Hello, new to tomato growing
I didn’t want to go all out and buy grow light for my tomato seedlings and figured I could use this led lamp instead (6500 kelvins, 3800 lumen) I only use it at night, during the day they are in direct sunlight.
Is this a decent alternative to a grow light? Or wouldn’t it work? I don’t really know the science behind grow lights
Also, should my seedlings be closer to the light?
Thanks in advance
by chaddisons
8 Comments
yes! i use shop lights. 5100-6500K will work well. it’s suggested to have higher lumens, but whatever you can find is fine. you’ll have to keep the seedlings closer to the lights.
here’s the website i referenced when finding my shop lights. they have a good explanation!
https://www.therustedgarden.com/blogs/vegetable-gardening-tips-blog/growing-seed-starts-with-basic-white-led-shop-lights-lumens-kelvin-and-par-value-ratings-explained
They will work fine just have to be a whole lot closer. Like a few inches away from the plant close.
This will work in the seedling stage. This will not be strong enough (or the correct color spectrum) to grow viable fruit. If you plan on putting them outside after preparing them indoors, then that’s a different story.
Fluorescent lights are suitable with a distance of 2-3 inches from the plants.
LED is all down to exactly what you bought. I purchased some LED retrofit fluorescent bulbs and it killed my tomato seedlings as it didn’t have any of the light frequencies the plants needed. For LEDs, you really want something labeled grow lights.
They worked fine for me honey. I grew about 200 plants under shop lights like those.
I like Craig LeHoullier and many consider him to be an expert as well. He uses plain old fluorescent lights and grows hundreds if not thousands of plants every year.
https://www.craiglehoullier.com/blog1/2022/7/13/off-the-vine-volume-2-number-2-from-seed-to-garden-by-craig
This is what I use for my plants from seed to about 12 inches tall.
Although it might not seem like it from this sub, you don’t actually need grow lights to grow tomatoes if you have access to this new fangled thing called sunlight and can eventually grow outside and make use of it. Even small, poorly oriented windows can provide enough to grow seedlings until they can go outside in a good spot.
You mention you can access sunlight and will be eventually growing outside, so grow lights are just an optional extra. I grow all my tomatoes using good old natural sunlight. I do have a cold frame that is extremely useful though as my windows are pretty shit in terms of orientation.
The best part about sunlight is it’s totally free and environmentally friendly. If I had the money I’d probably buy some amazing grow lights to help things along though…