# Flourescent vs. LED seed starting light



## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Overnight, the seed starting supplies have started to appear in the BB stores. I can wait awhile for the starting supplies, but I couldn't pass up an offer at Menards for a double pack of 42" LED shop lights for a good price. Thinking about using them for seed starting as well. It wouldn't be a waste of money for the lamps, as I could use them in the garage or basement--but do you think they will work instead of fluorescent lamps for seed starting? Any experience?

geo


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

When at Cornell back in the 70s they always said use a cool white and a warm white bulb in each shop light for good growing. it always worked for me when I grew to sell...it does require that you keep the tops of the plants no more than a couple inches from the bulbs...so you have to re-arrange things regularly. Other problems are too much watering and too much fertilizer tend to make things grow too leggy.

Also, the two inches of bulb at each end don't give off as much light or the right kind of light, so keep you starter plants away from the ends.

The combination of cool white and warm white was supposed to have the right light spectrum for photosynthesis.

I had my starter in a homemade type of shelving that a light attached to the shelf above would also give a bit of warmth to the above seeds to help with germination, i.e. bottom heat.

Dust the bulbs occasionally so that there isn't dust to block out some light...


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## Yellow Creek (Nov 15, 2007)

I don't have any experience with LEDs as I have been using florescent lights that are still going after 20 years. I am going to try a small LED test this year. This link may help. https://ask.extension.org/questions/384648

Seems that it is important to have at least 5000 lumens for the lights to work with plant starting.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

I have some florescent fixtures that we bought some LED bulbs for, to test out for seed starting. I couldn't really tell much of a difference while starting seeds that don't require a long time under the bulbs. There was some very, very slight difference in growth and "green-ness" of starts that were under the lights longer (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants). They did just ever so slightly better under the fluorescent bulbs than the LEDs, but really nothing that made a very noticeable or lasting difference. After hardening off, I really couldn't tell which plants were which.

I might experiment with putting 2 LEDs and 2 florescents in a fixture and see what happens since I have the 4-bulb fixtures. But, yeah, you would be totally fine with LEDs for seed starting.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

I'd be inclined to go on and get a LED grow light. They're so cheap now, might as well be a prize in a KrackerJack box. Phenomenal life expectancy, and extremely cheap to run.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

I just watched some TeeeHugger TV show about urban farms growing veggies indoors. They used LEDs of blue & red shades- the best for plant growth. (Plants look green because they absorb the red & blue wavelengths and reflect mostly the green wavelengths.) They liked their results.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

doc- said:


> I just watched some TeeeHugger TV show about urban farms growing veggies indoors. They used LEDs of blue & red shades- the best for plant growth. (Plants look green because they absorb the red & blue wavelengths and reflect mostly the green wavelengths.) They liked their results.


You definitely need that if you're growing adult plants to fruiting. Seedlings grown to transplant stage will do just fine under the cheaper bulbs/fixtures.


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## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

geo in mi said:


> ...but do you think they will work instead of fluorescent lamps for seed starting?


For seed starting. any light works. If you're only sprouting to the first two leaf sets, you're fine. If you're running an indoor garden, intensity and color temp matter. The 5,000 lumen daylight ones work well for indoor plants, been growing violets under them for several years. Under fluorescents for decades.

Jeff


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Flourescent fixtures are getting to be very hard to find. I wanted to get another one for my plant shelf in the livingroom but the local box stores carry only LED with fixed lights.


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## B. White (7 mo ago)

Danaus29 said:


> Flourescent fixtures are getting to be very hard to find. I wanted to get another one for my plant shelf in the livingroom but the local box stores carry only LED with fixed lights.


I started 100% growing from seed this year and bought the cheapest daylight LED lights I could find at the time. $18-20 a piece. I grew about 300 plants with them and I had no issues. I regret I spent too much time researching it to make sure it would work well.


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