Install fixtures on the bottom surface of kitchen wall cabinets.

Fit old buffet tables, radio cabinets, and other furniture with fluorescent tubes after removing interior partitions.

If your indoor seed-starting space is severely limited, youd be wise to consider some of the following when deciding which plants to start early: Plants that need long period of growth to prepare them for setting out. Those that are most costly or difficult to find commercially. Those that produce well over a long period. Fine-seeded plants that might get lost in the garden row. Vegetables you like best.

Distance from Light. Seedlings, in general, need more intense light than mature plants. If they are not getting enough light, they will develop long stems before their first leaves appear. Either theyre overcrowded or they are too far from the light. I keep my seedlings extremely close to the light tubes, as close as possible short of touching the leaves to the glass, and never more than three to four inches away for the first three or four weeks after germination. Then, if they are stocky and growing well, I lower them by an inch or two and continue to lower the flat placement gradually as plant height increases. Light spreads more when plants are farther from the tubes. Its also a good idea, since light at the ends of the tubes is relatively weak, to trade positions of the various flats of plants from the ends to the more fully lit center every week or so. The shelves on my plant cart are adjustable, but I find it easier to jack up the seedling flats by using egg cartons, shallow cardboard cartons, piles of magazines, and other improvised supports that may be removed gradually as the plants grow. Industrial reflector fixtures, the kind we once used in a basement light center, may be suspended by chains. If you leave enough slack, about 12 to 15 inches, in the chain to raise and lower the light so that it can be set at the right height for either small seedlings or taller plants, youll have a good adjustable setup.

The Hours of Light

In my experience, seedlings do very well with 16 hours of light a day, the usual recommended time. I have made do with 12-hour light exposures under limited light space. The lights burned day and night, and the seedlings took turns basking under them for 12 hours at a time. The tomatoes got a bit spindly, but most plants grew surprisingly well on this schedule. Sixteen hours in much better, though. Even 18 hours is not too long, but its longer than necessary for most seedlings. Lighting time should not be increased above 18 hours. Too much light will disturb a plant, just as too much water or fertilizer will. Cooler Temperatures Help in Low Light Plants can better weather a period of light deprivation if they are kept cool, especially at night. According to studies conducted by a group of Russian Scientists, the consequent lowering of the plants metabolism that occurs at cooler temperatures apparently forestalls damage to the

reproductive system, which would otherwise prevent flowering in plants subjected to more than three days of darkness. In general, plant metabolism slows at temperatures under 50 0F (100C).

Providing Plants with Darkness

The light a plant receives, you remember, makes it possible for the leaves to manufacture starches and sugars, the components of growth. But a period of darkness is necessary for the plants to put these new compounds to use. Plants dont rest at night. They digest and grow. Both processes go more smoothly when night temperatures are 50F to 10 0F (30C to 5.50C) lower than daytime levels. The ideal ranges are 700F to 75 0F (210C to 24 0C) during the day and 550F to 650F (130C to 18 0C) at night. Scientists have concluded that plants are actually attuned to the dark period rather than to daylight. Darkness is indispensable to normal growth. Some plants, in fact, blossom only when nights are long (chrysanthemum and poinsettia). Others, like onions, need short nights to develop fully. Most vegetable plants are day-neutral, meaning their full development isnt dependent on a light-dark rhythm of any certain pattern. Turning off the lights at night, then, is as important as turning them on in the morning. When I shifted two batches of plants under lights that were on continuously, I was careful to provide night for the plants that received illumination from 8 P.M. to 8 AM. by covering them with cartons or newspaper tents during the day.

11 Problems
Fortunately, seedling plants seem to thrive within a rather generous range of conditions. If your seedlings show compact growth, plenty of good green leaves, short internodes between leaves, and slow but steady growth, all is well. Occasionally, though, excess or deficiency in one or another of the young plants life requirements will cause trouble. Of you interpret the problem correctly and treat it promptly, you have a good chance of saving the seedlings.

