Leggy tomatoes are awesome, Luke, and you can transplant plant deep and create stronger roots. I intentionally do it because I love thick tomatoes. Adventitious roots, peppers have them too. Please review that with viewers 🙏. Most in the nightshade family can do this.
I'm still fairly new at gardening, so i don't want to give bad advice, but I have noticed that my tomatoes that got a little stressed tasted better than the ones from the other plant that seemed healthier. Strange, right?
@@strawberrymage8593 I know mint likes growing slow, add too much fertilizer and it gets too big too fast it loses a lot of essential oils. Maybe the stress causing the plant to grow slower makes more tasteful fruit?
There needs to be a set, clearly marked standard on LED lights. I just purchased new LEDs and came to the conclusion to get one the stated the most blue light over red. Choose the whitest light with approximately 4-6K. Blue light is for vegetation and red for flowering. Thanks for mentioning color as it makes choosing easier. It can get complicated and I chose to look at the color spectrum. Many manufacturers won’t state color and Kelvins which makes choosing very difficult.
I picked up a HLG 300 blue spec refurbished for seedling/veg after learning what blue light does. My plants are much shorter and fuller as expected during veg.
Luke thank you so much!! Just what I needed 🤗🤗 Is my first year I’m growing from seed!! I got all my seed from your shop!! Impressive varieties!! God Bless you!! 🙌🏻🦋🙌🏻 Keep teaching us!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! I just moved to zone 6 or 7 from Florida. I have always planted outside, even my baby trays. So, this is very timely! I used to watch you, but in Florida, I watched David the Good. But now, I need cold weather advice, so, thank you. Thank you.
Great information all in one video! I've been a fairly successful seed starter for several years, but I'd never seen such a comprehensive discussion of lumens and kelvin. I will be making sure that the new lights I just purchased are the best for my seedlings. Thank you!
I am a newbie to your channel & am very happy to have found it. I've been looking & reading & trying to decide what type of grow lights to buy as this is my first time venture into starting seeds. This was very helpful, thank you!
Suddenly I feel smart! I have addressed and dealt with every issue you brought up and have succeeded. I do only have my shop lights on for 9 hours with the timer. They are 6000 lumens and that seems to be enough time. My tomatoes, onions, basal, zinnias and peppers do great. I don't know if you remember the mini greenhouse with wire shelving you showed us, but I use 2 of them end to end to seed start without the plastic cover. To adjust the seed planter height I use empty distilled water boxes which can be stacked different ways for different heights. I use empty plastic bird seed bags to protect boxes from the water. I'm sure you all know flexibility and ingenuity get you where you need to be to grow big. I've been blessed! May the Lord keep blessing you and yours. Remember I sure do love you. You are like the younger brother I wish I had. PS: Luke I don't know if I mentioned this, but if you get a chance to fish family style or individually, with Jimmy Houston and Daniel Arms go for it. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and might even give you more RU-vid subscribers.
Excellent presentation of info that is generally considered too technical and boring to merit attention. Thanks for making it easy to understand. Well done! ~ Lisa
This was so extremely helpful! I’m still new to growing seedlings. I started last year and had some luck but wasn’t as good as it should have been. I had purchased bulbs from homedepot and they just were not strong enough. This year I purchase lights from Gardner’s Supply. Fingers crossed things are more productive this year! Thank you again for putting out all of this information!
I got the 4ft full spectrum grow lights from home depot, about $70 ea and they are so bright and the seedlings are loving it!!! There are switches for 3 kinds of light but idk what that is for ( wish I did) theres red light blue light and white...but I just leave them all on!
I know it’s silly - but I love that intro music. For me, gardening is relaxing and that ditty just sets the right tone for me. Good info also. Thank you!
Great info. Its my first year completed, and it was successful. Your videos help a lot. I started last year with starts, but this year I'll try starting seeds.
I'm using basic Walmart 4' LED shop lights. They're 5,000 lumens and 5,000k, so ideal for basic seed starting, and they're only about $20.00 each. The only drawback is they can't be daisy-chained, so I needed to add a power strip to my timer. But they do come with their own chains, so height can be adjusted. This is my second year using this system, and they've been working really well for me.
