Grow Light questions

Lorri,

I learn something new every year. I don't think I will ever get it perfect. Last year, I kept wondering why my plants kept a yellow color instead of achieving the deep, dark green color I normally get. It finally occurred to me that my T12 bulbs were getting pretty old and were probably near the end of their useful life for use as grow lights. I put new bulbs in my fixtures and the plants greened up within a week. One of the reasons I changed my fixtures to T8 this winter is the bulbs retain high lumen output for a longer time.

Ted

[Tom A To]

Originally Posted by Lorri D

It took me 3 years to get my system right for me, including: lights, fertilizer, wind, starting times and potting up. Lorri D

I've been starting seeds for twenty years and like Ted, I change something in the process every year, still looking for that perfect technique and equipment. I'll probably never get there but part of the fun, I suppose.

For heat, I use heating mats.

I think that electricity costs for any of the above methods is negligible so I don't pay attention to energy conservation. My Playstation probably uses more electricity than my seed starting apparatus.

[Labradors2]

I'm learning from you guys.

Although I used grow lights years ago in my basement (because I didn't have room for seedlings upstairs), in recent years I've been putting my pots in sunny windows. I am lucky that I only grow less than 50 seedlings and that I have windows facing east, south and west, plus I am home all day to move them around with the sun.

However, you guys have taught me that I need to supplement that natural light, and I'm certainly going to use grow lights again this spring. Hopefully, my plants will be more robust by planting-out time. I will let you know.

Linda

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I'm learning from you guys.

Although I used grow lights years ago in my basement (because I didn't have room for seedlings upstairs), in recent years I've been putting my pots in sunny windows. I am lucky that I only grow less than 50 seedlings and that I have windows facing east, south and west, plus I am home all day to move them around with the sun.

However, you guys have taught me that I need to supplement that natural light, and I'm certainly going to use grow lights again this spring. Hopefully, my plants will be more robust by planting-out time. I will let you know.

Linda

Linda,

If you are learning from me, you are getting a very poor education. I am much better at suggesting what not to do than what to do. We really do have some pretty knowledgeable folks on this forum concerning lighting. I'm not one of them.

Ted

[Tom A To]

Originally Posted by tedln

Linda,

If you are learning from me, you are getting a very poor education. I am much better at suggesting what not to do than what to do. We really do have some pretty knowledgeable folks on this forum concerning lighting. I'm not one of them.

Ted

That's the thing about forums - if you think you know a lot about some particular topic, just find a forum for that topic and you realize that you don't know squat. I used to think I was a lot smarter than I really am.

[Cole_Robbie]

I used to think I was a lot smarter than I really am.

That's my experience with chess; I am very good...until I get on the Internet and then suddenly the world becomes a much bigger place.

tomatoville takes an understanding of tomatoes to a higher level than what most people even realize is possible. When selling plants at market, I sound like a tomato expert, but all I do is repeat what I read here.

Regarding the thread topic, I used to think I knew a lot about light until I read the tomatoville posts by Hotwired: http://tomatoville.com/search.php?searchid=1515022
He is tomatoville's Light Scientist.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I used to think I was a lot smarter than I really am.

That's my experience with chess; I am very good...until I get on the Internet and then suddenly the world becomes a much bigger place.

tomatoville takes an understanding of tomatoes to a higher level than what most people even realize is possible. When selling plants at market, I sound like a tomato expert, but all I do is repeat what I read here.

Regarding the thread topic, I used to think I knew a lot about light until I read the tomatoville posts by Hotwired: http://tomatoville.com/search.php?searchid=1515022
He is tomatoville's Light Scientist.

Well the light scientist hasn't been around since July of this year.

There are several good folks that come on for a while only to disappear.

Worth

[loulac]

Cole Robbie wrote : « I used to think I was a lot smarter than I really am.”

I quite agree with Tom a to and Cole Robbie : when a head gets a bit swollen a visit to Tomatoville will quickly put things back into place. You will find impressive experts on the following threads and I’m sure there are plenty of others on the site.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16919
University of Alaska : http://www.uaf.edu/ces/pubs/catalog/search/index.xml
http://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publica.../HGA-00336.pdf

[Labradors2]

That was an educational read!

We went to Lowes yesterday and, while I was looking for fluorescents in light fixtures 2' in length, hubby found a complete 22" "grow light" fixture with a diffuser and a plug which he thought was excellent. Turns out it's only 14 watts and is a black light/grow light (huh?) He's just taken it back, and I hope he can find something better today!

Linda

Originally Posted by loulac

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16919

[Labradors2]

Aw Ted,

I'm sure we can all learn something from everyone here, even if it's what NOT to do. It saves us from having to find out for ourselves......

Cheers,
Linda

Originally Posted by tedln

Linda,

If you are learning from me, you are getting a very poor education. I am much better at suggesting what not to do than what to do. We really do have some pretty knowledgeable folks on this forum concerning lighting. I'm not one of them.

Ted

Originally Posted by loulac

I quite agree with Tom a to and Cole Robbie : when a head gets a bit swollen a visit to Tomatoville will quickly put things back into place. You will find impressive experts on the following threads and I’m sure there are plenty of others on the site.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16919
University of Alaska : http://www.uaf.edu/ces/pubs/catalog/search/index.xml
http://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publica.../HGA-00336.pdf

The attachment from Loulac, http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=16919&page=8, post #107 by hotwired is probably the most informative I've read on the subject of lighting for germinating and growing. The enitire thread provides a lot of additional information on the subject.

Ted

[Worth1]

I just hope Hotwired shows back up.

Worth

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Tom A To

That's the thing about forums - if you think you know a lot about some particular topic, just find a forum for that topic and you realize that you don't know squat. I used to think I was a lot smarter than I really am.

I watched 3 videos on YouTube making a device to put on his lathe to thread parts.
Some of the replies were scolding him for poor machining practices.
And telling him he didn't know what he was doing.
I felt sorry for the guy.
It wasn't the guy I posted about in the other thread but someone different.

Point is if someone is doing something wrong be polite as some folls did.

Ted deduction is the best way to find out how to do things.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I just hope Hotwired shows back up.

Worth

Me too.

Marsha

Worth, I know it's shocking; but I prefer conduction. It has taught me many lessons.



Ted