SEED STARTING BASICS: Heat Mats, Lights, and More!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ม.ค. 2022
- Today we continue our discussion of seed starting basics for backyard gardeners who want to grow their own vegetable transplants. In this video we'll be discussing heat mats, also known as germination mats. Is this a necessity or more of a luxury? We'll help you determine if you need a heat mat or not for your setup.
We'll also be discussing lighting for indoor seed starting and fertilizing your seedlings once they germinate. Click the links below to see more seed starting info on our website.
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Thanks for making this so simple. There’s a young man (18) that works for the same restaurant where I work and I’ve known him for a number of years and he’s into gardening now. Last week he got a10x10 plot ready for spring and I have a feeling he’s going to make another. It’s been so much fun watching him grow up into a gardener
That's great that he's decided to learn how to grow his own food!
I wish I had done more gardening when I was younger.maybe I'd have a better experience with things like the corn, broccoli, onions and carrots and brussel sprouts,....ok so basically everything in the garden.
@@cynthiaedwards5149 😂
If you have a old vinyl mini blind works good for tagging your seeds.
I've heard of folks using those! I bet it does work well!
Great GREAT GREAT GREAT INFORMATIVE CONTENT 👍
WE are 56 & 58 an this is our 1st year we finally due to PRICES are making our own plants , plus we can GROW ALOT MORE .
BIG thanks
Mrs. Josette Tharp
Montgomery County , Texas 🙏🏻
God bless you & Brooklyn & the kiddos 🙏🏻
Thanks for joining is Josette!
Great show.... I start my seeds under T5 florescent lights indoors, it does great for me but you do have to harden them off for sunlight.... But for people that are planting small gardens I would suggest that instead of up potting from small to larger indoors to go ahead and use the larger because you have to have enough lights for the larger anyway, their no point in having more plants than you can light up in the larger indoors... The less you repot the better so take 16oz cups and put one little pocket of seed starting mix where the seed is planted and let it root in potting soil on down in the cup... It cuts the work way down and the plants are healthier because their never transplanted until you plant outside.... This is for indoor use, I hope maybe it may help some people... But great show, keep up the good work...
Thanks for sharing your experiences Jeff!
This is exactly what I do. I just hate up potting!
I’m using Christmas lights, kind that uses bulbs that you change out, under a wire mesh table with trays on top. Cover with frost cloth, that does not touch lights or plants. doing good last two years. Christmas lights are left over from wedding decorations.
Nice! Good idea to use what you have!
Great video as usual thanks so much a lot of good information. Very helpful.have a blessed day
Thanks Tamie!
Awesome video, I’m enjoying your how info, really like the perlite covering the seed. Really like the heat mat your using.
Thanks.
Thanks for joining us Robert!
Most excellent info, sir! Most excellent!
Peace on your doorstep!
Thanks Amilynn!
It certainly did my heart good to watch you start a flat of seeds. I keep a piece of 1" rigid insulation under each mat to make sure the heat goes upward. I like to stick the heat mat probe into the middle of the seed tray. Just my version. Also, I use Saran wrap instead of the humidity domes. You can get some very serviceable full spectrum LED lights on Amazon. Somewhat complex topic with loads of contrary opinions but read the reviews and look for a Goldilocks unit, not too big, not too small, not too cheap, not too spendy. C'mon Spring.
Didn't you experiment years ago with building a germinating chamber using an old chest freezer? I might have dreamed it.
Shot this video last Thursday and had seeds popping yesterday. Very happy with our germination speed so far.
got mine done today all so thank for good info
Awesome! You're on the ball Willie!
Travis, I start seeds indoors and I also like to put a 1" thick foam insulating board under the heat mat. That way I'm keeping as much heat in the bottom of the seedling tray and not loosing heat out the bottom side of the mat (I use one of those kitchen chrome wire shelf units to hold my trays under LED grow lights). You can get the pink ridged foam boards in 2'x2' cut offs if you don't need a whole 4x8' sheet. Also I just mount my LED lights on the shelf above and use cut lengths of 2x4's to raise and lower my trays as needed (like the book method). It's a pretty simple way to do it.
Thanks for sharing your setup David. Hopefully the indoor seed starting crowd can use this information to their benefit.
Yes the insulation sheet helps a lot with defecting heat back into trays. I've been doing this for 10+ years
I like the perlite idea, I have plenty of that.
Excellent presentation. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Steve!
thanks for sharing
As good as presentation of seed starting as I’ve ever watched. Very informative and step by step process was excellent. Great teaching Travis. Go Dawgs!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The best breakdown/explanation on yt! Subscribed and will share! Thank you 🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸💐
Thanks CJ!
