Topic: Airing Cupboard, Light and Germination

[Riffster]

I have the top of our airing cupboard that is perfect temp for germinating the likes of Chillies ( growing 20+ varieties ),  and other seeds requiring hotter germination temps, but the seeds will be in total darkness.

Would it be beneficial to setup a small wattage, say 20W bulb, not for its heat, but for its light. ?

I don't want this to be a £1000 hydroponics system ;-)

Any thoughts ? - Regards Riffster...

[JimmyJames]

I always thought (perhaps incorrectly) that germination was always better in the dark anyway?

Presumably a layer of soil over the seed will always result in darkness, and when I have germinated seed in between moist tissue I have always put a shoe box over the top to exclude light.
Once the seed germinate however they will need light, and could probably be moved to a sunny window sill (as im guessing the temperature requirement is only for the germination).

These are just my thoughts and I am by no means an expert!  I will await the more knowledgable replies with interest.

[Rob08]

I have used the airing cupboard (incidentally called a hot press here) for the past four years to germinate tomato and chilli seeds.  I normally use a small seed tray with a detachable plastic cover - leave them in the cupboard until they start to germinate, then remove them to a sunny windowsill in the daytime but return to the cupboard at night until all the seedlings are up.

They then stay on the windowsill, get repotted and then put in the outside plastic greenhouse thingy (a small job bought at Lidl a few years ago).  From there they eventually get hardened off and then either planted out or into the greenhouse (a homemade job of wood and plastic).

I don't think there would be much call for light in the airing cupboard if you have sufficient sunny windowsills that the seedlings can decamp to during the daylight hours.

[Tee Gee]

hot press

Not a scotsman are you Rob? its a long time since I heard that description.

I agree with your methods.

[Rob08]

hot press

Not a scotsman are you Rob? its a long time since I heard that description.

I agree with your methods.

Nah, just a South African of Italian descent living in Ireland. 

[Amazin]

Not a scotsman are you Rob? its a long time since I heard that description

Me too, nice to hear someone else using it.

I do exactly the same with mine. They stay in there until there's a few showing, then onto the windowsill during the day and back in at night for about a week or until the stragglers show, then windowsills full time - still in lidded propagators, though - that's when the veg trolleys come into use again, they take three seed trays with enough space between to let the light in.