On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:53:48 -0800, higgledy wrote:

I am planting some herbs indoors. I know that it is way early, but I am
experimenting with about 24 Jiffy-Pellets and a few herbs like basil,
cilantro, and marojorm. (I am getting excited for spring) Is it a good
idea to use root stimulator? I used it to expand the pellets. The basil
and marojarm sprouted within 3 days. It has been 6 days but have not seen
any cilantro sprouts. Should I cantinue to water with a solution of root
stimulator?

Also, for grow lights. Can I use normal flourescent tubes or should I buy
special plant light tubes?

Good day higgledy. I doubt that root stimulator will have much effect on
the sprouting times of your seeds. Look on the cilantro seed package to
see how long the seed takes to sprout. 6 days may not be long enough.

It's o.k. to start your herbs this early indoors. You will want to keep a
watchful eye on them and "pot them up" to larger pots soon. Put them in 4
inch pots, peat plug and all, and cover them with potting soil. Just cover
the peat plug, don't plant them deeper than the plug. This can cause
trouble. After a few weeks in a 4 inch pot, they may need to be potted up
again to a 1 gallon pot. The goal is to not to have the roots constricted.
As the herbs grow, pinching the tops may help with their hight and
branching.

For grow lights you can use flourescent tubes with no problems. Make sure
you keep the lights as close to the plants as possible. Other wise the
plants will get "leggy" as they strech for the light. You can use plant
lights if you wish, or you can cheat and go the cheaper route. Buy one
plain old shop light and a "kitchen and bath" light. Place one of each in
your light fixture. The shop light will give you the blue light your
plants need, while the kitchen and bath light will give you the red light
your plants need. Together they make pretty good full spectrum lighting.

Good luck and good day.......

--
http://resources.ywgc.com