Here is a link to the FAQ on lighting from over on the Growing from Seed forum here. You might want to read through some of the many discussions there about lighting. Plus there is a Growing Under Lights forum here too with all kinds of info and links.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766551/do-i-need-special-growlights-for-starting-seeds

Dave

As to whether you should get a lamp, the answer is *absolutely yes*. It's hard to grow seedlings in even a sunny windowsill. If you cover the lamp setup with a cloth or tarp, the lights will keep things nice and warm underneath, so I wouldn't worry about a heat mat. I wouldn't bother with "gro-lamps" either. Just get a plain fluorescent bulb and garage-type fixture. Quite cheap. Do get a cheap digital thermometer, also, so you can monitor the temperature.

You can optimize all this, at cost, but this is a basic setup that will get you going nicely.

Peppers can take several weeks to germinate. I can't imagine one germinating in three days, unless the seeds were moist long before that.

If you plan on starting your own seeds, I'd say a grow-light setup is essential...your seedlings will do so much better than on a windowsill, no matter how sunny. I don't use a heat mat; it might speed up germination, but imo it's not totally necessary.

The important thing is to get them started right in the first place...a good starting mix, NO peat pots, good air circulation, and watch the watering.

Thanks digdirt i'll check that out.

Daninthedirt great advice, exactly what I need to here and know, cheers :D, should i use a cardboard box instead of a cloth?, and can i use a desk lamp instead of a garage-type fixture,

If I line the inside of a cardboard box with aluminium foil and have an desk lamp with a florescent light bulb poking threw the box shining onto the plants, would that be an ok set up.

Ps the scotch bonnet were fresh and wet.

Unless you go with the high output types, don't bother with anything less than 4'. With regular fluorescent fixtures, 6" on either end don't put out any usable light. So, the small 'desk' types of the regular fluorescent bulbs are useless for growing plants. Again though, the more expensive, high output ones are a bit more effective. Do a little research on the T-5, T-12, etc... styles to learn more.

There is good info on those links provided above, and the best buy for a beginner is usually the 2-bulb 4' shop lights that you can get with bulbs included for $10 - $20. If you have the choices of styles, the ones with the extended reflectors are best. Fluorescent bulbs emit light 360 degrees around the circumference of the bulb. That means that, without a good reflector, more than half the light is wasted. Extended reflectors can more than double the usable light.

Also keep in mind that to be effective, such bulbs must be no more than 4" away from the growing tips of the plants - with 2" being ideal. With the higher output bulbs, this distance can (and depending on the heat emitted, sometimes must) be increased. Fans can help remove the heat from higher output fixtures and help avoid burning the growing tips. Regular fluorescents don't really have this heat problem unless the plants touch the bulb for extended periods. So, using a box can work, but too many people think they can rest the lights above the box and be okay. But, if the box is too deep, the lights are far too distant from the plant tips. You can use 'risers' under the plants and lower them as they grow. However, care must be taken that you don't cause a terrarium effect where humidity can cause damping off. A few ventilation holes can make a big difference if a box is used as a way of making a homemade growth chamber. Plastic is usually best, as cardboard will get soft with all the watering necessary, and mold can build up.

So, just some things to think about...

Edited to add: Sorry, I don't click links to ebay, or many other places, so I haven't looked at those choices. I think the info in my comment presents my experience and would answer whether the lamp you're looking at will work.

Sorry but my point was that all your questions are already covered and discussed over on the Growing from Seed forum here (the link I provided) as that is the whole focus of that forum and there is lots of good reading to do there.

For example there you would learn about how important air circulation is around the plants, how a cardboard box can restrict that and trap heat, the importance of maintaining the air temperature around the plants so that they don't get too hot. You could read about the different types of light fixtures and bulbs people used, which ones work and which ones don't, how a heat mat is supposed to be used and when it is to be avoided. All the basics about how to grow things - anything - from seed.

Dave

Thank you, guys.

Im tempted to buy this!

Good points about 4-foot fluorescent bulbs. Don't waste your time on small desk-fixtures (which are likely more expensive anyway than a shop-light, and whose intensity is suspect - I assume you're talking about growing more than one plant, no?). A shop-light fixture with two bulbs will easily handle two dozen or so 4-inch pots underneath. If you have a choice, I suggest getting one "daylight" color light, and one a "warm" color light. Together, those will cover the needed spectrum well.

I think covering with a light blanket/cloth or tarp is the easiest thing, taking up the least room, and allowing for air circulation. You'll need to keep the lights a few inches above the top of the seedlings as they grow, so a box that works at the beginning might not work at the end. Don't bother with aluminum foil. Again, get a thermometer (less than $10). You can change the drape of the cover to regulate temperature to around 80F. You'll want to keep the lights on for 18 hours or so every day, so if you don't want to do that timing yourself, a few buck lamp timer will do the job nicely.

Dave is right about the Growing from Seed forum here, but people there are often willing to spend a lot of money to do things exactly right. I think what you're asking here is "what can I get away with?" That's where I'm coming from as well.

It's only $26.21, or £19.99

Daninthedirt Im sixteen i dont have a job, anything that i buy comes from my parents, so it can't be too expensive, if i had a job I'd build and buy the best for my tomato baby's.

For tomatoes it is more expensive than you need, has a very small footprint so will not cover but a few plants, and is the spectrum for growing blooming plants like flowers not green plants like vegetables.

Dave

Thanks Dave

Not sure what LED light you're talking about. Can't tell much from a picture. Be aware that LED lights won't keep anything very warm. The power output is about a third that of fluorescents. And it's a foot across? That's desk light size. Would be interesting to see the light output numbers from that and see how it compares to a T-8 bulb.

A dual T-8 shop light fixture is about $10. Another $10 for bulbs.

daninthedirt: Peppers can take several weeks to germinate. I can't imagine one germinating in three days, unless the seeds were moist long before that.

If I'm reading bau correctly, the pepper wasn't from saved, dry seed but straight out of a fresh pepper. I could see that sprouting much more quickly.

I get pepper seeds germinating in under a week using the damp paper towel method. Then I move it into starter mix and it's a few more days to another week to see actual cotyledons emerging.

Heat mat plus some grow light led strip?, Should do the trick.

That strikes me as the more expensive, and less expandable way to go, but it's up to you.

Yes, an undried seed would indeed sprout fast! That's what he meant by "core", I guess.

Sorry for being a pain in the bum, thank for your advice.

I suggest a 4' fluorescent T8, double tube {{(shop light ) with 5200k, daylight bulbs }}is all you need. Here in US I buy the fixture and the bulbs at a total cost of under $25. One unit is enough to grow about 20 seedlings in 2" square pot. You can add another one if you grow more. I started with one and now have 3 of them.

NOTE: for germinating there is no need for light. The sees should germinate at 70 -80F fine.

Sey