silvasofa

The one thing I am now not sure of in my upcoming germination process, which you have all been very helpful indeed in helping me to decide how to achieve (but as with all other postings, I like to understand WHY I am doing something and not just blindly follow instructions! This helps you to become skilled at something rather than just a rule follower!), is WHY when you transfer your seeds to your pots (or in my Hydroponic setup,the peat pellets and RW blocks) the lights have to be so close to the seeds?

I mean, i nature the sun deosn't fall down onto the ground to shine on the seeds and whats more, Photons are photons, no matter how far they have travelled to hit something!

And if its a question of giving them LOTS of light, how ALSO could it be prudent for me to not use my lovely bright 600watt sodium bulbs which adfmitedly are 6 foot abve the seeds in favour of bog standard flourescent tubes right next to them ? I mean, I would think that comparing what actually gets to the seeds in terms of the amount of light, a 600watt buld 6 foot away would probably deliver MORE light than a relatively dim flourescent tube does ? Or is itosmehting about the TYPE of light spectrum that tubes give off in this early stage of growth ? Can someone please 'en-LIGHTEN' me please!? (pun absolutely intended!) coz I really don'tget the logic behind this and the Germination 101 posting/guide is very descriptive and prescriptive but lacks quite abit of explanation of why certain techniques work in some areas of the process... (

Cheers

Silvasofa (again!)

IonAccel

I am not a professional physicist...

But I may make a few guesses!

I can't see any harm in growin seedlings under HID. I too started mine with fluoros untill 2 inches tall because that's what they all say. But If your HID is high enough above the plant, I can't see that "too many photons" could ever hurt a plant. Hell, if I remember correctly, trillions of seeds hatch everyday out of mother earth, with a bright frickin star shining above them!

Maybe the no-HID's-for-seedlings thing is a myth, because someone killed there plant with too much heat?

And I think the idea of parking the fluoros and inch above the plant is because the higher the distance, the more the photons will spread towards walls and away from the plant, especially if you had a big space. And if your total growth is less than a couple inches, why not concentrate that light.

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3hounds

Of course you can start seedlings under HID lights, or outside under the sun, for that matter. There is less margin for error than when using fluoros, that's all.
In nature, baby seedlings have to grow through a certain amount of underbrush before they reach the full blazing sunlight. This brief time allows them to settle into their world, build a strong functional root system, and get some leaves produced to synthesize the light. Before these things have taken place (the first two weeks) the plant simply cannot use strong light. They need the intensity of the lights being very close to inhibit stretching, but they're growing as fast as they can already, and any added stress of overheating is just counterproductive.
The risk of drying out your soil and/or cooking your plants is much greater with HID lights than it is with fluoros. So if you want to maximize your results and suffer the least amount of loss, we recommend that you stay with the tried and true.
Once you have several grows under your belt, then you can more safely play around with alternative methods and experiments... we are only suggesting techniques that are most likely to bring you success.

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Arsenal

A photon is a photon no matter how far away it is before it hits something..

But consider that it's "hitting" air and evaporated water molecules as it travels towards, which have the potential to diffuse the light a little. Also, light doesn't just travel in a straight line, as our good friend Mr. Young showed with his light slit experiments, but also as a wave.. so it naturally disperses anyhow (more info on that can be found in any handy secondary school physics textbook .)

So.. what this all comes down to is that, yes, it is the same light when it hits your plant.. but less light is actually hitting it. Some light has been reflected around the plant, absorbed into the walls, or what have you. A lamp right up next to the plant ensures that the plant is the first to absorb all the light it needs.

Well that's enough of my weird physics.. feel free to ask more/dispute what I've said/mailbomb my enemies.

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The way I see it, thinking just isn't economical. While someone might give you a penny for your thoughts, you're always putting in your two cents.