Single fluro tube

I have a single 2foot fluro tube, 18watt, 6500K daylight, 1300 lumens. Will this be ok to sprout and raise a bean to atleast 4inches?
If yes, how long should I leave the light on? and how long do you think it`ll take for the bean to reach 4inches after it has sprouted?

it will be fine just make sure it is close to the seedling.

leave the light on between 18 and 24 hours a day

4 inces should not take long at all maybe 2-3 days after it sprouts.

remember after it sprouts dont kill it with too much water and keep that light close otherwise it will stretch and bend over, also a fan on low setting for a slight breeze will help strengthen your stem a bit.

what do you plan on using for lighting after 4 inch? also a 2 ft tube is wasting alot of light, your plant would benifit more from a CFL bulb with same specs as more light would hit the plant.

matt is very right, after the seedling has grown to your desired height, you should buy 3 or 4 26 watt cfl from home depot. they are like 7 bucks for 2 of em.

matthebrute said:

what do you plan on using for lighting after 4 inch? also a 2 ft tube is wasting alot of light, your plant would benifit more from a CFL bulb with same specs as more light would hit the plant.

Click to expand...

I was planning on putting the it outdoors once it reaches 4inches. I think I will look into getting some cfl bulbs with the same specs as what i`ve got. I will look at my local shops in a day or 2.
I`ve just got no idea as how to hook the lights up. Never played with lighting before. I need to get some cfl setup made or brought. I have some beans on order which I plan on growing indoors. I have atm a 600hps but dont wanna run that on beans or seedling.
Can someone please point me to a link on how to make a lighting setup using cfl bulbs or a link to where I can purchase them already made. I`m in OZ.

a cfl bulb screws right into a normal light bulb fixture so you can probally find some work lights or something at the hardware store where you get the bulbs.

something lie this would work great http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100354513/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

also remember what time of year it is, even close to the equator the daylight hours will put you plants into flower, not sure where OZ is but if you want to vegg at all you will need to have them indoors for a bit before putting them in a permamnent outdoors location

it isnt bad for them tho to put them outside during the day to save on electric costs.

I stumbled across 3 new 20watt cfl bulbs at my parents place today. They are the screwin type. They are 6500k. Will this be enough to veg 2 seedlings? or do I need to get the higher wattage?