There's no need for pricey kits to start plants from seed.You need only this key item.
BY DENNIS PATTON SPECIAL TO THE KANSAS CITY STAR
JANUARY 30, 2020 12:41 PM
The secret to starting seeds inside is as simple as buying lights and ensuring they are on much of the time and fairly close to the plants as they grow. This strip of lights does the trick. COURTESY OF JOHNSON COUNTY K-STATE RESEARCH & EXTENSION
Have you just about had it with winter? I am feeling trapped inside and long to get out to touch the warmth of the soil or see green in the landscape.
One way to cure the winter blues is to grow your own transplants from seed to plant once spring arrives.
As a kid, you probably had a school experiment that involved starting a seed in a cup on the classroom windowsill. Typically, the results were anything but spectacular, with most meeting an ill fate. If they did survive, they were tall and spindly, barely able to support the green growth.
Growing quality transplants for the garden is all about the light. The reason the windowsill project failed was there is not enough sunlight, even in the brightest window, to support the growth. Low levels of light leave the plants reaching for light. This results in a leggy plant that is not strong enough to survive the brutal conditions outdoors.
So how do you provide consistent light? Standard shop lights, available at any hardware store, are the answer. Best of all, you don’t need to spend a fortune to start. These pre-assembled lights supply both the intensity and duration of quality light required to grow a healthy plant.
Before heading out to purchase your ballast, you will need to make a decision on the type of lightbulb. Standard fluorescent fixtures are the least expensive but use more energy. LED technology is taking over this market. While the fixtures and bulbs are more expensive, they are energy efficient. Both can supply the quality of light necessary for growth.
To grow short, stocky plants using shop lights, intensity and duration are the two factors to keep in mind. Achieving the intensity means the light source needs to be close to the top of the plants, about 2 to 4 inches. The brightness and closeness mean the plants don’t have to stretch for the light. The key is being able to adjust the height of the lights as the plants grow.
Duration refers to how long the intense light is on the plant. Shop lights can be left on 24/7 or a minimum of 14 to 16 hours each day for the best growth. The lights must stay on for a longer period because the quality of light is less than that of the intense sun rays.
Either the fluorescent or LED light will provide the needed spectrum of light for the short time the plants are grown indoors. Expensive grow lights, which tout providing the full spectrum of light, are not necessary.
Success with growing your transplants from seed begins with light. Now that you know the secret, it might be time to make a trip to the hardware store and garden center. We patiently await the arrival of spring to see signs of life and move our transplants into the garden.
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Got a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.
There's no need for pricey kits to start plants from seed.You need only this key item.
BY DENNIS PATTON SPECIAL TO THE KANSAS CITY STAR
JANUARY 30, 2020 12:41 PM
The secret to starting seeds inside is as simple as buying lights and ensuring they are on much of the time and fairly close to the plants as they grow. This strip of lights does the trick. COURTESY OF JOHNSON COUNTY K-STATE RESEARCH & EXTENSION
Have you just about had it with winter? I am feeling trapped inside and long to get out to touch the warmth of the soil or see green in the landscape.
One way to cure the winter blues is to grow your own transplants from seed to plant once spring arrives.
As a kid, you probably had a school experiment that involved starting a seed in a cup on the classroom windowsill. Typically, the results were anything but spectacular, with most meeting an ill fate. If they did survive, they were tall and spindly, barely able to support the green growth.
Growing quality transplants for the garden is all about the light. The reason the windowsill project failed was there is not enough sunlight, even in the brightest window, to support the growth. Low levels of light leave the plants reaching for light. This results in a leggy plant that is not strong enough to survive the brutal conditions outdoors.
So how do you provide consistent light? Standard shop lights, available at any hardware store, are the answer. Best of all, you don’t need to spend a fortune to start. These pre-assembled lights supply both the intensity and duration of quality light required to grow a healthy plant.
Before heading out to purchase your ballast, you will need to make a decision on the type of lightbulb. Standard fluorescent fixtures are the least expensive but use more energy. LED technology is taking over this market. While the fixtures and bulbs are more expensive, they are energy efficient. Both can supply the quality of light necessary for growth.
To grow short, stocky plants using shop lights, intensity and duration are the two factors to keep in mind. Achieving the intensity means the light source needs to be close to the top of the plants, about 2 to 4 inches. The brightness and closeness mean the plants don’t have to stretch for the light. The key is being able to adjust the height of the lights as the plants grow.
Duration refers to how long the intense light is on the plant. Shop lights can be left on 24/7 or a minimum of 14 to 16 hours each day for the best growth. The lights must stay on for a longer period because the quality of light is less than that of the intense sun rays.
Either the fluorescent or LED light will provide the needed spectrum of light for the short time the plants are grown indoors. Expensive grow lights, which tout providing the full spectrum of light, are not necessary.
Success with growing your transplants from seed begins with light. Now that you know the secret, it might be time to make a trip to the hardware store and garden center. We patiently await the arrival of spring to see signs of life and move our transplants into the garden.
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Got a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.
Got a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.
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