It’s been another mad week at the fourth farthing, the pizza oven received its first firing for a guest (it passed with flying colours) and I invested in one and then two grow lights!
The grow lights are for my seedlings which were getting rather leggy on the windowsill – my peas eventually became so weak I had to scrap them 😦
For my remaining seedlings my new grow light(s) have been a saving grace. I purchased this LED light bulb with this lamp from Amazon.
For cheep lighting they’ve made all the difference. Each bulb will fit approximately 7 small 7cm pots under it or one standard sized module tray.
(Non affiliate links)
The growth of my plants has improved dramatically.
I pricked out the strongest looking of my remaining seedlings and potted them on, sinking their long leggy stalks further than normal into the soil to anchor them more securely in place so they weren’t floppy. I then watered each one from the tray at the base so the moisture would wick up to the roots rather than knocking the weak plants over by spray or sprinkler. All of these seedlings are thriving, they’ve become stockier and stronger and look much much healthier.
The Malabar Spinach is quite a beefy seedling as is, but it’s remained stocky rather than legging out.
The Mexican Tree Spinach is beginning to develop its magenta blush through seems naturally to be quite a spindly seedling, which surprised me given its reputation for being prolific.
The Mitsuba has even developed its first true leafs!
The chilli pepper, which I am determined to get to fruit (I had no luck with chilli last year), has stayed mercifully stocky and strong.
Last night I bought my tomatoes, winter squash and summer squash out of the airing cupboard where they germinated in just two days! These are now under my second heat lamp,soon to be joined by some more peas.
On a side note I cannot believe how difficult it is to find a legitimate source of information on grow lights! Only marijuana growers seem to care about discussing such things. I feel like a criminal just for growing some vegetables! (Not to mention the somewhat dodgy purple light that currently emanates from our windows). Oh well, let’s just hope that my allotment doesn’t get me arrested eh?
How are you helping your seedlings grow big and strong?
GG xx