I have heard that if you search specifically for “plant” or even worse “grow” lights, the prices are way higher than if you just look for lights that have sufficient lumens and other characteristics.
@@myjunkmail007 If you're just starting seeds, you really only need kelvin (color) and lumens (brightness). Also, LEDs are preferred because they don't generate much heat, although fluorescent or CFL will work. I've heard recommendations as low as 4,000k for color, but generally a higher range of 5,000-6,000k is recommended. If no kelvin rating is given, you want daylight rather than soft white. For brightness I've heard you can go as low as 2,000 lumens. If you do that, though, you have to keep the lights close to the plants, so you will be constantly adjusting their height. That's part of why I'm using 5,000 lumen shop lights. They're not as sensitive to the distance.
Those lights are great and actually we use them in our dog daycare and boarding kennel. We've been using them for about 3 years now and only have had to replace 1 so far. I'm interested in grow lights but I come from a long line of gardeners who never used them and I still don't but wondering if I should start.
Request, please consider doing a video of growing some veggies like cherry tomatoes, lettuces, spinach& potatoes etc indoors throughout the winter months, in containers. Thank again Luke! You're a wealth of information & your videos are always such an enjoyable part of my day!! Blessings to you!
My Lettuce seeds I purchased from you 2 weeks ago sprouted in 3 days just like you said they would. Cold season crops growing outdoors here in Florida.
Thank you so much! I needed to know to turn the heat mat off after the seeds sprout. I wondered if the heat would affect the plant but I live in the Phoenix AZ area so 90 degrees is nothing around here.
16 hours a day at nearly 500w is 8 KWH per day. In the UK that would cost about £2.50 per day. I don't know how long you need to use grow lights, but you probably should take the energy cost into account before planning indoor growing.
I use LED lights for growing but also use sunlight. If you are able to use both it helps to cut the cost down. I also sell plants to help pay for the growing season.
Buddy learn about DLI,you may shorten the lights on period ,within reason for photos of course,if you increase the PAR.(move lights closer)just make sure you have your VPD in range
Luke, I have had pretty good luck "replanting" leggy seedlings by pricking the plant out complete with the roots and replanting it deeper into the cell or into a bigger cell. The trick is to get the stem (it should be pretty flexible) down deeper in the cell without kinking it too much and packing the potting mix in around it giving more the plant more support. In some cases, Ive looped the stem down into the soil after burrowing out a bigger hole! This worked especially well for my tomato plants. I had no idea about grow lights and had spindly almost everything! This trick saved me a bunch of plants. This year, I'm armed with twin tube 24W 6500K 3000 Lumen LED shop lights with the reflective surface inserts that you shared in one of your other recent videos! No leggys for me! Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for shedding some light on leggy seedlings Luke. I had issues with that last season. With your help, I feel I can grow bigger this upcoming season.
Great video Luke. I always learn a few things from each of your videos. You should see the amount of notes I have lol. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. 😊
Good tips, i am a beginning gardener and am growing seedlings in my dining room in front of an east facing window. I have 2 trays of seedlings, most are leggy some are not. My grow lights are set to come on for 8 hours a day and a fan on low speed blowing over them. After watching this video I think my issue is not watering enough and now maybe i should increase the time the lights are on.
Thanks for the info. I planted my seeds on Sunday in plastic containers with the lids on. Checked on them today and they sprouted already 3 days later. Some are leggy. I'm like wtf it hasn't been 7 days yet. Just out them outside for some sunlight since there was still condensation inside the containers so doubt they need more water.
Oh my Gosh, you just solved my problem! I thought I was doing everything right and I pretty much did, except that I kept my heat mat on for days after the seeds germinated. Will be turning it off right now! Thank you so so much for a great video! Will be watching the video on the proper use of heat mats next. I really appreciate your advice and great videos.
Tx is the diameter of a fluorescent tube where x is the number of 1/8's of an inch it is. T5 is 5/8 or 0.625". T8 is 8/8 or 1". T12 is 12/8 or 1.5" diameter. T4 are half inch almost mini bulbs. T5 are often HO or high output. T12 VHO (very high output) used to be very common grow lights for aquariums. T8 was the standard for decades for house, shop, and business lighting but they were eventually phased out for T5s and now LEDs are getting to be everywhere. The most dangerous aspect of some old T5s was mercury contamination when broken. Mfgs addressed that as the tubes were becoming more common in homes by using different chemicals.