I have seen a comparison between cool weather crops started both on seed mats and without! All the crops like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage germinated at a far higher rate and in half the time using a seed mat. I have always used seed mats for cool season crops with great success! I currently have four flats on mats set to 55 degrees and the plants love it!
Great video Travis. Thanks for all your good work. I use them a lot in my horticulture class in school and also my own personal greenhouse when I still had one. They really help out a lot. And the greenhouse helps keep the wife happy that way you don’t clog up all her windowsills! 👍😜
Yes!
Thank you for the video!
Thanks for joining us Christopher!
I usually pour boiling water over mix to get rid of fungus naits
Supposedly the perlite on top helps with fungus gnats. I've never noticed any fungus gnat issues, but that's what I'm told.
@@LazyDogFarm i use perlite also started it last year heard it from you and greg
We are just starting our lettuce and brassicas up here near Athens. Can't wait to start tomatoes and peppers! Thank yall for getting us excited for the season!
Sounds great! Hope y'all have a great seed starting season!
Excellent information. Thank you 😊
Thanks Momma J!
We tried to start some last year and did it so wrong🤦♀️ thanks for all the info. So glad I found ur channel
We hope you have much better success this year! You'll get the hang of it!
Very knowledgeable person, I really enjoy listening to him at Lazy Dog Farms
Thanks Kenneth!
You are an amazing teacher.
Thank you! 😃
Excellent series Travis. Thanks much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@LazyDogFarm reading some of the other comments leads me to a question. What do they mean by “harden off”? I’m assuming it’s something to do with getting real sun acclimated but wondering if there is a truly required procedure or just a personal preference step. If required, would you mind describing please? Thanks much.
I am about to start some colder weather seeds, like lettuce, beets and cabbage inside under lights I plan to start the warm weather stuff once I get the cooler stuff out. Thanks for the info. Every little bit helps!
Good plan Jon!
I appreciate you explaining to us the temps required for starting certain seeds. I just took a seed starting Class and that wasn't made clear from what I remember. That would explain a lot of the mistakes or mishaps that occured. Your videos are very informative and are appreciated. Thank you!
Very welcome!
Great one. Thanks from Suwanee Ga. where it's always a great day to do something pertaining to growing ourselves and our food....
Thanks Dwayne!
Thanks for the information.. i had been wondering about heat mats for my seeds
Our pleasure!
Started using the pearlite to cover my seeds and it works much better for me.
Glad it's working well for you Herbert!
I have a similar spray bottle but it has a cone on the end that can be adjusted up and down. Also I use the caps that fit on soda bottles that work like a mini watering can . They work great for watering seedlings.
Our little sprayer has an adjustable tip as well that goes from cone to pin spray. I like the soda bottle idea for small scale seed starting!
I’m doing a large tote with led grow lights. The little bit of warmth they provide has been plenty. I have butternut squash started and they look great. Later this week I’ll be hardening off. Nearly 80% germination with over 1 year old seeds from a 2nd generation crop.
Awesome! Sounds like your seed starting is going well so far!
I really like the idea of topping off the seeds with perlite.
Good little trick we learned from the commercial greenhouse guys around here.
Great Video Travis 👍
Thanks Willy!
If you use books to raise trays to the lights, don't forget to put them in ziplock bags to protect them from water. You can even get huge 2 1/2 gallon Hefty bags for larger books!!!
Good point!
I have always said that lazy Dog Farm is the best and I still say it
I put some plastic over my pvc set up that held my shoplights and ran a heater it. I was so happy when my peppers germinated in 6 days. One day I will have a greenhouse and free up room I take over each Feb-April.
Peppers in 6 days is pretty impressive!
A tip I tried with pepper transplants, once they get a good top, 3 or 4 leaves, I cut the top off, it seem cruel to waste that top that's looking so good, but in the long run, it work great, the top will bush out more and be much healthier. I do it on every pepper plant now.
I've heard of folks doing that to get bushier plants that don't necessarily require trellising. Seems like it works well.
I'm zone 4 and chomping at the bit to get started.😁👍👍
Won't be long!
Very good info on seed starting. It does take a bit to get good at this and i’ve tried a lot of different ways. I use led lights now and foil lined styrofoam and it takes a lot of pressure off the space between light n plants. I usually have to raise the light the last two weeks to get my maters to get some height!
Thanks! Glad you've got the hang of it now!
My favorite thing...seed starting...wish i had more room for it..
Christmas tree lights under plastic trays work great for a heat mat. And cheap too!
Someone else mentioned they do that too! Great tip!
The past 2 years I've germinated my peppers in my chicken incubator. Just the cheap Styrofoam one & took the egg turner out. Just in case anyone has one laying around that's not incubating eggs at the moment. I had to watch them really good because once they're up, they run for that little window. But they're usually up in 5 days or less. Then I take them out & move them to the greenhouse.
Great tip! It's like a mini germination chamber!
As always, great content. Look forward to the next one. Always learn something. I loved everything you covered... the only concern I have is the small utility, 3 head extension cord on your new space heater. Those extension cords cause more fires and cause more damage because they are only rated a a few amps and those heaters need more juice than they can provide. As the heater ages, it starts using more power. Always best to not even use an extension cord. Plug right into the outlet. But if you have to use an extension cord, size up, not down. 🤘🏼Rock-N-Roll!!!🖖🏼LLAP!11 🤙🏼Love ya man!!! & ✌🏼Peace out!!!
I ditched that cord and just put the heater on top of the heat mats, which seems to be much safer and better. Thanks for the tip though!
I personally use a T5 light and not LED. I find that if I use the T5, keep the house on about 72, and use warm soil (solil temp > 80, normally get this by adding boiling water to mix first to sterilize it and letting it cool) when I first plant the seeds this is enough heat and I don't need a heatmat (unless it gets super cold for some reason (as they sit nest to a window for extra light) than I will use a heatingpad on low a couple hours for a couple of days ---- normally only for my hot peppers). The T5 ,if you are keeping it close enough to the plants, puts off enough heat for most things in an indoor environment. I tried a heatmat with LED shop light and put it on a WATTS meter last year as an experiment and found it more economical to just use a T5 without the heatmat. However, I might have just had a very high watt heatmat (but I remember it being aabout average when I was comparing the watts when I bought it). The T5 also has a wider light spread if you are only using one tube. I think you can get a 4 feet iPower adjustable stand with LED or T5 for about $50-60. The T5 normally cost more to buy now. I bought one of these last year (the 2-feet model) for a friend when it was on sell around Christmas for only about $30-40 as he was just starting gardening. He wishes he had the 4 feet model now.
Thanks for all the great info Joshua!
I really don't need heat mats. I have been doing seed starts for years without them.... , But. I probably will get some heat mats in the future. Always use what makes things easier. I have never needed them, but I won't discount heat mats. I make my own seed starting mix. Mostly peat moss, perlite, and a little homemade compost mixed in. This is an exciting time. Love seed starting time.
The heat mats do help to get things germinated faster and more consistently. But yes, you can germinate without them.
Man Travis we've learned so much from you man so glad you went on your own with a new channel I LOVE your style and the way YOU do things on L.D.F. !!! Blessings brother... 🤙🇺🇸🇷🇺🙏
Thanks Joe!
@@LazyDogFarm Yessir... all the best.🤙🇺🇸🇷🇺🙏
I started 12 different kinds of peppers on the 24th I will finish today and start a few tomatoes to another good show
Nice! Right on time!
Feb 1st I will turn 66. My sitting room temperature right now is 80°. You'll join the ranks one day. Time to put another log in the woodstove. I love ya anyway. Lol
Haha! Stay warm!
I have one of those hand pump sprayers and they are Handy as all Get-Out.
They sure are!
Hey Travis. One of the best videos I’ve seen on seed starting, and I’ve seen a lot of them. Great explanations and advice. I’ve never tried the perlite trick but will have to give that a shot on my next seed starting session. How are the fig cuttings doing? They look pretty healthy.
They're doing well! We'll show some more detail on how they're doing on the next video.
I found for labeling in plug trays, collar stays make great labels, especially for those who use dome covers. I got them from Amazon and very reasonable price.
Great idea!!
I've heard of people using the LED strips on the white setting for their microgreens. I watched a video of a guys set up in the house. I think I'm gonna try it this year and see how it goes. 👍👍
Interesting. Seems like it would work.
I am building my seed starting tower right now in my bedroom that has great South facing windows. Still adding lights… but great sun there this time of year. I may use it for lettuce during the Simmer heat and deepest part of Winter. Fruit tree cloning as well.
Nice. Good to pick the warmest spot in the house!
@@LazyDogFarm
It is almost the hottest room in the house (sadly lol ).
I am recycling my old T8 lights from my old aquaponics system. They are LEDs that use only $100 worth of power per year if run for 14hr a day 24/7.
