Thursday, February 17, 2011

Getting ready to start seeds for the greenhouse.


I feel that the CO2 generator/injector, that I built and posted recently, has really made a difference in my seedling production.


The seeds shown in the above photo are only thirteen days from the day I opened the package and moistened them. I can see a noticeable improvement over previous batches of seedlings, so I am adding these CO2 generators to my other propagators.

The enclosure in the photo was constructed from scrap materials; the interior is shown in my January 5, 2011 post. As it is located in an unheated part of the basement, I placed pieces of scrap carpeting on the top to capture the heat generated by the T5 light. The temperature, with the lights on, is a comfortable seventy two degrees, and it can be lowered simply by removing sections of the carpeting. Additionally, the end panel is removable for access and temperature control. As these units only use a 24 watt lighting tube they are super energy efficient and cost effective.

Each of these small propagators can produce 16 to 24 seedlings every two weeks or so, which is more than adequate for our home needs.







No comments: