bet you are rolling now to be ready for shabbas! Good shabbas to you...

That is exactly the size i am looking to get Growindad! Maybe even a bit smaller, see im not looking for major growth more less an environment where these babies can maintain and live for a few days or a week until i can trust the weather to put them outside.

Sunnyjim, unfortunately i live in Indiana, north which doesn't help and i am trying to wait as long as possible before i put them into the weather.

Can you add another couple bulbs?

I could probably squeeze in another 2 bulbs of the same wattage, would that make a decent amount of light? Also should i have the light on over the coil before the seed has sprouted? They are all germinated and planted with nice big taproots. Soil seems a bit to moist though...

If you can, definitely add two more bulbs - it'll surely help the seedlings on their way.

Yeah, go ahead and switch the light(s) on now. If they have decent tap roots, it shouldn't be more than 24 hours (or thereabouts) before they surface.

I use hydroponics to grow, so I'm afraid I can't help you with soil issues. All I know is that you should have a good amount of perlite in your soil for better drainage, and I doubt your sprouts will need nutrients before you move them outside. I've read that common problems for indoor soil growers usually involve over-nuting their plants. Some store-bought soil contains a fair amount of nutes already, so adding more feed to the mixture can scorch seedlings.

Can you post some pics?

Once they start to pop out of the soil, add light. But keep the lights farther away at first until you get some real leaves. Keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't getting burned. No nutes needed. I have great luck with MG seed starter for sprouted seeds. I add about 30% perlite to it and water it well before throwing teh seeds in. After that, just keep the top moist until you can see it drying out, pulling in from the sides of the cup. Then I would water about 3 oz every two or three days. And ake sure you have drain holes in the cup.

To be clear, I'm a newbie. But this is what has worked for me personally better than other methods.

As you can see i am waiting for the seeds to sprout after being germinated. It has been roughly 24hours now and still no signs, i believe i am starting to see the tip of a seed in the bottom left cup. As i mentioned earlier the soil seems very moist and somewhat compact so i am a little worried. When they germinated it was very quick and successful which leads me to believe they are healthy babies.

I just want a cost effective way for them to survive a week inside before i put them outdoors. Will this signle light provide enough for them to grow? for a few days-week?

I have since turned the light off, as i am unsure whether to have it on before they sprout or not. I had it on for a good 8 hours or so. Maybe that might help them find their way to the surface?

Watered before the seeds were planted, none since. NO nutes are in the soil or water just a little peat moss i believe.

"Waiting fills" - Valentine Michael Smith

I dont see you getting fresh germed sprouts a few inches tall in a week. then if they are started inside you need to harden them off before fulling putting outside or they will just die before taking root. To be ready to put outside you need to have them started about a month in advance if at all possible for best chance to succeed. thats a week to germ sprout 2 weeks in veg and at least a week in hardening them off to go out for the outdoor veg then flower cycle.

Keep the light on the soil as close as possible 24 hours a day then once popped keep the light about an inch away if its just a tiny 23 watt cfl but leave it on 24 hours a day

FilthyFletch said:

I dont see you getting fresh germed sprouts a few inches tall in a week. then if they are started inside you need to harden them off before fulling putting outside or they will just die before taking root. To be ready to put outside you need to have them started about a month in advance if at all possible for best chance to succeed. thats a week to germ sprout 2 weeks in veg and at least a week in hardening them off to go out for the outdoor veg then flower cycle.

Click to expand...

Well it has been 4 days now and check out my growth so far, my humidity was slightly low at first. I also added one additional 26w Daylight bulb. Any tips for sprout lings? I am almost sure one is going to die for an unknown reason, has turned purple and shriveled up. It doesn't bother me because i have 6 healthy plants and if 3 turn out to be females i will be more than happy!