Combined with the ability to add sunlight this time of year (low in the sky) it should help out a lot.
Good information, might check out the heat mats prices. I just use two led shop lights that I have added small cheep chains and adjust them to the height I need as the plants grow. ✌
That's a good way to do it with the shop lights!
Early season seed starting is the bane of my existence here in the frigid, gloomy north…bad germination and leggy seedlings normally lead to throwing them in the compost heap and direct seeding when the temperature is right…even when kept outside in an area that should receive full sun (when the sun actually comes out) and really poor germination even inside with a middle of the road heat mat…my best success is direct seeding but it always puts me behind in my schedule…this year I’m going to try a germination chamber and put some shop lights in the mini greenhouse in full “sun”
You can make an easy germination chamber from an old styrofoam cooler and a little heating coil. Based on the ones I've seen on YT, it works like a charm.
I just started my seeds indoors. I started my peppers and tomatoes earlier then I normally do. Hopefully I can get them to Produce sooner my last frost date is March 31
You can always step them up if your weather isn't cooperating.
Awesome Video! THANKS. About the only thing I do differently is, I keep each tray to one type of vegetable. For me, peppers take about twice as long to germinate as Tomato, so, I like to get some fertilzier on the tomato at their 1st true leaves (2nd set), and if I had pepper seeds in the same tray, they might not even be germinated when the tomato has its 1st true leaves yet! That's just me, tho.
Lots of great info, thank you for that. A note of concern, it looks like your portable heater was plugged into a zip cord extension cord. Generally those are only able to handle 600 watts, most heaters use more than that. I've seen those extension cords melted from trying to run too much power through them.
Yeah I realized that as well after playing with it a bit. I now have the portable heater sitting on the heat mat and plugged directly into the receptacle. Much safer that way. Thanks for the heads up!
As usual, A very good and informative seed starting class. I’ve used all of your old and new videos for a couple of years, so has our oldest son. I’m curious about your spraying of liquid fertilizer. I’ve always bottom fed mine with a basting bubble tube in order to keep the fertilizer off of the leaves. That can get time consuming to say the least! If it’s relatively safe to spray it, I’d much rather do that for sure!
Thanks!
I always follow my fertilization with a splash top watering so there's no residue on the leaves. Works like a charm.
@@LazyDogFarm makes me happy to know! Thanks!
Yikes Travis! 1/4 cup=4 Tbs/liter equals 16Tbs per gallon! I saw that you commented you haven’t burned your seedlings yet, you must also be able to make grits in two minutes on your magical farm! At MAX use 1/2Tbs (measured) 20-20-20 per gallon milk jug of water, pour it into sprayer. I prefer FloraNova Grow 1/2Tbs per gallon, super-healthy transplants. Also use a fan for sturdy stems and no damping off. Great seed starting info.
I know it seems like a high rate of 20-20-20. I should add that I'm not using 20-20-20 that regularly. I really only use it as a rescue fertilizer if seedlings start looking really pitiful.
Yeah, I've not had good results from using the wood stick plant markers. The sun bleaches them so much that I can't read then at all after a while. I bought a 1000 count of the white plastic writable markers. Otherwise I cant keep up with the varieties when it comes to seed saving. So, I'll have to go through and pick them up after the season, but at least I can reuse them until they break. And I'll just have to collect then all up after the season's over. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles🤷🏼♀️
Good points! When using the wooden sticks, the marker you use does matter. A sharpie won't work. We use these "garden markers" that hold ink on the wood much longer than a sharpie. They still won't last a full season, but long enough so that we can still read it while they're in the trays.
Cheaper yet - buy a set of vinyl blinds at Wal-mart for $4. Cut them up and it makes 1,000+ tags easy. Write on them with #2 pencil. Virtually indestructible.
I found using the little 1 litre pressure sprayer makes watering seed cells easy as water pressure is softer. For indoor lights a good baseline generally 10 to 20 watts per square foot. I'm gona need to try that perlite topping, thanks for the tips 🍻👍
That seems a little low on the wattage…by those numbers my 1000 watt light would do 50-100 sq feet…a little extra wattage doesn’t hurt anything except the bill fold as long as temps stay in the safe range
@@loganyoutube4818 you dont need 1000 w light to start plants but your 1000 w will allow large plants to grow great. Also im refering to led/fluorescent lights that are "easyer on the pocketbook" vs professional lights with professional $$. I use 32w 4ft led grow lights , 8 of them cover my 5ft x 9ft ping pong/grow table.
