Clip on lamps for seeds ?

[Wind Notes & Butterflies]

Thanks Wifezilla and your plants look so healthy and happy.
I'm going to walmart this weekend and pick me up some of the clamp lamps and the CFL bulbs.
I get so excited this time of year and just can't wait till spring :mow

 

[silkiechicken]

I'm so jealous at your starts! I don't even get to start mine for another few weeks b/c I can't plant out till may and find that getting them in the ground prior to any buds is better for their establishment.

The trick with the tubes is to get enough foot candles down in the right spectrum and to remember to replace them before their steady state output is gone. I generally replace bulbs once a year in my planted aquariums because even if you can see the light, doesn't mean it is giving out the right light any more or at the full output. The old fashioned T20's are pretty inefficient. T5 is getting down in price, T2's are still novelty new, so T8 is most economical for bulbs per area of mounting space. For just starts, a combo of cool white and full spectrum works great. I tend to run 3000 foot candles over the starts.

These are all I have this early in the year:



I can't wait to get the tomatoes going like last year, I save up all my vente coffee cups all year long! I should really curb that coffee habit... but what can you expect as a seattlite.

 

[lesa]

Silkie, those plants look great. What are you growing? Looks like you have really solved the leggy issue. Enjoy!

 

[cknmom]

silkiechicken- WE recently bought our turtle a larger tank and decided to try his old one to start my seeds in. I am using a large clip on worklight type of thing witha flourescent heatbulb (the ones we use for our well pumps etc.), we bought some plastic light covers the sheets like you put over large kitchen ceiling lights hu don't know how else to explain it). They were getting VERY moist so we were venting it, then I took it completely off. The main problem I am having is most of the plant are VERY leggy. I thought that maybe the light was too far away and thought that if I fill the aquarium half way with soil and plant directly in the soil instead of pots that maybe it would solve the legginess. Any suggestions?? Anyone??

Monica