Seedlings Planted In Light -Will This Kill Them!?

[maddogmc]

Hello Everyone!!

Im a newb hear so go easy on me! :)

I have just germinated 5 feminized PPP seed's, at the minute they are in small (disolvable) pots to avoid root damage when i place in the larger pot's, (this is my first time growing!). They all germinated great within 36 hours, This is were i think im going wrong...i have placed the germinated seed's in the small pot's under a 400w HPS light, do they even need light at this point?

I am using soil, PH at about 6.5, the light is about 2 Foot from the top of the pot's! - I also have a fan circulating the cool air around (getting drawn in from my intake at the bottom of my Jardin 100 tent).

Im scared of cooking the new seed's and they have cost me £40!!

I have searched the forums's and cant seem to find the answer i need! Any help will be very appreciated!!

 

[luvtogrow]

I always plant my seed directly to soil after a water soak and give them immediate light. Helps the seed to orient. The light will be diffuse since the seed is below the soil.

 

[Element4NorCal]

Here are a couple of things that you might find to be helpful.

You are using a HPS light for your new vegging sprouts. I would recommend using a metal halide a hortilux blue works the absolute best for me and I have bought a few different brands in the past hortilux blue is hands down the best there is.

Do you have an air cooled reflector or do you just have a hood above your sprouts and a oscillating fan to disperse the heat?

If you want to use less power you can buy $8 shop light from home depot and purchase a 2 flourescent lights. Not the regular flourescent lights though there is a special kind at home depot that work great and are cheap. they are called Ott Lights created by Dr. John Ott to produce the same spectrum as the sun. This is also a little safer to sprouts since the HID lights can be som powerful and hot without the proper ventillation.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Jay Frost

 

[Seamaiden]

Sunlight is what would naturally hit them once they've sprouted, a little bitty 400W HPS won't hurt 'em at all. Heat is something to watch, of course.

The shop light suggestion is a good one, uses a lot less energy which is why I like to use them. The Ott lights are a little spendy, though. You can use HO fluoros, T8-T12 (this is a measurement of the diameter of the tube as measured in 8th inch increments; i.e. T8=1/8"x8=1" diameter bulb, T12=1/8"x12=1 1/2" diameter bulb). Daylight spectrum, which is between 5,000K & 6,500K. Since fluorescent doesn't have the same 'push' as HIDs, you need more and have to have the plants much closer.

 

[John Smith Esq.]

as long as you don't go over 25c/77f then you should be fine mate.

Where you take this measurement is of most critical importance, I keep a thermometer near the tops at all times and have a probe I can move around to get an overall idea of where the heat is going

Also remember that HID's give off a fair amount of ambient or Infra-Red heat which your thermometer may not be reading, hold your hand a cm over your plants/seedlings palm facing down, do this for a while and if you hand is uncomfortably hot or worse burning then its too hot for your babies. Keeping a thermometer out of the shade gives a more accurate reading of the ambient temps.

I put seedlings under light the moment I see something popping through - there isn't really much point turning the lights on until you see some growth above soil tbh, if you click the link in my sig you can see exactly how iv'e germ'd my latest batch. I probably use the most simple methods possible and still find it to be effective. great for newbies like me.

Personally i think those 300w CFL's take alot of beating for germ'in and mothers, there cheap, cooler and only 100w less than the HID i would have used. Win Win.

HTH and Good Luck

 

[John Smith Esq.]

reposted without the school boy error;

as long as you don't go over 25c/77f then you should be fine mate.

Where you take this measurement is of most critical importance, I keep a thermometer near the tops at all times and have a probe I can move around to get an overall idea of where the heat is going

Also remember that HID's give off a fair amount of radiant or Infra-Red heat which your thermometer may not be reading, hold your hand a cm over your plants/seedlings palm facing down, do this for a while and if you hand is uncomfortably hot or worse burning then its too hot for your babies. Keeping a thermometer out of the shade gives a more accurate reading of the ambient temps.

I put seedlings under light the moment I see something popping through - there isn't really much point turning the lights on until you see some growth above soil tbh, if you click the link in my sig you can see exactly how iv'e germ'd my latest batch. I probably use the most simple methods possible and still find it to be effective. great for newbies like me.

Personally i think those 300w CFL's take alot of beating for germ'in and mothers, there cheap, cooler and only 100w less than the HID i would have used. Win Win.

HTH and Good Luck