In Johnny's Seeds library there is an article, " Guide to Choosing a Grow Light", a basic discussion of kelvin versus lumens versus wattage. A good jumping off point for a very technical topic. I'm with Logan here. My 1000W LED's only draw 125 watts of current, about like a couple of 60W lightbulbs.
Thanks for video. It was very informative. When you up pot your seedlings, what soil do you use? thanks again
ProMix
Great video. I've heard that if you do indoor seedlings, you should mix hot water in your soil mix to keep any bugs or critters from showing up during the germination process in the house. Have you heard this? Thanks again!!
I've never seen a single bug in the ProMix or Sunshine #4 mix we use. But I guess if you had bugs, that would work to eliminate them.
I love the same sprayer too, I think it’s 2 Litres.😀
Down with Covid19 in thankfully mild conditions.🤔
I think they make a 2L version. I got the mini version though. Hope you get well soon!
Thank you for this wonderful Information. I got 2 heat mats, small and no varying of temps, just plug them in, but maybe they will work. I have a quicntent greenhouse and I'm just scared even with heat Mats and greenhouse I'm scared for the nights dropping in the low to mid 30s. Will they be ok after they sprout with heat mats? Nevermind, I saw the area heater for nights.
As long as you can keep them watered so that the soil doesn't dry, you can leave the germinated seedlings on the heat mat if you want. Or if you need to use the heat mat to germinate other trays, you can take them off the mat.
Great video. I got five 162 seed trays. Some times when plant different types of seeds in a tray they don’t all germinate at the same time so you have a problem. So I took a seed tray and my scroll saw a cut them down to six 27 cell trays. This didn’t effect the integrity of the tray. Will let you know how this goes.
Good idea ZW!
When would you recommend starting the tomato and pepper seeds in growing zone 8a? I’m kind of in the same boat for tomatoes her in the southwest desert minus the humidity but with higher temperatures. I’m thinking of transplanting earlier and protecting the young plants from a freeze. I’m going to plant dwarf and hybrid tomatoes as well as some chile peppers. Thanks for the thorough video!
I'd aim for early February.
Yeah..im REALLY.worried about my cattle panel and the roll up corners and have yet to come up with a solution!!!!!!.
Smart about using books , I got the white led light 5,000lms shop light very reasonable 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 getting 5 more today in mail ....
Nice!
Sir, what a wealth of information! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I wish you would have touched on how long you leave the grow lights on. Anybody know?
I'd recommend mimicking your outdoor day light cycle if possible. That keeps things easy. Turn them on in the morning and off in the evening when it gets dark.
@@LazyDogFarm Thank you so much for your response. It is greatly appreciated. Sometimes common sense is the way to go right? Again, thanks for your great content. LOVE your channel. I can't believe you don't have 500k subs. Soon maybe.
I keep learning a lot from you! I would like to know how Ishould clean my planting trays?
I don't clean mine, although I probably should. I've heard of folks using a peroxide solution which seems to work well.
Candis... I wash mine well, being sure to remove any loose dirt. Then dip in a 10% bleach solution and rinse well.
Thanks for getting back to me. I think I will make sure there is soil left in and do the bleach, then put in the sun it gets pretty hot here in Orlando!
I’m currently starting my hot peppers and basil. How hot should I keep the mat? Thank you for your help.
I let mine rock and roll as hot as it will go. But if you've got a thermostat, I'd say around 85 degrees F is ideal.
Starting indoors will require you to acclimate your starts to the sun/elements. I always start by setting them outside for 2 hrs on the first day, then increase it by 2 hrs daily. I try to start it on a cloudy day if possible. If not I'll find a spot with filtered sunlight.
Good point! We have to acclimate ours down here, but we can do that by raising the side walls on the greenhouse.
I put a dome cover on top of my seed starting tray on a heat mat and there is a lot of condensation building up inside. Should I open the vents on the dome or just keep all the condensation inside?
Condensation is good. That means the dome is doing its job and creating a nice humid environment for seed germination.
I enjoyed watching that, I’m looking forward to our seed starting time. One thing I would add is the need for a fan on seedlings! For me growing under lights a fan makes all the difference between damping off and healthy plants! For my indoor growing I use a little gallon watering can, I find it extremely convenient to use Shultz liquid fertilizer it comes with a dropper, you just add 7 drops per quart or litre of water every time you give your plants a drink.
Klaus
Interesting point on the fan. I think it has to be done just right. I think I've seen more people do damage with a fan than anything. Gotta be careful with those things.
