growing vegetables indoors

starflare · Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:55 am

Does anyone know about growing veges indoor, I am using a fish tank, cooper planter, and grow light, I have one set of lettuce die but still have others coming up [url=https://img199.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010662.jpg][img]https://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8030/1010662.th.jpg[/img][/url]
can u give me suggestion what I can do now.

rainbowgardener · Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:51 am

Well it looks like you had a whole clump of seedlings come up all in one spot, so as soon as they get true leaves on them you are going to need to (gently) transplant them, spread them out. Also everything is looking pretty bleached out and all leaning one direction, which would be toward the light source. Both of these things suggest they aren't getting enough light.

When I start seeds indoors, I use shop lights, just a few inches above the plants, on 16 hrs a day.

starflare · Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:42 am

ok thanks. don't u think that those kind of lights get to hot and I am using plant light.

rainbowgardener · Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:47 pm

No shop lights are just the long fluorescent tubes and they are cool. But the shop light is the frame that holds two 4' long tubes. So one tray of seedlings has two light tubes over it a few inches away, 16 hrs a day. And still when they go from that to outdoors, it's a very big adaptation to how much more sun there is outside. Our eyes adapt so relatively effortlessly we sometimes don't realize how dramatically much darker it is inside, even with lights on than outside.

starflare · Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:37 pm

Here is a newer pic[url=https://img118.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010674.jpg][img]https://img118.imageshack.us/img118/2916/1010674.th.jpg[/img][/url]

rainbowgardener · Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:24 am

There's been a bunch written in this forum about starting seeds indoors, try the search box at upper left of most pages.

The one that's lying flat on the soil looks like damped off. Damping off is a fungal infection from soil being wet too much and too little air circulation. That may be what happened to your first batch, if they looked like that. The stems get pinched in and brownish right at the soil line.

starflare · Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:41 am

accually it is [url=https://img199.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010679.jpg][img]https://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5725/1010679.th.jpg[/img][/url]
doing well the seedlings are growing up and up,

splat42069 · Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:13 pm

Man they are stretching like crazy. You either need to move your light closer or get more lights. Sooner or later your gonna have big lanky plants. Also might want to look into a small fan or something to build the stems strength.

starflare · Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:48 pm

There is nothing wrong [url=https://img403.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010690.jpg][img]https://img403.imageshack.us/img403/472/1010690.th.jpg[/img][/url]
with them they are growing strong

rainbowgardener · Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:41 pm

I know you are very pleased with your seedlings as well you should be; lots of people don't even try. But the point of writing in to a place like this is to learn from people who have more years of experience at this. So maybe you should at least keep an open mind when several of them are telling you no they aren't growing strong. They are growing leggy, tall and spindly and leaned toward the light. That tells you they are not getting enough light. They will be fine if you give them more light, such as extra fluorescent bulbs just a few inches over their heads, turned on 12-16 hrs /day. When seedlings aren't getting enough light, they keep stretching out to try to get to some, thus the tall and spindly. The fact that they keep getting taller and taller just confirms the point.

starflare · Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:41 pm

I have been growing veteables for 5yrs and u put the bulb any closer they will burn . the bulb is 4inches above the plants right now, the reason they are growing fast is the soil and the plant food I am using. I am not puting down what u say but it seems that what I am doing cant be changed more then what I am doing plus if there was something wrong they would have fallen over and died by now.

applestar · Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:15 pm

For your frame of reference, here are some early lettuce from this spring. When seedlings were up-potted to individual pots, they were buried to just under the true leaf cluster. Otherwise, the slender hypocotyl (stem) between the roots and the cotyledons (seed leaves) would be unable to support the top of the lettuce as it grows and flop over. *Note the position of the fluorescent light tubes above the leaves.

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3689.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3840.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3717.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3786.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3831.jpg[/img]

starflare · Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:58 pm

But right now I am not growing lettuce I am growing raddishes and wild chives turnips and vegetables plants like that. and your lettuce looks good.
Plant bulb has almost the same heat intensity as the sun.

starflare · Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:14 am

the lettuce and spinich from seeds are growing fine outdoorsand they are doing fine.[url=https://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1010746.jpg][img]https://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4633/1010746.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Hydrogardener · Sun Nov 08, 2009 5:57 pm

I have grown vegetables indoors under lights for a number of years. Recently I tried using the new LED lighting. I am now a firm believer in them and will eventually replace my fluorescent lights with LEDs as the bulbs need replacement. The lettuce in the photo has been growing only two weeks in this system using the LED.

[img]https://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp121/hydrogardener/1104.jpg[/img]