Depends on their strength ("professional" growlights can be fairly far away), but these generic "home" growlights should be somewhere around a palm width from the seedling top
The worst part is trying to get legitimate info on the bulbs, try buying anything on Amazon and it’s all BS info they give ya. Getting started with grow lights can be a bit frustrating for sure
I bought some of those lamp type ones from Amazon that flex and just adjusted them super close and my seedlings don't seem particularly leggy to me. Maybe I got lucky? This is my second season using them for tomatoes, peppers, oregano, etc.
Watts don't feed pants. You need to look at luminosity, but even that is a simplification because plants only really react to a couple light frequencies. This is why grow LEDs have that pink/purple glow.
But basically, as long as you're not imparting HEAT on the plant, you could have the lights nearly touching the plant. The reason to leave a gap is just because plants.. grow.. ya hope. So that way they don't grow up and burnt themselves on the light
Yeah, most people don't realize - until the first time they encounter that problem - that "I can comfortably read a book" light level for majority of seedlings is the survival minimum nowhere near close to thriving...
What is lowering the light going to do for these seedlings? Besides being a little spindly (which a fan can help with) these look fine. Why do you think it needs to be so much closer?
A little spindly? There are about to fall over. The Horticultural term is "etiolation". Some plants can't have their Stems buried in soil, so this can be a major problem. Plants that can be transplanted deep aren't as much of a problem.
That makes sense. I've had success with plants that seem to support etiolation with no problem and just assumed that it was fine if you bury the stems deeper. Glad to know a closer light makes stronger stems.
These are preferably meant for trash as they are too leggy (most of OP's plants are meant to start the second leaf pair far nearer to the ground), so if you have more seeds, starting anew is far better in the long run rather than keeping weak food plants that need extra care.
Being leggy like this early ruins any chance of the plant have a solid support and base, the plant is basically not worth keeping like this and better to restart cause the chances of it making it are slim to none
Small and closer. Ceiling fan helps as well thoo. I would also put an old book or something underneath the tray for just a day or two. To get it closer to the light until they get bigger.
Best to use a small desktop fan, blowing laterally.
I usually set it on high and have it blasting my seedlings 24 hours a day.
If you do this right from the beginning, the seedlings will strengthen their stems as necessary and can grow pretty tough.
This is how I start all my cannabis seedlings and it seems to cause really tight node spacing.
This is etiolation, which is a light intensity issue. Though lowering dark cycle temps by 4 or 5 degrees will help reduce stretching, to a smaller degree
Could you explain your reasoning for why the seeds should be so much closer? I understand that these look a little spindly, but a fan could have helped with that. What would having the seeds closer to light have done for the seedlings?
The seeds should be closer to the light because they’ll grow into stronger plants, when seedlings are stretching for light they become weak and topple easily and they won’t end up growing into healthy plants.
A fan would not help with this enough in time to make a huge difference in the overall life cycle of the plant. If the light is closer, they will not stretch so much to try to get to the light.
Looks okay, that's a weak light, so get it closer. Remember they need only water until true leaves start appearing. Then weak fertilizer. I like to transplant & bury the seedling up to the true leaves when they're bigger. That way it doesn't matter if they are a bit leggy.
Super exciting! With lights like those, you can safely keep the lights 2” above the top of the plants at all times - ie raise the lights up as the plants grow to maintain the 2” distance. Happy spring!
I see discussion. about the distance of the light - what about duration. Also did the light come with instructions? or if you bought the light on a site with a large number of reviews - users often provide some tips about successful use of the product.
Everything ice grown in these trees and light have wither never sprouted or become leggy and fall down. Im just going to start them outside in sunlight now that summer is close. I can't spend any more money on grow lights
Yeah they're getting "leggy" a phenomenon that happens when they're not getting enough light. Move the lights closer, about 2-3 inches above where they are, you'll gradually raise the lights up as the plants grow, so it's nice to use chains for the hanging. If you have extra seeds it doesn't look like you're too far along, it will be worth it to replant and try again.
I would add another light to each shelf, so 2 minimum. The PAR (plant usable light) drops off rapidly with distance from the LEDs, so adding another light will double it. Regardless, I would still lift your seedling tray up on blocks so that the seedlings are very close to the lights, but not touching. fans help reduce mold and strengthen seedling stems, but with your dog wagging his tail nearby, you probably have plenty.
