I know that one of my greatest concerns when dealing with a new species is being able to grow it out and harvest the next generation of seed. In this way I can ensure that I can keep the strain or species without relying on an outside seed source. The fact that this is cheaper than buying new seed every year doesn't hurt either! With this in mind I would like to share some helpful tips in taking that first step, germinating the seed.

The following is a complete list of everything the average gardener needs to grow from seed. Dirt and seed. That is correct, those two items are indispensable. This does not mean that there cannot be more, and indeed if we are serious about raising exotic plants there certainly should be more. A few inexpensive materials and some creative thinking will help us germinate a higher percentage of seeds, faster and without an excessive waste of time nor energy.

The first tool we will want to add to our kit is artificial lighting. This may not seem to make much sense, if we think of planting seeds as burying them. In fact many seeds require light before they will germinate. This is mother nature's way of ensuring that a seedling's leaves will find sunlight quickly after germination. If the seed germinates on the surface of the soil, it will not need to carry a large nutrient supply within the seed in order to grow through the soil and reach light. This means the mother plant can produce a larger number of seeds with the same amount of energy spent. Many swamp plants use this strategy, and light will be necessary to germinate them. Of course natural sunlight can be used. Most window sills however do not get enough sunlight for a sufficient period of time each day. Setting seeds outdoors will work, but only if you are planting seeds during the normal growing season. Starting plants indoors during the colder months still requires a return to artificial lighting.

Having said this, how much light do we need? Ideally 20 watts of fluorescent light per square foot, spaced no more than 6 inches from the seeds. Better yet will be to place the fluorescent a mere 2 inches away. This will be plenty to stimulate the most demanding seed, and as an added bonus it will make for stronger seedlings without a tendency to elongate as much as seedling raised on a window sill. Most any fluorescent tube will do to germinate seeds. Tubes designed specifically for growing plants have a slightly better balanced spectrum, but often accomplish this with a reduce total output. Total output of light is generally more important than the wavelength produced. This is even more important with fluorescent bulbs, which have a decently broad spectrum to begin with, but are not as effective in produce total light output as HID. I feel there is little to be gained from starting seeds under HID lighting.

Lighting can easily be obtained from hardware stores, Wal-Marts, Home Depots, etc. Look for a fluorescent desk lamp of the appropriate size. When I started out, I had a 20 watt fluorescent on a goose neck stand that worked wonderfully for several years. The gooseneck could be bent as low as desired, and could be easily set a little higher every couple of days, to follow the plant's growth. A friend of a friend uses a couple of 20 watt fixtures meant to be fastened to the top or side of a desk. He suspends them with string, which he can adjust as the plants grow. This spring I used a bank of 10 four foot long, 40 watt bulbs. They hang from the ceiling of the basement on chains and hooks, and are quite convenient to adjust. A single starting lamp will cost about $10-$20 dollars. With all the compact fluorescent on the market today, a person with a little knowledge could mount a ceramic fixture to a board and use one of the many fluorescent designed to replace incandescent bulbs. Incidentally incandescents are an absolute no-no, as the light they put out is far too weak for the amount of heat produced.