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the seedling tray are required. The lights should be on a timer to provide 16 hours of bright light each 24hour period. Dual fluorescent tubes provide stronger and more uniform light than a single tube. One coolwhite and one warm-white fluorescent tube provide an excellent balance of usable light for photosynthesis. As plants sprout and grow under lights, the tubes should be raised to avoid producing too much heat too near the tops of the plants.
Temperature: Fluorescent tubes emit a lot of warmth. To compensate for this warmth, keep plants growing on the cool side to promote stocky versus succulent growth. The best results may be accomplished by ' turning off, or turning to 55 F, all other heat in the room where your plants are started.
A cool basement is an excellent area for starting plants under lights. If the warm room is used in which the normal air temperature is in the 70s, the addition of fluorescent growing lights over seedling trays will provide too warm an environment.
The only exception to this rule is for the germination process. Temperature requirments for germination are quite different from “growing on” tempeatures. After good 80 F germination, 60 F is preferable for growing out most vegetable transplants to keep them stocky and healthy.
Remember, until the seedlings begin to sprout, keep the containers covered with plastic, clear glass or even plastic wrap or waxed paper, to keep in warmth and moisture. Another fluorescent tube or a small lamp with a 75 watt incandescent light bulb, placed directly under the shelf supporting the flats provides perfect bottom heat to seeds without the bother and expense of heat cables. This gentle heat source should be turned off as soon as seeds begin to pop up. If not, seedlings will stretch from too much bottom heat.
Transplant When Plant ,
Is Four Inches Tall
When plants are about four inches tall, they are an excellent size to make the transplant with the least shock and for faster regrowth in the garden. Plants that are 10 to 12 inches tall will suffer more from the shock.
When your plants have reached four inches in height and are wellbranched and stocky, they should be “hardened off” by reducing watering frequency and moving plants to an outdoor porch or coldframe for the final week before going into the garden. This will toughen them to the effects of wind and outside temperatures, and to the natural light/dark cycle. If an unexpected frost is forecast Kiove the plants back indoors under 16 hours of light, but keep the temperature at 55 to 60 degrees F if possible.
(Dr. Diane Relf is a horticulture specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension and is a member of the faculty of Virginia Tech.)
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