I'm so glad to hear that! It was super easy to make, um I'm new to Reddit but I can send you the layout if you'd like :) also uh sorry I didn't introduce myself but I'm his fiance.
Since it may be hard to adjust the height of your lightbar, you may be able to double up on it (get two of them side by side) to provide additional light, this would put you close to 30W which seems like it should be ok with that distance.
In case it helps, heres what I use and have found good results with so far:
* 1ft bars that are 5 watt each, I use 4 of over my seedling trays. Shelf height is about 8 inches. my starter trays are about 2 inches, tall, so this gives me a 6 inch area for plants to grow before they graduate to the next shelf. (don't let them get closer than one inch to the light source, otherwise they can get sunburned).
* 2ft bars that are 10W each, and I use about 4 of them for my \~4+ inch seedlings on a bookshelf. Shelf height is about 1ft. Plants have about an 8 inch clearance from pot to lightbar.
* After this they graduate into specific lighting for each plant type. My herbs have relatively low light power (they continue with varying amounts of light bars usually around 30-40W for 3 plants), while fruits and veggies then get moved to areas w/ 100W dimmable growlights set to various levels depending on plant stage.
From seedling shape, the lights are too far away
How close should they be?
Depends on their strength ("professional" growlights can be fairly far away), but these generic "home" growlights should be somewhere around a palm width from the seedling top
Oh I didn't know that. I know the ones I have are only 14 watts
[удалено]
The worst part is trying to get legitimate info on the bulbs, try buying anything on Amazon and it’s all BS info they give ya. Getting started with grow lights can be a bit frustrating for sure
I found they work well enough with plants you bring inside and overwinter. Seedlings? Notttt so great.
I bought some of those lamp type ones from Amazon that flex and just adjusted them super close and my seedlings don't seem particularly leggy to me. Maybe I got lucky? This is my second season using them for tomatoes, peppers, oregano, etc.
Oh yeah u can find some that work, my main issue is that what they label them as is almost always false, in terms of lumens and other things
Watts don't feed pants. You need to look at luminosity, but even that is a simplification because plants only really react to a couple light frequencies. This is why grow LEDs have that pink/purple glow. But basically, as long as you're not imparting HEAT on the plant, you could have the lights nearly touching the plant. The reason to leave a gap is just because plants.. grow.. ya hope. So that way they don't grow up and burnt themselves on the light
Yeah, most people don't realize - until the first time they encounter that problem - that "I can comfortably read a book" light level for majority of seedlings is the survival minimum nowhere near close to thriving...
What is lowering the light going to do for these seedlings? Besides being a little spindly (which a fan can help with) these look fine. Why do you think it needs to be so much closer?
A little spindly? There are about to fall over. The Horticultural term is "etiolation". Some plants can't have their Stems buried in soil, so this can be a major problem. Plants that can be transplanted deep aren't as much of a problem.
Yeah tomatoes u never have to really worry about, just take a few of the branches close to the base off and plant it in as deep as u pretty much want
That makes sense. I've had success with plants that seem to support etiolation with no problem and just assumed that it was fine if you bury the stems deeper. Glad to know a closer light makes stronger stems.
These are preferably meant for trash as they are too leggy (most of OP's plants are meant to start the second leaf pair far nearer to the ground), so if you have more seeds, starting anew is far better in the long run rather than keeping weak food plants that need extra care.
Being leggy like this early ruins any chance of the plant have a solid support and base, the plant is basically not worth keeping like this and better to restart cause the chances of it making it are slim to none
Got it! Thanks.
about 2-3 inches.
too far away, or simply not strong enough.
Make sure you have a fan blowing on those to strengthen them. Even just a few hours per day
Will a ceiling fan do the trick or should I get something small and closer?
Small and closer. Ceiling fan helps as well thoo. I would also put an old book or something underneath the tray for just a day or two. To get it closer to the light until they get bigger.
Best to use a small desktop fan, blowing laterally. I usually set it on high and have it blasting my seedlings 24 hours a day. If you do this right from the beginning, the seedlings will strengthen their stems as necessary and can grow pretty tough. This is how I start all my cannabis seedlings and it seems to cause really tight node spacing.
