Major breakthrough - I understand Leggy

obsessed

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So you guys know my story right. Gardening for bit with some goods and bads.

I can grow any of the bigger seeds thing by either direct sowing or wintersowing but have always had problems with smaller seeds like flowers and tomatoes. Not with germinating but some where between germination and going in the ground things like to die.

So I sowed some tomatoes and some peppers on the fridge in my biodome. And the tomatoes came up a good week + before the first peppers came. But I left the biodome on the fridge which gets very little light. So all my tomatoes got leggy with very long thin thin thin stems. then this weekend I thought I'd put them in my 4 tiered mini greenhouse because only a few peppers had sprouted. Well all the peppers sprouted and now look like they do in the biodome pics. But today it was cold and all my little leggy tomatoes died. While the peppers are Ok.

So I need light.

Light after germination is the deal breaker. That would be why my seedlings are always so delicate and I seem to kill them when I try to transplant them into bigger things. Light. Someone should have told me!
 

wifezilla

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Light after germination is the deal breaker. That would be why my seedlings are always so delicate and I seem to kill them when I try to transplant them into bigger things. Light. Someone should have told me!
Yes...LIGHT! I knew leggy plants needed light and still couldn't get it right*. Then I read an old post here about the amount of lumens a plant gets determines how well it does. Plants need about 2000. You can get that with 175w equivalent CFL's. If you can't find 175s, use 2 100w.

I have several old desk lamps, some clamp lights, and a few old tube florescent lights. I put them as close as I can to my sprouts without touching.

Last year was the FIRST TIME my starts didn't get killed or look pathetic after transplanting :D The ones I have this year are doing well.

Some pics of my starters...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52354&id=1398880757&l=fa553d7d9f


* Do NOT waste money on a grow bulb. They suck and DO NOT put out enough light. I can't believe all the money I wasted on those stupid things.
 

obsessed

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I have no good windows so I will need to continue to use my mini greenhouse with the biodome to keep things alive and to make sure that they get enough light. And it get pretty hot in there on cooler days. Unfortunately we are going through a cold snap right now but it will be over soon. I do bring in my plants at night.
 

journey11

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:hugs I learned that one the hard way too! It helps to keep different seeds in different trays, that way you can take the lid off and move them once they sprout to the conditions they need.
 

HiDelight

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My neighbors son is in the FBI (t is a secret..everyone knows.... I think so shhhh.....)

and I caught him looking in my window with binos one day :)

I have a lot of grow lights all over (but Wife's advice is all sound and I do not use the "grow" bulbs either what a huge waste I agree!) ..I even have two very nice very big and very suspicious if you do not know me lights hanging over the dining room tables now ..(someday I will have a greenhouse I hope ..I want a full on one that I can live in sometimes! ) ..and yes it does matter very much I can not imagine now looking back at all the "live and learn's" I went through just about lighting! .. and at least you learned early on!!!! good for you!!! ...

plant growing lights are our friends ..

some I have to sit under to remain sane!
 

obsessed

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Its totally the logistics of gardening or actually any task that confuses the heck out of me. I am one of those really smart people who can't understand smaller tasks like how to use the electric can opener.... :/ And then when I ask my multitude of rudimentary questions I get some really funny looks like I should have known the answer but I totally didn't.
 

lesa

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Hi- love your husbands birding blog. How lucky you are to have signs of spring! Here in zone 4, we are still dreaming of it...
 

digitS'

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obsessed said:
Its totally the logistics of gardening or actually any task that confuses the heck out of me. I am one of those really smart people who can't understand smaller tasks like how to use the electric can opener.... :/ And then when I ask my multitude of rudimentary questions I get some really funny looks like I should have known the answer but I totally didn't.
It's okay, Obsessed -- just as long as it doesn't interfere with you having fun :).

Some of us :rolleyes: are plodding, stick-in-the-mud types.

Getting where we want to go should still be half the fun.

;) Steve ;)
 
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