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New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.

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Old February 11, 2015   #1
RomanX
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Default How many hours of indoor light per day??

This is my first year starting ANY seeds indoors; I am planning on sowing 11 varieties of tomatoe seeds. I have a shoplight with four flourescent bulbs (6500K, 2850 lumens) and a timer.

I've read 10-14 hours per day and local daylight hours is 12 (in May, when the seeds can be direct-sown) and increases to 13 the next month.

What is the optimum for my indoor growing?? Should I mimic the increasing daylight hours?? Choose a time and keep it the same??

What works best?
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Old February 11, 2015   #2
heirloomtomaguy
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Mine see 16 to 17 hours of artificial light a day and they love it. It seems to really bring them along nicely.
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Old February 12, 2015   #3
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I agree with 16 or 17 no more or no less.
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Old February 12, 2015   #4
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http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...Hours+light%27

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Old February 12, 2015   #5
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I have been doing 12 to 14 guess I need to bump it up a notch.
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Old February 12, 2015   #6
joseph
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I set my lights for 16 hours per day. My choice was arbitrary and capricious, not based on any science that I've read. Seems to mimic growing conditions in June when the tomatoes are thriving.
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Old February 12, 2015   #7
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Come on Worth, don't be so wishy-washy all of a sudden....16 or 17? You know it should be 16 hours 4 minutes and 32 seconds. That's my time....more or less.
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Old February 12, 2015   #8
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Quote:
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Come on Worth, don't be so wishy-washy all of a sudden....16 or 17? You know it should be 16 hours 4 minutes and 32 seconds. That's my time....more or less.
Ok 16 hours flat it is.
I got the information from a marijuana growing guide someone forced me to read many years ago.

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Old February 12, 2015   #9
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I give them 24 hours of light and they do fine. 80 kinds of peppers are currently thriving.
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Old February 12, 2015   #10
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Ok 16 hours flat it is.
I got the information from a marijuana growing guide someone forced me to read many years ago.

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Old February 12, 2015   #11
PaulF
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I mailed my dog-eared copy to a friend in Colorado.
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Old February 13, 2015   #12
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Quote:
I got the information from a marijuana growing guide someone forced me to read many years ago.
Which finger did they have to twist!
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Old February 13, 2015   #13
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Quote:
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I give them 24 hours of light and they do fine. 80 kinds of peppers are currently thriving.
I agree. I don't see any benefit to having a dark period. Sometimes having a dark period can make plants stretch more, which makes them taller and look like they are growing more, but stretching isn't really beneficial.

Tomatoes and peppers are day-length neutral. They don't need a dark period. I don't see why one wouldn't want photosynthesis happening 24 hours a day. Light creates growth.
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Old February 13, 2015   #14
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Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie View Post
I agree. I don't see any benefit to having a dark period. Sometimes having a dark period can make plants stretch more, which makes them taller and look like they are growing more, but stretching isn't really beneficial.

Tomatoes and peppers are day-length neutral. They don't need a dark period. I don't see why one wouldn't want photosynthesis happening 24 hours a day. Light creates growth.
I haven't yet started tomatoes or peppers this year - I have to wait a couple more months. But I do have onions and leeks started. I am running my lights 12 on and 12 off. Would what you say above about tomatoes and peppers also apply to onion and leek starts? The only other thing I have growing under lights right now is microgreens, mostly mixes. They seem to be doing just fine on the 12-hour schedule, but I never tried making it longer for them. I wonder if an experiment is in my near future...
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Old February 14, 2015   #15
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I get up at 4am turn light on and go to bed (or fall asleep watching TV and turn light off at 7:30 pm and go to bed. Is that 15 1/2 hrs? (i need a 3rd hand to count on) I guess I have no life and I may not be able to count
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