taking forever to grow true leaves?

sheeshshe · Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:12 am

gosh, it sure seems like it is taking forever! I don't know if I'm just being impatient or what. I don't' think it normally takes THIS long every year I do this. Maybe my lights need to be replaced. how often do you replace your bulbs?

also, how long does it take lettuce to come up for you?

rainbowgardener · Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:20 pm

You didn't say how long it has been, so I have no idea if you are being impatient or not. And I don't know what you are growing. Maybe you posted that elsewhere, but it is beyond me these days to remember all of everybody's posts. A link would help.

Anyway depending on what plants and what conditions, I think a week-ish from seed leaves to first true leaves is pretty expectable.

Lettuce done indoors is usually very fast, a couple days. I direct seed mine outdoors when it is cold, so it is a lot slower.

sheeshshe · Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:58 pm

sorry, that is what I get for typing with cranky kids

peppers and tomatoes. and brussel sprouts. the peppers sprouted prob two weeks ago? tomatoes, last week. brussel sprouts last week.

lettuce I planted last week and only one out of about 12 containers have come up. I'm having a bad year I think. normally I'm very good at this.

GardenRN · Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:17 pm

my peppers also seemed extremely slow this year. Not just to sprout, but getting true leaves as well. I attribute it to the cooler temps in my house this year though. they took almost 2 and a half weeks to sprout and now they have been sitting with just the seed leaves for about 2 weeks. But they look healthy so I'm just gonna keep on keepin on. Let em do their thing.

annastasia76 · Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:22 pm

My tomatoes and pepper have also yet to get their first true leaves and it's been about 3 weeks to a month since they have sprouted, but it always takes a long time for me, might still be too cold here, I start all mine outside.

SOB · Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:40 pm

I'm curious to hear answers on how often people replace their lights...can you just wait until they burn out or do their "growing powers" have a certain life span?

sheeshshe · Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:59 pm

well, I know when keeping fish and doing live plants, they recomend changing your lights every 6m. but that is using them daily every day. so I wans't sure if people also do that when raising seedlings as well.

rainbowgardener · Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:48 am

I have never changed my bulbs. Some of them are ten years old, some are newer because I kept expanding the grow light area. Some I just got last year when I finished making the top level 8' long and got rid of some little 2' long bulbs I had pieced it out with. I can't tell any difference between the plants that are under ten year old bulbs and the plants that are under last years bulbs.

I will change the bulbs if I see any signs that plants aren't doing well under them!

My lights are on 16 hrs a day. The first ones get turned on early January. I just turned the last ones on a week or so ago. They will stay on until mid to late April and then they are turned off and just rest until next year.

Here's how it is looking:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12209&start=120

Halfway · Sat Mar 26, 2011 9:22 am

I have found that keeping them on the heating pad a few days after the true leaves have appeared helps.

The plants that have been taken off the pad immediately after germination take longer. Sometimes I need the space on the pad free'd, so I have to make the sacrifice.

applestar · Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:16 pm

Peppers even more than tomatoes need the heat. Consider moving the peppers upstairs or to a warmer room. Clamp on utility light fitted with 100W equivalent daylight CFL bulb is your friend.

The room that used to be DH's den is turning into a plant room. He says he wants a "normal" room back, but that's what he gets for claiming dibs on a SSE exposure upstairs room!

They'll all go outside when the weather warms up anyway, and HE gets to enjoy the orchids in full bloom.

sheeshshe · Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:52 pm

they are still upstairs..they never made it down to the basement. I've been in mid-construction zone down there and I'm hoping after today I can get them down there. they're taking over my house! I am finally seeing some leaves today! Yeah! All I had to do was talk about how naughty they were being and they're going to show me up LOL!