I use the shelving from my pantry that normally has dry food items stored on it.
I roll this into the dining room and place it in front of the sliding glass doors with a very sunny western exposure. Flats are filled with soil less mix and placed on plastic garbage liners.
I hang shop lights with regular bulbs in them, keeping the lights on about 12 to 14 hours a day.
Regular bulbs are much cheaper than "grow light bulbs". And they seem to work just fine.
The lights are hung from chains that can be moved up as the plants grow.
All lights are plugged into one power strip to make it easy to turn on or off.
I fill a shallow plastic bin ( like an under the bed storage bin) with water and set the flats into it, every day or every other, for about 20 min or so for a "bottom watering" only. But I do mist occasionally.
The only plants I have had to throw out were the ones I started too early! ( overly excited !)
Counting backwards from the package date to maturity, I simply plant the seeds and water!
Well, basically lol.
Looks like a good set-up. I've yet to figure out a good set-up for my seeds!
ReplyDeleteWow. This growing stuff is hard work- lol. I might have to stick to buying the mini-plants.
ReplyDeleteWow. You've got it down. This is awesome. No damping off? I just saw a seed-starting mix that must have a built-in fungicide because it claims your seedlings won't get damping off. Since I don't do seeds anymore I won't be trying it but I think the idea is quite ingenious.
ReplyDeleteHi grace,
ReplyDeleteI think because the flats are "bottom watered" damping off has not been a problem.
Some years, the soil less mix will develope a green algae on the suface, but it hasn't adversely affected the growth or health of the plants.