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Indoor Seed Starting

Starting seedlings indoors can be a great way to get a head start on your garden and ensure healthy, robust plants. Read our Top 10 Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors below.

Top 10 Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors

1. Choose the right growing container

Use seed starting trays or pots with drainage holes in the bottom to allow excess water to drain away.

2. Choose the right soil

Use a high-quality seed starting mix that is lightweight and has good water retention. Avoid using garden soil, as it may contain pathogens that can harm seedlings.

3. Label your containers

Make sure you label each container with the name of the plant and the date you planted the seeds. This will help you keep track of what you've planted and when.

4. Choose the right grow light

Seedlings need lots of light to grow, so make sure you have a good source of light, such as an efficient LED grow light available here with a PPFD of 50-150 over the plant canopy. Keep the lights on for 12-16 hours per day to achieve an average DLI of 3-6. Choosing a light designed with the right light output and spectrum for seedlings will make a big difference in your germination rate success.

5. Maintain a consistent temperature

Most seeds need warm temperatures to germinate, so keep your seedlings in a warm spot, ideally between 65-75°F (18-24°C).

6. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged

Water your seedlings regularly, but be careful not to overwater. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy in order to prevent damping off (a fungal disease that can kill seedlings).

7. Provide good air circulation

To prevent disease, ensure good air circulation around your seedlings. A small fan can help with this.

8. Fertilize appropriately

Seedlings don't need much fertilizer, but you can use a diluted solution of a balanced fertilizer once the first true leaves appear.

9. Harden off before transplanting

About a week before transplanting outdoors, gradually acclimate your seedlings by placing them outside for a few hours each day.

10. Plant at the right time

Consult a planting calendar for your region to determine the best time to start your seeds indoors and when to transplant them outside.

Hear from some of our successful seed starters

★★★★★

When I started growing microgreens I decided to up my veggie start game. They are all growing and thriving - crazy! I can't cull my seedlings because they're all vigorous and healthy so here I am... 4 weeks before last frost with too many starts, not enough space!

Alison R.
★★★★★

Well made and excellent for vegetable seedlings. I use a plant light mostly to grow vegetable seedlings to plant in my garden. With previous lights, my seedlings tended to be tall and spindly. This year I bought the 4 lamp fixture with the sun white spectrum. It is far brighter than my previous lights. Seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables were by far the best I've ever grown--fast-growing, compact plants with strong stems and excellent leaf color. The fixture is very solidly constructed and was easy to hang with a chain to adjust the height.

John
★★★★★

Exactly What I Wanted. I searched locally for this kind of light with no success. After weeks of researching, I finally settled on this product. With the constant source of light, I now have seedlings sprouting and I couldn't be happier.

HappyKitchen
★★★★★

I did a test with a flat of 1/3 broccoli, 1/3 kale, & 1/3 cauliflower seeds under my old led grow bulbs (6000k), with 4 bulbs, 4 years old, and a flat of the same seeds under the Active Grow Sun White Pro Spectrum bulbs, with 2 bulbs. They both grew the same. The Active Grow bulbs effectively put out twice the light as my old bulbs. That is what I call great performance.

Jerry S.
★★★★★

Great Product. Impressed with this product. My Bell peppers have done incredibly well under this light. Ordered a second light, have the 2 foot and 4 foot light. Seedlings grew so fast, needed the larger light to allow for them to spread out. The pepper plant leaves are broader than what I've grown under fluorescent T5. Another benefit, my plants are not leggy. Stalks are nice and thick. You can pull the light close to the plants after they sprout which was great at first. Eventually moved the light about 18" above them as they have grown larger and continue to grow. Plants have a nice bush appearance. Also obtained great results with parsley and am now staring cabbage, tomatoes, basil and believe they will do just as well. This light definitely has given me a jump on the growing season which can be tempermental at times where I live.

Emily G

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