Signs of Trouble
Troubled plants give clues. What should you look for? Check for the following signs. Leaf curl. A plant whose leaves curl under, especially in bright light, may be suffering from overfertilization. Solution. Naturally, youll decrease the amount of fertilizer your plants receive if you notice symptoms of overfeeding. If the problem is severe, you might need to replant the seedlings in another flat of fresh potting soil. Be sure to leach out the extra fertilizer salts from the soil in the old flat before reusing it. Yellowing of Lower Leaves. This is sometimes a sign of overfeeding, although it can also indicate magnesium deficiency. Solution. Follow the same procedures as for leaf curl above. Dropping of leaves. Along with plant stunting, the loss of leaves may be caused by exposure of the plant to leakage of partly consumed gas from the stove or water heater. You can test for gas leaks by buying yourself a bouquet of carnations. If the flower petals curl upward. Gas has probably escaped into the air. Tomatoes will droop in the presence of gas, too. Natural gases like butane and propane dont seem to hurt plants, but manufactured gas does. Solution. Repair the leak. Leggy plants. Plants with long, often weak stems that have large spaces between the leaves growing from the stem may be suffering from any one of the following conditions: insufficient light, excessively high temperature, and crowding of plants. Solution. A leggy plant cant be reshaped to conform to the stocky, well-grown ideal form, but there are steps you can take to promote more normal growth from this point on. First, of course, remedy the cause: supply more light, lower the temperature, or thin the plants. Plants kept at a window might need some auxiliary evening light on cloudy days. Then, if at all possible, transplant leggy seedlings. The root pruning and general mild trauma of being moved will set back their growth a bit. Set the plant deeper in the new container. Bud drop. Particularly with pepper seedlings, bud drop may occur if the air is excessively dry. Solution. Try setting the flat in a tray containing pebbles and water, or mist the blossoms with a fine spray of water at least once a day. Leaf Discoloration. Discolored leaves usually indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Pale Leaves. In seedlings that receive sufficient light, pale leaves are a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Tomato seedlings that are severely deficient in nitrogen develop a deep purple veining, especially prominent on the undersides of the leaves. Reddish Purple Undersides. A plant deficient in phosphorus will have a reddish purple color on the undersides of its leaves. In addition, the plant will often be stunted, with thin, fibrous stems. Soil that is too acid may contribute to the unavailability of phosphorus. Bronze or Brown Leaf Edges. Leaf edges that have turned bronze or brown may reveal a plant in need of potassium. Brown leaf edges may also appear on plants that are overwatered. (See table 5, page 71) Solution. The differences among the various symptoms of deficiency are not always clear cut, especially in young plants. Your best bet, if you do notice leaf discoloration that cant be accounted for otherwise, is - in the short run - to give the plant a dose of fertilizer that contains trace minerals. In the long run, include some compost in your next soil mixture, or transplant the ailing plants to a medium that contains compost. Discolored roots. This is often the result of a buildup of excess fertilizer salt in the soil. Either the plant has been overfed, or overheating the soil in an attempt to sterilize it has released a high concentration of soluble salts into the soil. Water-logged roots often turn dark and may have an unpleasant odor. Solution. Replant the seedlings in fresh soil if possible. Your second choice would be to floor and drain the flats several times in an attempt to leach out the toxic salt. If the flat is waterlogged, either provide better drainage or replant seedlings in better aerated and drier soil. Mold. If you see mold on the surface of the soil, it indicates poor drainage, insufficient soil aeration, possible overfetilization, and/or a lack of air circulation. Solution. Remedy the cause and treat the symptom by scratching some powdered charcoal into the soil surface. Insect Damage. Damage on seedling plants grown indoor most probably means that conditions are not ideal for the plant. Solution. Information on controlling pest damage on plants grow indoor can be found in chapter 23 . Damping-off . When damping-off occurs, you dont get much warning. your first sign that the problem has hit your new plants is the total collapse of a few seedlings; the green leaves are still intact, but the stem has characteristically withered away right at soil level. Young seedlings are the most vulnerable. Solution. Once a seedling has been attacked by the damping-off fungus (actually, there is a complex of microorganisms, any of which may cause the trouble) it cant be revived. The lifeline between root and stem has been cut off. However, you can try to prevent the problem by following these practices: Maintain good air circulation around seedlings by keeping the soil level high in the growing containers and thinning seedlings to avoid over-crowding. Avoid overwatering. Sow seeds in a sterile medium such as finely milled sphagnum moss or vermiculite. Presoak seeds in a small amount of water containing one or two crushed garlic cloves - an ancient practice that still makes sense, now that we know more about garlics fungicidal properties. You can also treat seedlings with a garlic spray. (Blend one clove of garlic with one quart of water or strain.)

sprays of chamomile or nettle tea are sometimes used on seedlings to help prevent damping-off. It is often possible to save the remainder of a flat of seedlings if only a few have died. Immediately move the flat to a more open area; make sure that it is well drained; and remove the affected seedlings. There is no sense in transplanting the others - youd just transfer the disease to new soil. You can save the flats though. Dry them out and ventilate them. Ive salvaged several such flats and used them to produce early crops after all. Skimpy Root Growth. This wont be evident, of course, until you transplant the seedling. It may be caused by any one or more of the following factors: poor drainage low soil fertility concentration of excess fertilizer salts temperature too low insufficient air space in soil mixture

Failure to Sprout. If your seeds dont even sprout, the cause may be any one or more of the following factors: temperature too low or too high soil that was allowed to dry out seeds too deeply planted top watering that floated seeds off seeds that were old and poorly stored insufficient contact between seeds and soil toxic substances in soil damping-off disease lack of light for those seeds that need light in order to germinate, or lack of darkness for certain seeds, mostly flowers but also a few vegetables, that need this condition (see chapter 6)