How many hours of indoor light per day??

RomanX · February 11, 2015

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?

heirloomtomaguy · February 11, 2015

Mine see 16 to 17 hours of artificial light a day and they love it. It seems to really bring them along nicely.

Worth1 · February 12, 2015

I agree with 16 or 17 no more or no less.
Worth

amideutch · February 12, 2015

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...Hours+light%27

Ami

BigVanVader · February 12, 2015

I have been doing 12 to 14 guess I need to bump it up a notch.

joseph · February 12, 2015

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.

PaulF · February 12, 2015

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.

Worth1 · February 12, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulF

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.

Worth

February 12, 2015

I give them 24 hours of light and they do fine. 80 kinds of peppers are currently thriving.

February 12, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Ok 16 hours flat it is.

I got the information from a marijuana growing guide someone forced me to read many years ago.

Worth

Tee hee hee

PaulF · February 12, 2015

I mailed my dog-eared copy to a friend in Colorado.

amideutch · February 13, 2015

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!

Cole_Robbie · February 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by LDiane

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.

FarmerShawn · February 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

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...

crazyoldgooseman · February 14, 2015

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

February 11, 2015	#1
RomanX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 119	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?

February 11, 2015	#2
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	Mine see 16 to 17 hours of artificial light a day and they love it. It seems to really bring them along nicely. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

February 12, 2015	#4
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...Hours+light%27 Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

February 12, 2015	#7
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,294	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. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

February 12, 2015	#11
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,294	I mailed my dog-eared copy to a friend in Colorado. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

February 12, 2015	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I agree with 16 or 17 no more or no less. Worth

February 12, 2015	#5
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I have been doing 12 to 14 guess I need to bump it up a notch.

February 12, 2015	#6
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	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.

February 12, 2015	#9
LDiane Guest Posts: n/a	I give them 24 hours of light and they do fine. 80 kinds of peppers are currently thriving.

February 14, 2015	#15
crazyoldgooseman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Maryland 7a Posts: 200	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 __________________ Anybody see where I sat my beer? -crazyoldgooseman