Please help! I am a complete newbie in the greenhouse world and I just purchased some grow hoods that hold 6 T5 florescent bulbs, but I have absolutely no idea how to use them!!! How long do I have them on for? How high above my tomato seedlings do I hang them? I have heard that seedlings need a "darkness" period...is this true? I am desperate for any info or guidance. Thank you!
Most sources say that some darkness is necessary for plants to grow properly, but that is debatable. I think that plants will not grow any faster if you leave the lights on beyond a certain point that varies with the type of plant. Anyway, I leave my grow lights on for 16 hours each day when I am starting tomato and pepper seedlings; and this seems to work quite well. As far as how high above the seedling you should hang the lights, with fluorescent bulbs it's as close as possible. I only raise my lights when the seedlings start to touch the bulbs.
Thank you for your speedy reply! I now have a starting point for working with my grow lights (and my tomato seedlings thank you as well)!
