Picture posting is enabled for all :)
Goodlife, having bought my propagator I am now looking to make a grow box. You said you had your lamp bulbs in clamp on holders. Is this so you can move the light up or down? John says he already has some lamp holders but they screw into wood. Do you think they will be all right assuming we buy the grow bulbs with end fittings that match?
Peppers are always the slowest thing for me (using a Very Old heated propagator, no fancy controls or anything), in fact most years I panic and sow a second batch, so ending up with far too many! Even parsley comes up quicker. I'd try some toms just to check, I reckon on about 4 days for them.....
Some of my chillies have germinated now. John brought part of the mini greenhouse indoors and we have put it on the working surface in the utility room. We hope to attach some cardboard lined with tinfoil all around it. Four large trays, 52cm x 52cm fit snugly inside, two on each tier. Do you think each 45W Blue 6400k Red 2700k CFL grow lamp bulb will give enough light for an area 1.04m x 52cm or should I just make one shelf into a grow box and have both bulbs in it?One further question please. Should the perspex lids that cover my trays be taken off when the plants are put in the light box? The reason I ask this is that there will not be a lot of room between the tops of the lids and the shelf above and the grow lamps may end up almost touching the perspect. I imagine too that if the lids are kept on, it could get too hot for the seedlings. Goodlife, have you any plants in your grow box yet? If so, how is it performing? Any more photos please? ...for germination
I am very confused because your post on 5th January says "I keep about 8-10" gap between bulb and the plants (..or so)." In a post today you said "CFL type lamps needs to be as close as possible to the plants (without burning them), typically that will be an inch or two."
What are those things in the foreground?
I am pleased I won't need the lids on my trays as they do take up a lot of room. I will try to find some white cardboard to surround my growbox or failing that, I will apply some emulsion paint to ordinary cardboard. I am now wondering if white polystyrene vegetable boxes could be used instead of cardboard as I have some spare. I pick them up when Wilton market is on. It may be a case of experimenting.
It was kGarden who quoted the last bit of advice about CFL type lamps.
"CFL type lamps needs to be as close as possible to the plants (without burning them), typically that will be an inch or two."
It may be that with a CFL bulb that is not practicable.All and any light will help of course, but to get the most from the lamp, or put any other way "waste the least energy", try to get it as close as possible.
Useful to know, thanks.Am I right in thinking that the CFL lamp looks a bit like a Gatling gun! of narrow-bore fluorescent U-shaped tubes? Does it have a reflector above it perhaps?