How to Use Shop Lights to Start Seedlings

Growing seedlings under shop lights can be very effective, especially more so than simply placing your plants on a windowsill. You can grow flowering and nonflowering seedlings indoors. All you need are fluorescent shop lights, which can be found at most hardware stores.

Fluorescent shop lights
Seedlings

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs. These are the best for seedlings as well as other plants.
- 2
  Place seedlings about 12 inches (for flowering plants) to 36 inches (for non-flowering plants) from the lights.
- 3
  Stick out your hand where the light hits the plant. If you feel warmth, the light is too close to the plant.
- 4
  Rotate your plants each week. The light from the center of the fluorescent tube is always more intense, and less at the ends of the tube.
- 5
  Provide the seedlings 14 to 18 hours of light each day. Day-neutral plants, however, only require 8-12 hours of light a day.

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