The urge to grow is just too much after Christmas. I'm sure we've all done it and started too early at times. We sowed our onions a few days after Christmas, as many do but I wanted to get the chillies in as well.
But I know why it is. They start them early and grow them under lights to get them to that stage.
Well sowing them early is no problem. In fact the first day of school we were a bit keen and ready so early that I decided we could do a little gardening before school. I brought in the a few pots and the children each sowed a sweet pepper and a chilli. We're going to have lots of varieties this year!
Then I looked into buying a grow light. I've always been put off before because of initial cost and running costs but it looks like things have changed the last few years. Ikea even sell grow lamps so I looked into their range.
I opted for a 10W bulb that seems to be plenty light enough for the few trays I have going at the moment. And 10W is so little to keep running all day I don't think it's going to break the bank.
Time will tell if it makes a difference and stops these early plants being to "leggy", I'm hopeful we'll get some strong chilli and pepper plants from it.
Have you sowed anything yet?
Do you use a grow light or ever used one in a the past? What's your experiences with them and any hints or tips on using them effectively?
Kev, I hope it works for you. Makes me wish we had an Ikea closer than 100 miles from here. Maybe I should look into low wattage grow lights. They certainly help.
ReplyDeleteI used their mail order service. You have to be pretty big and scary to get me into an ikea willingly!
DeleteDo you leave the lamp on all the time or do you give the plants a night-time?
ReplyDeleteThey have a night time, I turn it off when we put the kids to bed.
DeleteMy fingers are itching to get going, but my garden is small and I only grow salads and flowers, but I wait, leggy plants don't ever do well.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's the trouble and why I'm going with this grow light. I'll wait a while before I sow anything else.
DeleteI've never used a 'grow light' instead my bounty of sprouts and seedlings thrive under common shop lights (florescent) and now LEDs. No big $$ expenditure here. I have them on timers and they are on 14-16 hrs a day. Tip: keep the lights adjusted so they are always just 3-4" above the soil (seeded) and adjust up as the plants grow. It's the light that make sturdy plants.
ReplyDeleteI might have mine too high then? I didn't really think about havign it so close but I guess that makes sense.
DeleteYes, you might be a tad high. *heh* Short light distance makes short stocky plants. Tall light distance make for long spindly plants as they reach for the light. Good luck!
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