Klaus... If you're using a soilless sterile seed starting mix, you won't have any damping off.
@@markware7748 I do use nice sterile Pro Mix. A few years ago I switched from my old grow stand that ran hot with the old style fluorescent tubes to my new much cooler running stand, I suddenly started having terrible damping off on my tomatoes and peppers. That first year I ended up buying tomato seedlings. I just run the small fan on low while the lights are on and I have no more problems.
@@LazyDogFarm I just use a small fan on low while the lights are on, it doesn’t do any harm and it made all the difference with damping off. I use one of those smart power bars to turn everything on and off, I have complete control from my iPad.
Awesome teaching! My question is whether or not I really need grow lights indoors. My grandparents had a successful farm in South GA many years ago (Baker County). I do not think they used grow lights back then. I know it is the trend now, but I only have two raised beds as opposed to a big growing operation like you. Also, I am older, and I have serious eye problems (cataracts which hate glare and glaucoma). I worry about the effect of the lights on my eyes when I go in to check on everything. Is there any way I can direct seed most things if I am willing to wait later in the season to plant? I will start the tomatoes and peppers indoors if necessary, but I would like to direct seed everything else. And while I am at it, can I direct see tomatoes and peppers, too. Thank you so much for the excellent videos.
The problem with direct-seeding tomatoes and peppers is usually weeds. They take so long to germinate and get going, that the weeds will usually outpace the plants and become a problem. You can direct-seed everything else, but I would try to transplant the tomatoes and peppers if you can. If you have just two raised beds, buying plants might not be a bad option if you can find the varieties you want to plant.
@@LazyDogFarm Thank you. I appreciate your taking time to answer so much. I already have my seeds such as Paul Robeson tomatoes, which I really want to plant. So would you recommend me direct seeding and keeping up with the weeds OR starting indoors in a window?
Hey Travis I saw your post on Pro-mix can you please tell me where you get yours locally? I am close to you.
I get mine from Dasher's Nursery right outside Valdosta, GA. Tell Larry I sent you.
Curious how you back into a target date for starting seeds. Is there a general rule of thumb for how long different plant types need to get to a suitable transplant size? Understand that it's heavily dependent on growing conditions for the seedlings but is there a target you generally use (ex. Tomatoes take 4 weeks, peppers take 6 weeks, etc)? Love the videos and how you break things down and simplify. Did pretty well last year but looking to kick it up a notch this year.
Most seed packets have a recommended start time based on your last frost date. Tomatoes are 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date. Peppers are 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date. If you live where it's warm most of year your last frost date might be past already but the weather is still too cool to plant outside. In that case, you need to determine when your temperatures are right planting into the garden and work backwards from there. (Soil temps more than air temp)
@@stevefromthegarden1135 harbor freight used to sell a perfect little pocket thermometer that I use for soil temps…it was about $4 and it’s the old fashioned dial kind…I see it’s still on their website but it is on clearance and only available in store which normally means they will no longer be carrying it…it says do not leave in meat/roast but it reads from 0-220 degrees…time to go buy a couple to put away on the shelf in case I drop mine
@@loganyoutube4818 Nice find. I have a compost thermometer that I have used for checking soil temp. It's bit long for your avg garden bed but it works. I live were it's cold and the avg last frost date is May 15th. :)
@Chris Jones A good general rule of thumb is that it will take 6 weeks from seed to viable transplant. This can vary, but that's a good starting point. In the case of the heirloom tomatoes and peppers, we'll step those up into larger pots. So we give ourself more lead time with those. We'll be talking about this topic more on the next video as we discuss our seed starting schedule.
Excellent! (Again.)
Q1: Do you turn off the heat when you turn on the lights?
Q2: Why do you heat the fig cuttings?
Thanks,
Rd
1: no because the thermostat will turn the heat mat on and off as needed just like the thermostat in your house(unless you’re getting really deep into the science of it and know that the seeds respond best to warmer temps during the day and slightly cooler temps at night because that’s what the soil does in nature in which case you can change the temp of your heat mat every night and every morning but this normally only benefits massive operations who can afford computer controlled germination houses)
2:figs originate from the tropics and prefer warmer soil temps
Thank you.
However, I see that I poorly worded my question.
To re-state it: once the seeds have germinated, and you turn on the lighting, do you continue with the heating mats, or not?
I've been doing pretty good with seed starting so far. My germination rate is good, and I can get them to grow fairly well. My problem starts when I try to get the seedlings out of the trays. They seem to fall apart, and dont have much of a root ball. What could I be doing wrong?
