So, you’ve decided to start your cut flower garden indoors and you’re looking down the rabbit hole of grow lights. Your screen glows with terms like “lumens” and “Kelvin” and dollar signs, many, many dollar signs. But here’s a little secret from someone who’s been playing in the dirt for a while – when it comes to starting seeds, those fancy light specs don’t need to make your head spin.
At our farm, when we first dabbled in the cut flower business, we went the simple route: plain old LED shop lights. And guess what? It worked like a charm! So, let’s break it down for you, bud by bud.
What Grow Lights Do Seedlings Really Need?
Think of seedlings like newborn chicks; they need warmth and food, but they won’t fuss about the colour of the walls in their coop. Similarly, your baby plants need light, but they’re not picky about it being top-of-the-line. The aim here is to emulate the spring sun – that’s a time when sunlight is bright but not intense enough to suntan a snowman.
The Lowdown on Lumens and Kelvin
Lumens measure light brightness, and Kelvin (K) measures the colour temperature of light. You could get into a tizzy matching numbers, but remember, it’s like training wheels for your flowers – they’re just there to help your seeds get rolling.
When plants are all grown up and ready to blossom, that’s when they get choosy about their light diet. But at that point, your plants will be outdoors under the real sun. At this stage, any bright light will do, really. We used LED shop lights with a decent lumen rating that just screamed “spring day!” to our seeds.
Don’t Break the Bank
Now, about keeping those coins in your pocket. Expensive grow lights can indeed be fancy with impressive sounding claims, but are they necessary for seed starting? Nope. Save that cash for later.
So what’s my point? Simple lights can lead to show-stopping flowers. If the light’s bright and your seedlings aren’t stretching for the sky like tiny green gymnasts, you’re golden.
Personal Proof
In our first year, we had a jungle of Snapdragons, Cosmos, Zinnias and more waving at us just from simple LED lights. They were strong, stocky little guys, ready to face the big world outside. Did we spend a fortune? Negative. Did our plants grow well? Absolutely.
Wrapping it up
When it comes to starting your cut flowers indoors, remember, it’s about creating that spring morning vibe for your seeds. A confidently bright light is like that first cup of coffee for your plants – it gets them going, with no need for the fancy latte art!