I bought a "Powerplant" hood and 2 off "Ecolight" lamps to go with
them and and timer switch for germinating alder seeds and growing them
up as fast as possible.

Now I look at the timer switch, it gives a fixed 12hrs of switch/day
and there is no provision for changing it. I am a little surprised at
this, really, I hadn't thought about it and I should have done. What
is best? I would like to read some discussion.

This set-up will not be in a green house and the hood will not be hung
from above, it will be in a living-room (at living-room temperature)
and I have enclosed the seed-tray and lights in a box, so when the
lights are switched off, it will be dark, unlike when a hood is hung
in a greenhouse.

Michael Bell

--

"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...
I bought a "Powerplant" hood and 2 off "Ecolight" lamps to go with
them and and timer switch for germinating alder seeds and growing them
up as fast as possible.

Now I look at the timer switch, it gives a fixed 12hrs of switch/day
and there is no provision for changing it. I am a little surprised at
this, really, I hadn't thought about it and I should have done. What
is best? I would like to read some discussion.

This set-up will not be in a green house and the hood will not be hung
from above, it will be in a living-room (at living-room temperature)
and I have enclosed the seed-tray and lights in a box, so when the
lights are switched off, it will be dark, unlike when a hood is hung
in a greenhouse.


Perchance the gadget has a perma-on position as opposed to timer setting,
then you could plug it in via an external (£3) timer and set the offs and
ons to your hearts content.

Otherwise it sounds like cover off time and bypass the internal timer and
use the external timer.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

In message
"Pete" wrote:



"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...
I bought a "Powerplant" hood and 2 off "Ecolight" lamps to go with
them and and timer switch for germinating alder seeds and growing them
up as fast as possible.

Now I look at the timer switch, it gives a fixed 12hrs of switch/day
and there is no provision for changing it. I am a little surprised at
this, really, I hadn't thought about it and I should have done. What
is best? I would like to read some discussion.

This set-up will not be in a green house and the hood will not be hung
from above, it will be in a living-room (at living-room temperature)
and I have enclosed the seed-tray and lights in a box, so when the
lights are switched off, it will be dark, unlike when a hood is hung
in a greenhouse.


Perchance the gadget has a perma-on position as opposed to timer setting,
then you could plug it in via an external (£3) timer and set the offs and
ons to your hearts content.

Otherwise it sounds like cover off time and bypass the internal timer and
use the external timer.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Oh yes, there is a "permanently on" switch, but do you advise me to
use it?

Michael Bell

--

"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...

Oh yes, there is a "permanently on" switch, but do you advise me to
use it?


No reason why not to, that I can think of.
You can get the desired off periods with the external timer.

If you could give me product reference source for this "Powerplant"
then this would help.

Aldi have some timers on special offer, you could consider

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers...uys3_16304.htm

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

In message
"Pete" wrote:



"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...

Oh yes, there is a "permanently on" switch, but do you advise me to
use it?


No reason why not to, that I can think of.
You can get the desired off periods with the external timer.

If you could give me product reference source for this "Powerplant"
then this would help.

Aldi have some timers on special offer, you could consider

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers...uys3_16304.htm

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com


Pete


So far as I be sure from pictures on the web, this is the hood:-

http://www.hg-hydroponics.co.uk/powe...ight-169-p.asp


and this is the light bulb.

http://www.hg-hydroponics.co.uk/200w...rple-623-p.asp

I can easily handle the electrics of it, my question is "how many
hours a day should the lights be on"?

I am a complete newbie in this. This is my first attempt at growing
seedlings under lights.

Thank you for any advice, it may seem obvious things to you, but it's
not to me.

Michael



--

On 14/11/2010 07:18, Michael Bell wrote:
I bought a "Powerplant" hood and 2 off "Ecolight" lamps to go with
them and and timer switch for germinating alder seeds and growing them
up as fast as possible.

Now I look at the timer switch, it gives a fixed 12hrs of switch/day
and there is no provision for changing it. I am a little surprised at
this, really, I hadn't thought about it and I should have done. What
is best? I would like to read some discussion.

This set-up will not be in a green house and the hood will not be hung
from above, it will be in a living-room (at living-room temperature)
and I have enclosed the seed-tray and lights in a box, so when the
lights are switched off, it will be dark, unlike when a hood is hung
in a greenhouse.

Michael Bell

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lig...&start=10&sa=N

In particular such links like:
http://fresc.usgs.gov/products/papers/317_Haeussler.pdf
http://forestry.oxfordjournals.org/c.../82/5/573.full (see the
heading "ISTA germination conditions")

--

Jeff

In message
Michael Bell wrote:

In message
"Pete" wrote:



"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...

Oh yes, there is a "permanently on" switch, but do you advise me to
use it?


No reason why not to, that I can think of.
You can get the desired off periods with the external timer.

If you could give me product reference source for this "Powerplant"
then this would help.

Aldi have some timers on special offer, you could consider

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers...uys3_16304.htm

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com


Pete


So far as I be sure from pictures on the web, this is the hood:-

http://www.hg-hydroponics.co.uk/powe...ight-wing-prop
agation-light-169-p.asp


and this is the light bulb.

http://www.hg-hydroponics.co.uk/200w...mp-red-blue-or
-purple-623-p.asp

I can easily handle the electrics of it, my question is "how many
hours a day should the lights be on"?

I am a complete newbie in this. This is my first attempt at growing
seedlings under lights.

Thank you for any advice, it may seem obvious things to you, but it's
not to me.

Michael


I suppose what I am really asking is "Is it best to leave the lights
on permanently or to have some light/dark regime, x/24?

Michael Bell




--

"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...


I suppose what I am really asking is "Is it best to leave the lights
on permanently or to have some light/dark regime, x/24?

Michael Bell


I would go with the twelve on/off setting .
Temperature and moisture control will perhaps be more critical than precise
lengths of daylight.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

In message
"Pete" wrote:



"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...


I suppose what I am really asking is "Is it best to leave the lights
on permanently or to have some light/dark regime, x/24?

Michael Bell


I would go with the twelve on/off setting .
Temperature and moisture control will perhaps be more critical than precise
lengths of daylight.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com


Thank you

Michael Bell
--