PIcture of my Flower Seedlings Growing .

Halman9000

Well-Known Member
An Idea I have been pondering .

Planting seeds indoors and the seedlings tend to shoot up and get long stems and short skinny roots .

I added some lights ( three led lights on flexible goosenecks , giving capacity to adjust position of the three lights on three goosenecks .

This helped , but not good enough . Was still getting browning and death at ends of leafs where water collects when I mist seedlings ( I mist to simulate nature in a gentle rain ) .

Simplifying , work to simulate nature .

Idea grinding in mind for years . Now comes together with the 3 gooseneck lights ; ( I also have a flouresent light that is blue light . The three gooseneck lights are yellow .

Then it hit me , simulate nature , sun rise and sun set .

This means take the three gooseneck lights and adjust them so that they hit the seedlings from the side .



The hope is the stems will thicken ; the brown death at the tip of the leafs where the water collects from being misted and gravity causing the misted water to run down to the tips of the leafs which curl down a little . I also hope side lighting will give energy to make roots grow bigger , thicker , and deeper .

I will turn seedling tray with humidity dome 180 degrees halfway through the lighting hours , so that for half the time the gooseneck lights are shinning on the other side of the plant stalk stems . The blue light always shines from above at a slight angle from noon time position .

There are probably people who have some lights that travel on a arc like the real world like the sun travels going from sunrise to noon to sunset , like the arc the sun travels .

My method is a poor man's method where I have lights from the side full time , and lights from the top full time .

This method only works If one is trying to simulate nature , because some adjustments will probably have to be made to accomplish what I am trying to accomplish ; which is thicker stems ; bigger stronger deeper roots ; and an end of the brown death at the end of the leafs where the water collects after misting or water from the top . The theory is that the light hitting the tips of the leafs from the side will kill the brown death by hitting the ends from the side with light will make the tips grow and the light hopefully kill the bacteria or fungi that is growing where the brown death of the leafs happen .

I will take a photo when I see results on this thread and let anyone know whether my idea worked for me .

I will let people know what my lights on percentage of the 24 hours .

[ If this is done in a greenhouse where they can't rotate the tables of seedlings 180 degrees half of the time , then they probably would have to have a second set of lights ; one to simulate sunrise and one to simulate sunset ] .

Halman9000
 
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Halman9000

Well-Known Member
I just ordered a three gooseneck led lights ( blue mode / or Red mode / or Red Blue combo mode ) with clip on attachment . Now I can move my whole setup to my nice cart with wheels , so I don't need to use the blue flourescent light that is attached to the wall .

Now I can still use my yellow lights to hit the seedlings from the side ( sunrise and sunset light is less blue and more yellow and red ) ; And now I have lights for hitting the plants from the top that are blue , red , or a mix of blue and red . I will probably just use the blue to match the natural blue light that comes from the sun at noon , and use my yellow lights ( from the same company ) . The yellow lights cost $ 20 and the blue/red/blue red combo / cost $ 20 . Striving for the best lighting for growing Wildflowers and Sunflowers and Cactus and Daisy and Bumble Bee / Bee pollenators insects .
 

Halman9000

Well-Known Member
Photo ; I moved my tray of seedlings with the humity dome , onto my cart that has nice wheels . Now I can move my plants back and forth from my room to the greenhouse outside , and use an extension cord to the greenhouse if lights are needed in early spring ; or this spring if is rainy or cloudy for several days , I can wheel it back into my room . I can also wheel it down to where the raised gardens are when it is time to transplant certain plants . The photos here show my seedlings and setup are now . I have lights from the same company that are blue or red or red/blue led that are arriving today . By tonight I will post a new photo showing the additional BLue Blue/Red or Red option .So I am going to change it so I got yellow lights shinning from the sides and blue or blue/red or red from the top ; expect to try all blue from the top at first . The yellow simulate sunrise and sunset yellow light shinning on the sides of the plant ; and use blue shinning from the top and mostly top but some to the sides , but mostly blue straight down . The yellow light kills fungi or bacteria that grows on the tips of the leafs that collect water after misting the plants like rain with water . The water collects in the curl and the end of the leaf . Also the yellow light from the sides make stalk stems hopefully grow and hopefully provide energy for root growth .


cartdome.jpg
dome1.jpgdome2.jpgdome3.jpg

These are mostly Wildflower seedlings , and some Bee Attractor ( a pollenator ) , and 1 Sunflower and 1 Cactus and 1 Lakesprur ( decorative green with one flower on top that curves down and hangs like a like )

The big plant you see in the last photo is a Sunflower ) .



Halman9000
 
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Halman9000

Well-Known Member
Should have my Blue/Red Led 30 watt light tonight , I already have the yellow led lights , I will shine yellow lights from the sides and the Blue lights from the top to simulate sunrise sunside yellow light and the blue light that shines at noon . I will have both yellow from the side and the blue from the top , shinning at the same time , 12 hours - 16 hours per day . The red light I will experiment with from all angles shinning .

This photo is under a 30 Watt flourescant light that is 2 or 3 feet up above the seedlings ;

Friday.jpg

The big seedling on the bottom right corner is a ~7 week old (from seed ) Sunflower seedling.

Halman9000
 
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