Heating mat/grow light suggestions?

Heating mat/grow light suggestions?

Postby Michael Wise » February 2nd, 2011, 1:10 pm

Any particular brand that a newbie needs to stay away from or run to?

I plan on the lights being plain ole fluorescent shop lights. Is that fine, or does anybody have suggestions there as well?

Thanks for the help. Another couple weeks and I'll get this under way!
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Re: Heating mat/grow light suggestions?

Postby MorpheusPA » February 2nd, 2011, 1:26 pm

Fluorescent shops are fine, but use one cool white and one warm white in the pair (or two and two in a four-light shoplight) to give a better spectrum. For seed starting, there's no need to use a much more expensive grow light as they won't be under it that long anyway--even indoor plants tend to do well even without the grow light and flourish under mixed fluorescent.

Most brands of heating mats are fine, if you even need them at all. Really, they're required for seed starting. If you have sufficient space atop your fridge, you can sprout them there (except seeds that require light). Seeds started without heat mats do fine, but just take a bit longer. I've used the top of the TV.

The only exception to that is seeds that require very warm soil to sprout, generally the tropicals (but not always).

If you do use a heat mat, make sure to get one with a temperature monitor to cut it off when it gets too warm, or a mat designed not to heat past a certain point (most these days are pretty good). 80 degrees is good. 140 is not so good...
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Re: Heating mat/grow light suggestions?

Postby Michael Wise » February 2nd, 2011, 1:30 pm

Thanks for the lighting tip. Hadn't read that one anywhere. :cool:

This is all for starting tomatoes.

I felt the top of the fridge, and it just didn't feel that warm at all. But this is my first venture, so I'm not exactly sure what heat is required. I will look for pads with the features you recommended. :)
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Re: Heating mat/grow light suggestions?

Postby MorpheusPA » February 2nd, 2011, 1:37 pm

I just did a little research--tomato seeds sprout best at 70 to 80 degrees. Your shoplights, particularly if you have plastic domes over the seed starters or use a bit of Saran Wrap over pots for a few days, may be able to keep the temperature in that range all by themselves.

A lot depends on your sprouting environment. I use the cellar, currently a not exactly balmy 62 degrees. I plan on blanket-wrapping my starter shelf until I get sprout, then letting them go at the lower temperature for slower growth (and stronger development to keep 'em from getting lanky). Plus I'll fully open the heat down there, which should pull it to 65.

The heat-lovers will go on the top shelf, exposed to the waste heat of every shop light under them. The ones that don't care--most of them--can go wherever.
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