Lighting after germination and before spouting

Lighting question: My seeds cracked and I planted them in soil, do I start running my lights now or wait till they come above the soil. I read they use the seed as food but please let me know if it will help if I run my CFL's now or just wait till they sprout up out of the soil.

Thanks plus rep for help

Once you put them into the soil, start the lights. The seedling will grow upward out of the soil seeking the light.

Also, it provides heat, and seeds need a bit of heat in order to crack. Keep it up fellow head.

They don't need much light the first week or so. I use a cfl or tube light mostley for heat. water good and leave them alone.

Yeah, one or two CFLs for heat should be enough to get them started. Once they break the soil, they NEED the light, so you want it there in case they peek through when you aren't around. Be careful not to burn them, but keep the light fairly close (2-4") so they don't stretch too much. The new sprouts are delicate, but once they get a few leaves going, you can move the CFLs to within an inch or two. Be sure you don't over water - most new growers (myself included) tend to do that at first. Here is a link to great info from a veteran grower here. Uncle Ben knows his weed!
https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/267989-uncle-bens-gardening-tweeks-pointers.html

Thanks all+

Make sure your cfl's are 6500K just throwin that in there

Artijade said:

Make sure your cfl's are 6500K just throwin that in there

Click to expand...

i am using 3 daylight cfl and 2 soft cfls to mix the spectrum up.

Once they are cracked and planted how long till they usually break the soil??

I soak and plant. That takes 1-3 days to pop. if your seeds are cracked should be about the same.

I use the warming center on our oven...it's like an extra low powered burner in the middle...I'll turn that on low and let it sit for a few hours...So far it seems to have helped with germination...Like a seedling mat...which is just a heating pad by the way...lol.

So once they are planted and have already cracked it is up to 3 days till they sprout out of the soil?

At the outside I would think. But there can be slow goers in any batch.