I used to work with professional seed developers. They used to plant them again deeper. Not the best but better than nothing. This method works well with many trees though.
This was very instructive. I though that I had planted the seeds not deeply-enough. Now, I see that it is probably a matter of not having the seedlings close enough to the light. I just moved them closer.
Thanks for sharing. Makes alot of sense. But i was growing them outside in a 40 percent shade house. But i think the tree nearby cut out the sunlight too quick and the seedlings didn't get enough sunlight. But will definitely try again keeping in mind some of your tips. Will move the shade house away from the tree. Thanks Bobby from South Africa.
Hi Luke, thanks again for another great video! I see that you’re growing your seeds in the garage in Michigan. What’s the temperature of your garage? What temperature do you recommend growing seedlings in?? I’m planning to try mine in the basement under a seedling heating mat, but am not sure they’ll like the air temperature in the 50s-60s in the cool basement. Thanks!!
Thanks for this video! We had seedlings already sprouted in our greenhouse when we had that really cold freeze in December. We were frantic to keep temps above freezing and did all we could including putting the seedlings on the heat mat. That saved them the first night when the interior temp went into the 20s. not all the plants were so fortunate. I realize I now need to unplug the mat. Also, we were not sure how long to run the grow lights since it is a greenhouse, but we compromise and run it in late afternoon to extend the daylight, essentially giving them 16 hours of light.
We bent 20 ft poles into a 32ft long hop house w/ roll ups. Any help you could get me in selecting layout for lights would be much appreciated. My planning is Grand solar minimum, more Ash airborne. GSM is the four hundred yr cycle that all societies so far have perished on. Judge accordingly however, our weakening magnetosphere or too much ash up here... Best of luck with much skill all....
Thank you so much. This was very thorough information. I've never used grow lights and I do have leggy seedlings. I've got the fan I've got the right lights I've got the right moisture. I've got the right soil but I think they are too far away from the lights for the strength of lumens so I'm going to move them up and see if I can salvage them. Thanks again. 😃👍🏻
I had about 75 leggy Kohlrabi seedlings and I just buried them 3/4 of the way down leaving a 1/2" or so exposed below the leaves. I planted them a couple weeks ago and they seem to be doing good. They're growing slowly due to weather but they are still alive.
I recommend using only white LED grow lights. I have other LED grow lights with various colors mixed in while you plants will grow they don't seen to do as well as the ones with all white LEDS.
I bought a Miracle berry plant off the internet several years ago for around a hundred bucks. The berries make everything tase super sweet because they have a protein that binds to your tongue which blocks all other flavors. The sensation lasts about 30 minutes or so. They are self fertilizing and the berries so far have 100% produced new plants. I notice when i have them inside to sprout them, they get leggy. Even though they are right on the window sill. But outside they germinate and perfectly. My double pane windows must be blocking some of the light they need.
Hmmm....that was great info about the daylight or white light being a must instead of the warm light bulbs. Do you ever discuss planting by the moon for above ground and below ground crops? I try to attend to that. I think it makes a difference somewhat. Thanks again. Jesus bless.
budget-wise, are shoplights and parabolic diffusers efficient enough of an option? Takes more crafting and handiwork, but replacement bulbs and ballasts would be cheaper. If viable. How about using color lenses or wraps for the light instead of colored bulbs or LEDs? is it just more of a light dimmer than modifier?
Isn't HPS a lot brighter and cheaper? Or has 1000W equivalent of good growing LEDs come down in price enough to match. Starting seedlings you don't need a lot of light though.