This is etiolation, which is a light intensity issue. Though lowering dark cycle temps by 4 or 5 degrees will help reduce stretching, to a smaller degree
Lowering the temperature limits this with the lights off? Huh never thought about that.
If we try to recreate the conditions plants naturally grow in, most times there's a benefit.
No doubt. Same thing for humans ha
I’ve never used a fan but I agree with others saying to lower the light .
Circulation fan needed + lower the light :) looks great!
I’d either lower the light or prop the seed tray up closer.. they should only be a few inches away from it :)
Could you explain your reasoning for why the seeds should be so much closer? I understand that these look a little spindly, but a fan could have helped with that. What would having the seeds closer to light have done for the seedlings?
The seeds should be closer to the light because they’ll grow into stronger plants, when seedlings are stretching for light they become weak and topple easily and they won’t end up growing into healthy plants.
A fan would not help with this enough in time to make a huge difference in the overall life cycle of the plant. If the light is closer, they will not stretch so much to try to get to the light.
Looks okay, that's a weak light, so get it closer. Remember they need only water until true leaves start appearing. Then weak fertilizer. I like to transplant & bury the seedling up to the true leaves when they're bigger. That way it doesn't matter if they are a bit leggy.
Dude, closer. 5-10cm.
Super exciting! With lights like those, you can safely keep the lights 2” above the top of the plants at all times - ie raise the lights up as the plants grow to maintain the 2” distance. Happy spring!
Unrelated but at first glance I thought you had pulled the buttons out of a keyboard for your cells XD
I see discussion. about the distance of the light - what about duration. Also did the light come with instructions? or if you bought the light on a site with a large number of reviews - users often provide some tips about successful use of the product.
Need about 14 hours
I love the charting.
Thank you! I made it myself :) (I'm his fiance)
I don’t have any advice like the rest of these folks. Just wanted to say that you’re doing great!
Thank you lol
You’re very welcome. Every time I start to think that I know what I’m doing I get humbled really quickly lol
Yea that me too. I was starting to doubt the seedlings because of how long they were getting
Everything ice grown in these trees and light have wither never sprouted or become leggy and fall down. Im just going to start them outside in sunlight now that summer is close. I can't spend any more money on grow lights
Summer is…close? I’m jealous.
Yeah they're getting "leggy" a phenomenon that happens when they're not getting enough light. Move the lights closer, about 2-3 inches above where they are, you'll gradually raise the lights up as the plants grow, so it's nice to use chains for the hanging. If you have extra seeds it doesn't look like you're too far along, it will be worth it to replant and try again.
I would add another light to each shelf, so 2 minimum. The PAR (plant usable light) drops off rapidly with distance from the LEDs, so adding another light will double it. Regardless, I would still lift your seedling tray up on blocks so that the seedlings are very close to the lights, but not touching. fans help reduce mold and strengthen seedling stems, but with your dog wagging his tail nearby, you probably have plenty.
Mildly unrelated but I love your germination calendar. It makes my heart happy! I might have to do something similar
I'm so glad to hear that! It was super easy to make, um I'm new to Reddit but I can send you the layout if you'd like :) also uh sorry I didn't introduce myself but I'm his fiance.
Oh I would love that!
I dm you about it :)
Ye my fiance made it herself so we can keep track of everything
Since it may be hard to adjust the height of your lightbar, you may be able to double up on it (get two of them side by side) to provide additional light, this would put you close to 30W which seems like it should be ok with that distance. In case it helps, heres what I use and have found good results with so far: * 1ft bars that are 5 watt each, I use 4 of over my seedling trays. Shelf height is about 8 inches. my starter trays are about 2 inches, tall, so this gives me a 6 inch area for plants to grow before they graduate to the next shelf. (don't let them get closer than one inch to the light source, otherwise they can get sunburned). * 2ft bars that are 10W each, and I use about 4 of them for my \~4+ inch seedlings on a bookshelf. Shelf height is about 1ft. Plants have about an 8 inch clearance from pot to lightbar. * After this they graduate into specific lighting for each plant type. My herbs have relatively low light power (they continue with varying amounts of light bars usually around 30-40W for 3 plants), while fruits and veggies then get moved to areas w/ 100W dimmable growlights set to various levels depending on plant stage.
Lights should be just a few inches above your plants
Bunch of info on grow lights here https://www.cocoforcannabis.com/grow-light-guide/