Re: [tomato] Newbie at starting seeds
Edmund C. Flynn (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Fri, 15 Jan 1999 00:16:40 -0500
ChuckWyatt/Md/Z7 wrote:
> The important thing is to keep
> 'em cool (60 Deg or cooler) barely damp, and within 3" of the light source.
> It seems easier to put the flats on blocks which are removed as the plants
> grow. Three pairs of florescents can be a hassle to raise up.
>
My lights are adjustable in height using chains, but I have found it
much easier to use the type of foam insulation used in house construction. I
set
out a flat that has just germinated with, perhaps, 8 sheets of this foam under
it.
As the plants grow I slip the foam out from under the flat .. one sheet at a
time
.. making, thereby, very small adjustments quite easily. My plants are never as
much as 4 inches from the lights.
The foam is quite easy to cut to whatever size flats you use .. it is
surprisingly strong, 3/4 of an inch thick, and it is feather weight. I have
been
reusing my foam sheet/spacers for years. And, if you are lucky, you can get a
quite good supply for free from the scrap at a construction site.
I can make small adjustments. Better still, I can vary the height of
each
flat according to its rate of growth. I only use the chains for major
adjustments
from time to time.
Ed Flynn