Sounds like they need more fertility to encourage a better root system. Try feeding them a balanced fertilizer in low doses once they get their second set of leaves.
Would the Jiffy brand seed starting mix be okay to use?
As long as it's labeled as a "seed starting mix," it should be fine.
Hi Travis. You may have said in a previous video; where did you get your greenhouse? I am looking for one similar to it. I am currently starting seeds indoors. I have run out of room, since I have included herbs and flowers with vegetables.
Got it from Atlas Greenhouse which is not too far from us in Alapaha, GA.
@@LazyDogFarm Thanks
I’m trying seed starting for the first time. Growing indoors with a light in my basement. It stays pretty cool down there. I have a heat mat to use. My question is: what should the room temperature be during seedling stage?
If you can keep the room at 80 degrees, you might not even need a heat mat. But if you don't want the room to be a sauna, you can keep it at 75 and use the heat mat to help get the soil temps to 85.
Hey Trav,
Is it ok to buy my fall crop seeds now or is it better to wait until summer? Thanx
You can go ahead and get them now and store in the fridge if you want, or wait and order closer to fall. Your choice.
I suggest u go ahead and get them. I work in retail and last year seeds sold out early. With the current economic climate, I think things could be rough.
Question: When do you remove the heat mat.? Also can you use the lights up front to help heat the soil or does it not put out that much heat.
I asked the same question and was told that you take them off heat mats after they germinate. Then they need the light right above them. Will be looking forward to hearing what Travis advises.
Warmer soil temps promote better rooting so if you wanted you could leave them on the mat a couple weeks after germination but I normally have a back log of seeds needing to get on the heat mat so I pull them off once most of the cells have germinated and put them into the mini greenhouse…lights don’t heat the soil that well except just the top layer because heat rises
@Mello D Hill Country Living Depends on whether you have other things that need to be on the heat mat for germinating. If there's no one waiting in line, you can leave them on the mat after they've germinated. Just make sure to keep them watered so the seed starting mix doesn't get too dry.
I don't dis-agree with anything you said, but sitting here in Louisville am I going to have to send you a "Dawg" shirt ?
Haha! I wouldn't be mad about that.
How often do you water the transplants?
I only have to water mine once day right now. As temps warm in spring, I'll have to water them 2-3 times a day.
Travis, how many hours a day do you leave the lights on?
Depends on the plant but with most plants you can leave them on 24 hours a day during vegetative growth but others swear by matching your lights to the sunrise and sunset
It is usually recommended for 14 to 16 hours depending on what you're growing. I set my timers for 14 hours. Except for the onions. Those are on for 12 hours. Plants need rest too. :)
@Joe Ford As you can see, there are quite a few varying opinions on this. Not sure there's a complete right or wrong answer. I always tell folks to mimic their light patterns outside, that way the plant is somewhat adjusted when it is put in the ground. Not sure it matters that much, but that's always been my thought process.
Quick question. How often once seedlings get their true leaves do you water? Is it only when you fertilize once a week? I overwatered last year my first year trying seeds instead of plants, and killed many of my seedlings.
Whenever they need it…the drying out of the dirt is just as important as the watering just don’t want to let it get too dry for too long…it sounds very vague but you will get a feel for it…try leaving a few cells in the tray as just dirt(no plant) so you can poke your finger down into it and get a feel for what the other cells are doing…in full sun and 80 degrees they’ll need more water more frequently and in 50 degrees and overcast they’ll need less water less frequently
@A Piecemaker I'll water mine once a day this time of year. As things get warmer, I'll go to twice a day. But everyone's situation is different.
@@LazyDogFarm thank you as always for your help.
@@loganyoutube4818 thank you for responding. I appreciate the help
Even in spring, once they germinate you do take them off the heat mats? Correct?
If you're growing indoors, you probably do want to take them off the mats. In the greenhouse, it doesn't matter as much. If I'm limited on mat space and need to germinate other crops, I'll take them off the mat. If not, I'll leave them on there sometimes just to speed the growth. Just gotta make sure to keep the soil moist because it will dry quicker on the mat.
@@LazyDogFarm yea I’m indoors, keep the videos coming! Always enjoy your family and content! Thank you!
When your tomatoes have germinated should you take them off the heat mat and just use the grow light. I am growing my seeds indoors.
You can take them off the mat if you need the mat for other things. Or you can leave them on there if you want a faster transplant growout.
My question is why wouldn’t you fill your tray’s with soil mixture then heat to desired temperature then plant, before you soaked them down with that cold water?
