Growing tomatoes from seeds under fluorescent light!

It 'easy to grow tomatoes from seed indoors under fluorescent lights. It is not only simple and inexpensive, but produces strong healthy plants. I successfully completed a dozen different varieties of tomatoes under ordinary cool-white fluorescent lights of the shop grew into an otherwise dark basement.

Before discussing more fluorescent lights, we want the basics of starting tomato seeds point.

Sterile soil

Do not take the possibility of soilDiseases caused by starting seeds in regular garden soil. Instead, buy, or a mixture of soil-less as Jiffy-Mix, which consists of ingredients such as peat moss and perlite. If you add your mix equal parts of vermiculite or perlite with peat end.

peat pots and soil blocks

An alternative to a mixture of soil-less is to start your seeds in trays on peat pellets. These are slightly more expensive, but very comfortable. Enjoy the balls in water and peatExpansion in small containers, which can later be planted directly in soil in a pot or garden.

Seed trays / flats

Each container can be used as long as it has drainage holes. Can I buy the apartments light starter seed 72-cell, but are not required. You can also waxed the floors milk cartons, paper cups, seed trays or individual containers open. Each container should be about two 58 cm deep. Seed trays generally include a clear plastic cover for theif the soil is dry, this could be a problem if your air is very dry.

Labels

Be careful with the small variety of tomato seeds to be confused, because part of the fun is figuring out that the tomatoes grow better. So do not forget to label your containers. Write to the variety and the planting on the label. plastic food packaging such as milk jugs make good durable labels for the three-inch cut with scissors. With a Sharpie IndustrialPen, the letter does not fade in the sun safely.

10 Steps to planting tomatoes

Fill the container with the soil mixture less than half an inch from the tip.
The water in the soil less mixture in the bowl and let drain.
Compact the soil gently with your hand.
Place two or three seeds in each container (hereinafter we thin a plant).
Carefully sprinkle a quarter of an inch less ground mixture evenly over the surface.
Compact the soil carefully to ensure goodThe contact between seed and soil.
With warm water, gently spray or wet the water below the soil surface to depth.
To preserve the jars with a plastic lid or plastic wrap moisture.
Place the seed container in a place where the temperature is 75 to 85 degrees F (24-29 C) for fast germination.
After a quarter of the seeds germinate you remove from the heat source (if present) and go under the fluorescent lights.

Fluorescent Lamps

Once thetomato seeds germinated, sufficient light is essential. Ideally, you'll have 12 hours of sunshine per day for your leggy seedlings and extends from the beginning to keep more light. If you have a window in the sun or greenhouse with natural light, great! Otherwise, you can spend a bit 'or a lot of grow lights. I discovered that simple 48-inch shop lights with cool white standard bulbs work very well. You need the lights to expose two or three inches above the tops of the plants;the lights hang from a chain on a hook, so that the height can be adjusted easily. You can support economic growth light (I plan on my site) or you can use an old library with open sides. The thing is, do not spend too much money. Do not worry if the leaves touching the bulbs from time to time, because the hot lights.

Sixteen to eighteen hours a day fluorescent lighting works well. If you are the lights on a timer you do not even worry about turnand every day.

Thinning seedlings

were formed after two weeks or so the first real tomato leaves. At this point, the seedlings should be thinned to a plant cell. I find it easier to drag the weak with his fingers, another method is to cut the plants more with scissors at ground level. The goal is not the quantity of plants and end up with stronger, more stable units. If you want to save some of the extras, then go ahead andTransplant the container.

Hardening of plants

Brush the tops of the plants to move easily by hand each day or a fan of sweet plants. This strengthens the stems and causes of your tomato plants grow more compact. This step reduces leggy plants and results in more compact plants.

Fertilization

If you used a pre-mix from fertilized seeds, you will not need to fertilize. However, if some ofThe leaves are yellowing or no fertilizer was available, you can use a liquid fertilizer at half strength tomato. Miracle Grow is a fertilizer low in nitrogen content in the tomato, but potassium and phosphorus, the good results.

Transplanting of seedlings four inch pots

After the young tomato plants are four inches in height, are ready to be transplanted into small pots. Fill the jar with the mixture of basic seed or good quality potting soil and set aside a space in the potaccept the root ball and barrel for the first leaves. Remove carefully observing the plants out of the start-container with a spoon or dull knife can not damage the tree. Plant the tomato seedlings in its new pot and keeps its leaves or root ball, then add a little 'over the soil and gently firm. Water well. Then, after so much that the plant a couple of hours, set the pot back under the lights. fertilize the next few weeks (according to the manufacturer's instructions) and wateruntil the plants are from eight to twelve inches tall and seven to eight weeks.

Moving outdoors

You will find that the fluorescent tubes from large to plant tomato plants. Now it's time to go out and enjoy the sun! Wait until the media is freezing over, and the soil temperature of 50 degrees F (10 C). Then "cure" or the status of young tomato plants by putting them outside in a sheltered spot, such as a cold frameor a protected place for a few hours every day for a week. This process reduces the shock of transition and set up the plant to survive all weather conditions. So we await the juicy tomatoes!