Best Light for Seedlings
"What are you guys using as grow lights for seed starting?"
We recently had a question from a customer on what kind of lights we're using to start seeds.
We recently had a question from a customer on what kind of lights we're using to start seeds.
You can use lots of different lights to start seeds, you'd be surprised, even a regular old standard fluorescent white light will do the trick! These days though you'll find LED lights at any garden center, nursery or hardware store.
LED lights work well for starting seeds and getting your seedlings a head start on spring. It's nice to buy them locally to support your neighborhood businesses, and it's nice to see the lights in person so you can pick what's best for your space. Plus garden centers usually carry good quality lights so you get a better, long lasting product that the pros like to use.
You don't need any fancy or expensive lights to start seeds. Go to your local garden nursery or hardware store and you'll likely find the perfect LED lights setup for any space. You can get specific growing lights, but any bright white lights (like shop lights) will work for seedlings.
You don't need any fancy or expensive lights to start seeds. Go to your local garden nursery or hardware store and you'll likely find the perfect LED lights setup for any space. You can get specific growing lights, but any bright white lights (like shop lights) will work for seedlings.
Weak Seedlings?
It may not be the lack of Light!
If you have weak pepper seedlings, but your lights are within 4-6" of the seedlings, it might not be that they need more light! Instead, it may be that they just need movement via air circulation or the brushing of your hand. Air circulation and movement helps prevent damping off.
Can you have too much light?
Yes. See below...
Seedlings don't need super intense light! In fact, several years back we bought a super bright 100W LED light last year (shown above) but it was so bright it burned up our seedlings when we put them under it! They looked great until we put them under the light – then they slowly started turning purple and brown and stopped growing. We pointed the light away but the damage was done. If we had suspended it much farther away from the seedlings (like the ceiling!) it may have worked, but it was just too close and too bright.
We THOUGHT that brighter light was better, but alas, this is NOT the case.
A regular growing light is best for seedlings, you don't want a floodlight on them, they'll burn right up.
LED shop lights are now available at your local hardware store. But, you can also use old working shop lights (4 ft. garage T-8 flourescent light fixtures) which work great for starting seeds.
If you're using basic shop lights, it is good to keep the lights close. We like to start them out at 2 to 4 inches above the top of the soil and as the seedlings grow taller, we move the lights up to keep them about 4-6" away from the seedlings.
The spectrum of most standard white LED or fluorescent white lights meet the photosynthesis needs of any annual full sun crop, just not the heat.
Are Purple Growing Lights Better?
Though it's not as common anymore, some LED growing lights come in a purple-colored spectrum made from a combination of blue and red wavelengths, based on the theory that plants only need those spectrum to grow vegetation. While these do work fine for starting seedlings, we're not a big fan of the color. We prefer the white LEDs, and there have been some who say that the full-spectrum of white light (like sunlight) truly is the best for plants overall health. We agree. White light is much more enjoyable for looking at seedling's bright green leaves under clean white light, and the plants probably like it, too. Either way, seedlings will grow fine under white or purple growing lights... so just work with what you have available.
Leggy Seedlings?
Leggy seedlings are not always caused by lack of light. If you have weak pepper seedlings, it may just be that they need some movement and air circulation! Learn how to keep your seedlings from getting leggy:
Yep, it's not just lights you need, air circulation and movement is also important!
In addition to having supplemental lights, it's also important to have movement and air circulation for your seedlings. Put an oscillating fan on them for a couple hours a day, or brush them daily with your hands – this will help them develop stockier, thicker stems, and not be so leggy and frail.
We have a couple of old fluorescent light Aerogardens that work great for starting pepper seeds (see photo above and at the top of this post), we use a seedling starter tray with 50 pods and it works great to start 50 different pepper plants! The only downside is that they need to be transplanted pretty soon after they start getting their real leaves as the seedling tray sponges are quite narrow so the roots start to get stuck if you leave them in too long. The newer Aerogardens have LED lights and don't have as big of a seed starter tray, but they work equally well.
Seedlings transplant very well from an Aerogarden as well, even directly into the garden (after hardening seedlings off first, of course.) Now Aerogardens are using LEDs, which we've also seen do quite well. They are expensive, though, so if you're on a budget check out Craigslist to find used Aerogardens for a much more affordable price!
Learn how to Start Pepper Seeds in your Aerogarden
We've also heard great things about LED Lights, too. One of our customers raves about his 4 ft LED shop light fixtures that he purchased at Lowes for less than $20.
On a budget? Check out this cheapest way to start seeds:
If you're on a super tight budget, you don't even need lights at all! Check out our Winter Sowing method tips for more info on recycling jugs to serve as mini-greenhouses that you can start seeds for in the winter and early spring months OUTSIDE! Check out our cool weather veggie seeds which work great for winter sowing, even in the heart of winter!
Learn more about How to Grow Peppers »
Happy growing!
