If you go back to the "Starting Daylilies Seeds" Thread, you will see there is a discussion about lighting seedlings. From what I get out of that discussion is T-8 shop lights are the best buck for the money for this type of use. Because I have an unused T-12 shop light, I am currently using that to light my seedlings. I use Becky's suggestion of a warm bulb and a cold bulb for the unit. A cold bulb has a color rating of 4600K or higher. Cold bulb emits blue white light. A warm bulb a color rating of 3000K or less emits yellowish white color. If you are looking to grow seedlings to be transplanted later in the garden when the weather warms up, then cool lights are all you need. I don't think a warm bulb is necessary for growing seedlings. According to a web page I read, warm bulbs are only needed if you want the plants to bloom indoors.

Thank you! I ended ordering the red/blue led light, that would go in the room downstairs.

But now I have another question: we are forced to always have a light on in the kitchen. It's very dark. The ligh we use is an alogen bulb light and it's neutral/cold. Would it be of any help for my seedlings? Not that I really have a spot in the kitchen for them, but out of curiosity!

@kousa: Thanks. That pic was taken 2-10-15 and I didn't start germinating until late January, so those seedlings are not very old. At most 2 weeks. I use only ProMix (seed starting mix; not regular potting soil). Those are amaryllis. I have them in pots (these I plant in real dirt not potting mix) and put them outside all summer (feeding occasionally), then in an unused room in Sept where it's 50-55 degrees and only natural light. With this method they bloom reliably every year, often making offset bulbs, so sometimes I end up with 5 or 6 flowering stalks in one (large) pot.


@admmad: a scientific person like you will no doubt be horrified at my lighting 'protocol'. I have 5 or six shoplights all plugged into various outlets or extension cords, so timers are too much trouble. I leave them on, sometimes for several 24-hour periods at a time (because the shoplights are a few feet apart, so I figure most of the seedlings are not getting intense light all day and wouldn't mind light round the clock), then when I think the seedlings must be tired and want a rest, I shut the lights out for a night. Completely gut feeling and unscientific. I'm a night owl so it's usually quite late when I shut them off, and the room they're in has very large windows both east and west, so they get daylight as soon as the sun comes up. Which is to say the rest period is not all that long. I have not noticed any rest/restart periods, but I will pay closer attention this year to see if that happens.

@roblaffin

be horrified at my lighting 'protocol'

Not in the slightest
The daylilies probably would not react negatively to having the lights on continuously (no rest period at all). My guess is that the light from shop lights would not be intense to daylilies. I will be interested in your observations concerning growth and rest periods.

Sabrina,

Can I ask how much does the red/blue LED lights set cost?

I notice the baby plants going through rest periods but not all of them. If you are only starting plants to transplant outdoors for continued growing, the lighting is not that critical. I can identify with Rob as to setup and no scientific method of lighting. I do move the trays around on the shelves since some areas have more intense lighting. My room is dark with only morning sunlight so unless the plants can go directly in the window I must use grow lights.

Here is our grow light set up...

cybersix said:I just read some people comment on Amazon, hence the doubt, but I don't have enough experience to know what could really happen. I guess if indoor light is almost equal to sun light nothing would happen.

Cybersix - you WILL be disappointed with that light. They have sold millions and millions cause they are CHEAP. Those lights do not have adequate wattage. Please consider looking elsewhere.

admmad said: My guess is that the light from shop lights would not be intense to daylilies.

The fixtures will be ok - but not the regular shop bulbs. You need to get one warm and one cool or just get natural or full spectrum bulbs. My experiment growing thousands of seedlings in my basement show little differences in results. I still use 4 four foot T-12s and 4 T-8s. I also have 800 Watts of metal halide warehouse lights over the entire area. Everything is on timers. I run fans too and humidifiers and timers - generally 12 on 12 off. A month from now 13 on. I add an hour per month.

