The Rusted Vegetable Garden

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Managing A Garden Grow-Light Station: Lighting and Watering

Indoor Grow-Light Stations: How Much Light and Water?

This is my 2nd video using this collapisble grow-light station that can be made for under $40. I will included both videos. This video will present some solid guidelines for lighting. How close should the seedlings be to the light? How long should I leave the lights on? And, it will show you some basic ways to easily adjust the light fixture. Watering should always be done from the bottom.

Use a Timer:
Use a timer to control your lights. It saves you time! You can adjust the light time at 10, 12 or 14 hours depending on the plants and growth. But... keep it simple and set it for 12 hours. That will work.

Light the New Seeds:
Yes. Absolutely turn the lights on using the timer when first planting the seeds. Treat the top of the starting mix as if it were the plant leaves. Sometimes you may say... "I can save money and turn the timer on in few days." I tried that and I often missed the germination. The lack of light at germination will make your seedlings 'leggy'.

1-2 Inches Above Seedlings:
Keep the light source 1-2 inches above your seedlings. When your plant gets several inches high and have many leaves, you can expand the distance. You want to make sure you provide enough light in the first several weeks, so you plants don't get 'leggy' having to reach toward the light.

Always! Bottom Water:
Bottoming watering will save you time, prevent disease spread and reduce the risk of distrubing newly planted seeds. And it is easy! After 20-30 minutes dump out whatever water didn't get absorbed by the seed cells.

Create a Reflective Wall:
Use the reflective side of aluminum foil to reflect light back toward your seedling flats. It works and greatly increases the amount of light your seedlings get from their sides and from the edges of the cell flats.

The video will take you through all these points and I included the original video that shows you how to build this grow-light station for under $40.