Even if the soil was warm the water would still cool it down…water has a high specific gravity which is a fancy way of saying it takes a lot of energy to change waters temperature…the seeds/plants don’t mind the cool shower as that’s what happens in nature…go touch the dirt in your garden right at the end of a rain storm before the sun has a chance to come back out and warm it up
@@loganyoutube4818 yes but your ground is already at temperature, even outside when it rains the ground and sun will warm it back up. My thought was plant in a warm soil then water.
@Fred Densmore I guess I could wait for the soil in the trays to warm before planting, but not sure it makes that big of a difference. They're going to get a splash of cold water every single time we water them. If you're growing indoors, you could use warm water. But we don't have that option in the greenhouse. This video was shot last Thursday and we had tomatoes popping yesterday, so a 3-4 day germination which I think is pretty acceptable.
Travis, you're a little off putting a quarter cup of 20 20 20 to a liter of water, especially on seedlings. I think you meant one teaspoon to the liter. Just saying love your videos!
I also thought that would be too much for seedlings. :)
I don’t think he uses 1/4 cup of fertilizer lol I think he uses a 1/4 cup measuring cup and only does a small scoop but I could be wrong
Travis, you may want to circle back for another look at that AgroThrive ratio also. I come up with 1 Tbs. per liter for seedlings even for top watering.
@Raleigh Sistrunk When I use 20-20-20, which is not that frequent, I have been putting 1/4 cup per L of water and have yet to burn anything. Now I may be able to get away with that because I'm top watering afterwards and making sure to not leave any fertilizer residue on the plant leaves, but I haven't had any issues.
I'm not a huge fan of measuring fertilizer to the exact measurement, but I kind of have a feel what is too much and what isn't.
@@LazyDogFarm wow that's a crazy high amount using the 20-20-20. Standard dose is 1 Tbsp per gallon full strength. So you're using 4 Tbsp per quart of water which would be 16x the recommended level! I thought usually better to go 1/2 to 1/4 strength on the fertillizer early on. No wonder those plants grow so nice and fast. lol :) You've got those babies on steroids!
I want to warn people about going out to buy shop LED lights for growing plants. It isn't as easy as it appears. Florescent lights are completely different than LED lights. The spectrum is massively different, even in the same temperature (ie. 6500k, 3500k, etc). The biggest mistake is buying the "bright white" LED lights. They are generally in the 6500k range. They will inhibit growth and eventually your roots will die. Some plants can tough it out, but many will struggle or outright die. For LED lights, you need to be in the 3000k to 3500k temperature range. Even then, I suggest that you add some red led strips.
There is a reason there are a plethora of LED "grow" lights... they are complicated to dial-in and many manufacturers throw a dart at the wall when first starting out until they get feedback. Furthermore, full spectrum means almost nothing. It does not show you the intensity of the spectrum segments for growing. Some manufacturers will show you a graph of the spectrum so you know what you are buying. For seed starting and getting plants up to size for transplanting, you want to see a lot of red in the spectrum.
Ignore what the marijuana indoor growers are doing with growing weed. It is a completely different animal than growing vegetable seedlings.
Another point is that LED lights do not need to be as close as Florescent lights if you get high wattage lights. If you keep them too close you will burn the plant. Not from heat, but from intensity.
One more point... if you supplement light near a window, that changes the LED lighting variable as well. You will need to experiment because you do not know exactly how much natural light you are getting, thus, you won't know how much to supplement and in what temperature range.
In a nutshell, buy LED lights in the "warm" range (3000k - 3500k), add some red LED strips, and experiment with the height, unless you have a quantum PAR meter. If you have one of those, then pay attention to DLI, which is a result of intensity (PPFD) and the amount of time that the light is on. With that being said, a quantum PAR meter measures the "total" ppfd. It does not give you a spectrum result. Therefore, you could have a good ppfd, but the intensity might be in the wrong segment of the spectrum. You see, there really is a science to lighting.
Best of luck and happy gardening!
Sounds like a trick proposition. I'm glad I don't have to worry about artificial lighting.
Will. You. Ever. Go. Back. To. Hosts. Miss. The. Row. By. Row. Show. The. Little. Digs. Were. Funny
Probably not.
PUT LINKS IN THE DESCRIPTION...IT DOESNT WORK ON PHONES.
Are you seriously starting pepper plants? Well you do have a green house. Have you had any eggs from the pullets? Everyone likes seeing chickens Travis. I have a problem with chicken math. 🐔🐤🐥
No eggs yet!