Shop light bulbs will not serve your purpose. If buying new, get T-8. If you have a T-12 just use it til it dies. The T-8 is a bit more efficeient than T-12.

cybersix said:
But now I have another question: we are forced to always have a light on in the kitchen. It's very dark. The ligh we use is an alogen bulb light and it's neutral/cold. Would it be of any help for my seedlings? Not that I really have a spot in the kitchen for them, but out of curiosity!

Likely not enough wattage - what is it? Is that a halogen?

@kousa, I paid 20$ for a couple. It's 19,99 euros but in dollars it should be a bit more around 20 and something I guess.

@DavidLMO, thanks for your message. The lamps are on their way already, so I can't do anything else now. I don't know the wattage of these red/blue led lights. The wattage of the kitchen light is 100W (maybe too poor for plants but strong for a kitchen, I like it to be very illuminated).

Cybersix/Sabrine

If this is the one you purchased, I think you will be sadly disappointed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GNWK2XO/

At only 12 Watts even nearly right on top of a plant, this would hardly provide adequate light for one plant - perhaps a couple quite small. It certainly would be too small to work with a standard 72 cell tray.

David, it's quite similar, here's the italian link: http://www.amazon.it/gp/produc...

If these lights are so disappointing why the reviews are good?
I don't have so many seedlings now, I have two pots and maybe a third ny the end of the month, that's it (my garden is so small I have to calm down with my daylilies addiction).
I see they are not a professional lighting, I plan to put the two /three pots on a table and place two lampholders with these lights near them.
Could you please provide a link to let me see what kind of lights would be better, reasonably priced for so few seedlings?
I read all your posts, but the same thing in italian may have another name or brand, so if I can see a picture I will understand.

David, wattage is not as useful for LEDs. The specs give the luminous flux of Sabrina's lamps as 900 to 950 lumens. As far as I understand it luminous flux is more a measurement for the human eye and since blue and red are the wavelengths plants use most whereas we see whiter light as brighter, perhaps the lamps emit more useful light for plants than that, especially since there are only two to three pots?

One 48" t12 Phillips cool white fluorescent is rated at 2600 lumens; a daylight white at 2325 lumens but there are other factors that affect how to compare fluorescent lights with leds, see for example,
http://www.hoveyelectric.com/h...

Sue, your explanation makes sense to me. The lamps are small so I don't plan to put them on the ceiling and having a full room for growing seedlings, but my ignorance can lead me to wrong deductions!

The amazon.com equivalent appears to be
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P21TZ5I/

admmad said:The amazon.com equivalent appears to be
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P21TZ5I/

These are the lights I bought. Two lights.

For a very limited use - i.e. only a couple of pots this might be ok. Since you bought them you will have to keep us informed. The 900 - 950 lumens might work for just a few plants. But not a lot nor at a long distance

For your application, no doubt you will be happy and so will the plants. Just watch your temperature.

I am used to hitting my seeds/seedling with the 2 four-foot Fluorescent bulbs rated at about 2,500 or so lumens each.

I personally have no experience with LEDS - so I hope this works ok for you. My experience is just: incandescent (not used any more), fluorescent (T-12 & T-8), compact fluorescent (CFL - the twisted bulbs) [I made my own light with 8 100 watt equivalents - 1,600 lumens per bulb)] and metal halide ( 400 watt units).

I don't spend a lot on the fixtures, but buy better quality bulbs for the fluorescents. For a standard 4 foot fixture one can spend 10 - 200 $ per unit or more. (Some of the new T-5 High Output units are very pricey.)

This is an example of the style I use mainly.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_420865...

David, those are the exact fixtures I use with T8 daylight bulbs. They're inexpensive and have worked great - going on fifth year now. I tossed the S hooks and chains, though - with adjusting the height, it was too easy for the fixtures to fall on the plants, so I made my own out of wire that are fully fastened to the fixture and also wrap all the way around the ropes I hang them with so I can raise or lower without any chance of fixture falling.

Luminous flux is an adjusted measurement for the human eye. According to a physics website the Luminous Flux for a 100W incandescent lamp is approximately 1,700 lumens. But because these LED lights are only red and blue a plant is going to get more benefit out of them than the amount of light our eyes perceive is how I understand it.

See: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.g...