CFL (compact fluorescent) is NOT a long tube light to fit in a T8 fixture like you show, it's a small spiral, screw in type bulb made for lamps. 🤔 I run a 4 bulb shop light T8 on a timer. The bulbs are alternating between a daylight balance and grow bulb. I run my lights proximately 3 fingers above the top of my plants. I grow in a cold basement so the heat from the lights is not an issue. I also have insulated reflective material on the wall side of the plant rack. My heat mat is reserved for germination only. They are checked on multiple times a day and removed when they have started coming up & put right under the lights immediately. I have a tower fan that oscillates I turn on several times a day on a timer to help train the plants to deal with wind & provide good ventilation because it's a damp basement.
Awesome video, thanks Luke! There are Watt to lumen calculators, but here's a quick summary ( 1 watt to lumens: [Incandescent: 15 lumens], [Halogen: 23 lumens], [CFL: 50 lumens], [LED: 90 Lumens]. For example, if you have an old inefficient 60 Watt incandescent bulb, the calculation would be: 60 (watts) * 15 (incandescent lumens per watt) = 900 lumens. Two would only be 1800 lumens, and 3 would be 2700 lumens. You would probably want 3 of them to get above the 2000 lumens for incandescent bulbs.
planted some seeds i got from u like 4 yrs ago. so excited. ur a really funny guy xD kind of a dork lol. loved this video and the way you explain things is super entertaining lmao and easy to get. your videos are so helpful
I learn sooo much from your videos Luke. And hey, I received my first large shipment of seeds for this season today! Because of your informative videos, I feel confident enough to expand my gardening! This will be my first time growing Jicamas, radishes & different types of lettuces & more varieties of tomatoes. I brought my Carolina Reapers, Ghosts, Lunchboxes, Jalapeños & Bannna pepper plants indoors as you suggested so I'm sooo ready to get them back in the garden. I followed your advice & they've all done really well.
Great information. Thank you! But one more question... Just as I thought I understood what I need for lights now (2000+ LUX and about 6500 K), I look at the light I have and it only gives PAR. Is a spectrum light that I can change Blue/Red/White which is cool... but what does 53 PAR translate into?
Hi Luke, do you still grow basil in that hydroponic box you made? Are you still growing the old plants, or you have to replant with new ones, after few cuttings? Thanks. 💚
@@sophiophile I know hes got this huge box in his garage, that is full of basil, or at least was. That was kinda long time ago, when he showed that. I do think it was hydroponics, i could be wrong ofc. Still, im curious to know if he has still the same plants and just cutting them for sale or he has to change them after some time. :)
Simple fix fill you starter tray only have way with sol. Keep you lights as close as possible. As you seddolings grow fill in the half empty space with dirt. If you do have laggy sprouts replant them ina beer cup and bury the entire stock under ground careful no to snap it. On leave the gree part of the sprout above the soil.
No, you don't need the fan on 24/7. Kinda like in nature, There is usually less wind or no wind at night time. I would recommend an oscillating fan that rotates. The purpose of the fan is to not only strengthen the seedling stems but also keep the growing area cool and having fresh air. Just a slight breeze will do, use your own judgment depending on how your plants are handling the breeze. Also, keep them watered because the wind will dry out the soil faster than usual 🌱👍
Didn't know you could add the lumens! I bought some LED stoplights from Amazon. Not the ones with the metal top, they're like these 4ft tubes with 2 led strips, and each tube is 5,000. I have 3 on each grow shelf....so that's 15,000?!??!
Depending upon seed type typically as soon as you see at least one seed pop up. Although there are seeds which needs light to germinate. Luke while awesome doesn't typically cover those types of crops. Heck there's even some flowers that want 100% dark to germinate.
Those *are* CFL bulbs that he's using. It's possible to get straight tube-style CFL bulbs, and they're an ideal choice for beginner indoor growers. (He knows what he's doing!) These bulbs can be hard to find, at least if you're in a rural area, so many people have never seen or heard of them. I've never found them at my small town hardware store and have to order them online instead. That's the only bummer. But this video is all rock solid advice! Thanks for such generous tips!
@Anika Hanisch no sir. Look up the definition of cfl. The c in cfl stands for compact. It is taking a tube bulb and bending the tube to fit into a standard light socket. I can provide web pages if needed lol.
@Anika Hanisch i wont deny he knows what he is doing, i agree with everything he said in this video, i just think he either mispoke or has a terminology misunderstanding. It happens to us all.
