Hey all! I was wondering if anyone here has any advice on starting seeds indoors. I planted my seeds March 5th. The tomatoes have germinated and sprouted up (about 2") before I put the light on them (beginners mistake)so I have to start them over as they have grown all stem and no leaves and have fallen over.

On to the peppers and rosemary...a few sprouted last night so I put the light about 8 inches from the top of them. It is a 400watt grow light. It is a warm bulb and gives off an orange-ish hue. I am leaving it on for 12 hours at a time. Today, most of what has started to germinate the last few days looks like they are dying.
Am I burning my seedlings? How far should I have the lamp from the tops of the seedlings?

I am keeping the soil moist with a spritzer bottle.

What am I doing wrong?

I also have a cool blue-ish hue light bulb but it costs an extra $120 a month to run it 12 hours a day. It's SUPER bright. I don't want to use it if I don't have to.

Thanks for any advice.

You really don't need to use grow lights until the stems are tall enough that they are bent over toward the natural light coming in from your window(s). Generally at this point I would of already transplanted them into their growing containers (I grow in pots not in the ground).

It sounds to me like you are baking your seedlings. Try raising your light up 2-3' over the top of the plants. 12 hours of light is correct, that is what we have now.

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