My whole batch of heirloom tomato seedlings got leggy in my basement setup

I tried to start them early under cheap LED shop lights, but they stretched way too much after just 10 days. Now I'm stuck with a bunch of weak stems and have to start over with proper grow lights. Anyone know a good, affordable brand that actually works for seedlings?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicel1020d ago

My basement setup did the same thing last year with my peppers. The problem with those shop lights is they don't put out enough of the right blue light to keep stems short. I switched to a basic Barrina T5 fixture from Amazon (the four-foot ones) and kept it just two inches above the leaves. That distance is key, way closer than you'd think. You have to lower the lights every couple days as they grow.

nathanking20d ago

Man, leggy seedlings are the worst. I lost a whole tray of peppers that way a few years back, felt like a total waste of time. Getting the light super close is the real trick, like alicel10 said. I've had good luck with the basic SunBlaster fixtures, but any T5 style light should do the job if you keep it right on top of them.