Grow lights

Does anyone have suggestions on where to buy grow lights and the necessary paraphenalia? I live in a rural area. We have a Walmart and Lowe's. Plus several farm supply centers that sell truckloads of lime and fertilizer, etc., for the big cotton and soybean growers in the surrounding counties. Don't know if they would carry greenhouse supplies. I found a 2 ft. long light and setup for $69 on Johnny's website. Also have a FarmTek Growers Supply catalog. What would be a good price for a 2 ft. setup?

I use 48 inch shop lights purchased from Lowe's fitted with regular cool-white tubes. They are on a timer 16 hours a day.

Your seedlings need to be almost touching the tubes so they don't get leggy.

I agree with Honeybee except that I use on cool white and 1 warm white bulb in each fixture.

Paul

Incidentally, the terms cool-white or warm-white have nothing to do with the temperature of the tubes. The terms refer to the color the tubes put out. I don't understand it, but that's the way it is. LOL

Quick explanation of color temperature. Color temperature refers to how hot a solid would have to be to shine that color. Think how charcoal glows red and when you blow on it it gets brighter and yellower. If you could keep increasing its temperature it would look bluish. K means degrees Kalvin. They are Celsius sized degrees, but instead of the scale started zero where water freezes it starts at absolute zero which is -273C.

I've been told that te cool/warm bulbs gives a wider spectrum.

Paul

Basically it has to do with the wave length the lights put out. I have found that if I use a cool bulb and a warm bulb the seedlings lean towards the cool bulb. These are just regular shop lights. I've also read that seedlings do better with cool bulbs but if you are growing plants and trying to get them to bloom you need to use warm spectrum bulbs.

"Cool" bulbs put out more blue light, and "warm" bulbs put out more red light. Blue light is preferred for vegetative growth, red light for flowering and fruiting.

interesting

8 concrete blocks, 3 shelves (can be custom cut to your space), 6 fluorescent shop light kits (4 lights per shelf, or 2 kits side by side per shelf).

EZ construction and take down...
Functionality (use cubby holes for storage)
Portability (was a two-shelf unit in two rooms last season)
Budget friendly (you can add more shelves over time)
Attractive design (paint the shelves to match your room)

Nuff said...

Gymgirl - I would add one more thing...

Be sure your floors can support the weight.

We have an older home and with all the creaking that goes on when we walk across the floor, I wonder sometimes if we are about to fall through! This actually happened to neighbors across the street, and our home is the same age as theirs.

(You growing invisible food there, Gymgirl?)

Bee,
That was a dry run to see how many cat liter trays would fit. And, a photo opp for a posting pic!

I have my lettuce indoors under lights and always read/heard not to put them more than 2-4" from the bulbs. I had to put them a foot under the bulbs and run a fan for 30min every two hours to keep the temps under 80F. 2" under the bulbs was running over 100F! They are very happy though.


Vaughn

Gymgirl - do you fill the cat litter pans with growing mix, or do you stand your seed pots in the trays?

Honeybee,
I use the cat litter pans as drip trays! They hold eighteen 16.5 ounce water bottles. They're VERY sturdy, and don't bend or tip when filled with seedling containers. I can hold one in each hand with confidence!

I can also rely on them NOT to develop those irritating little pinholes that the regular drip trays always seem to get, in at least ONE weak corner! I think they're manufactured to develop that leak!!!!

These are mustard green seedlings I potted up over the weekend.

Linda

This message was edited Aug 23, 2011 4:49 PM

This message was edited Aug 23, 2011 4:53 PM

Gymgirl - I love the idea that you are recyling water bottles. We don't use them as we have a filter system in our refrigerator.

The kitty trays are a great idea. I can see why you would use them. I use wallpaper trays, but they are kinda flimsey. How many tubes do you hang over your trays? I use one 48 inch tube per wallpaper tray.

Hey, Bee!
I used to hang only one light kit (two 48" tubes) down the center of each shelf. But, the seedlings on the front and back sides weren't getting enough light. They would grow leaning in toward the center of the shelf.

So, I dismantled the shelves and positioned two kits side by side (a total of 4 tubes), so the whole shelf gets even light, from front to back.

No more leaning seedlings!

Linda

Bee!
The light stand is filling in!

P.S. If I turn the cat litter trays, I can get FOUR per shelf! But, I'd need to make wider shelves for next season....

This message was edited Aug 25, 2011 10:12 AM

Gymgirl - I figured you would need two light kits. I can get by with just one because the wallpaper trays are not very wide. I need to add two
more light kits per shelf so I can add more wallpaper trays. My shelves are 48" wide. Hubby originally made them to accommodate my African violet collection.

Are you planning a winter garden with all those seedlings?

Yep. All those seedlings are cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard and collard greens.

Soon as I pot the majority of these up (hopefully, this weekend), I'll sow seeds for Romaine lettuce and spinach...

I'll direct seed turnips, beets, and carrots...

My short-day sampler onion sets from Dixondale Farms is scheduled to arrive in October..

And, I may try to so some more potatoes in the SmartPots, if I can find a place in the yard.....

The good thing about the cole crop seedlings, is I don't have to baby them under lights like with the tomatoes...just sow em', strengthen 'em a bit, and get 'em on out!

Linda

Gymgirl - I'm still waiting for 90F temperatures to go away before sowing any fall crops.

How did this thread get so off topic? I sure hope miles got all the answers that they wanted to their original question.

If he/she didn't, we'll still be here when he/she wanders back in!

Part of the beauty of the garden is that sometimes nice things just pop up unexpectedly!

Hugs!

Yes, thanks! I have gotten lots of good info from this thread. Trying to figure out how to set up grow lights at the lowest cost. My elderly father has offered to pay for them and he will back out if they cost too much, in his opinion.

Milesdt,
A review of this thread shows that 1LisaC is right. We never answered your question.

You can pick up a 2-bulb fluorescent light kit at Home Depot for $10. You can get fluorescent light tubes for around $8 per 2-pak @ HD. You can also pick them up for roughly $1 per tube at your local Habitat Restore (the Habitat for Humanity resale stores).

I bought the cinder blocks @ HD for $1.19 each. Or, you can scrounge around for some. Same for the shelves if you can find some old boards.

I use cat litter trays I pay $1 for at the $.99 cent store, cuz they're sturdy and won't collapse. When you fill them with seedlings.

Thanks for keeping us on task here, Lisa.

Linda

I don't mind the chit chat as long as the original question is addressed first. I thought we had answered the questions on lights but realized we got stuck on wave lengths. Anyway it can be done VERY inexpensively so even your elderly father can't back out Lol. I wouldn't order a kit,wayyyyy over priced. Tomorrow when I'm on my own computer I'll post a picture of my set up. Mason jars and all. I got the light fixtures for free, I got them from a contractor who removed them from a building and was going to throw them away. They were for a recessed ceiling so he hard wired them with pigtails for $8/light. Bulbs were 1.89 a piece.

Miles-like GymGirl said you can use whatever's handy. Do you have trays to start the seeds. I use 1020 trays but I order them in bulk and peat pellets or a soiless seed starting mix to germinate the seeds. Lowes or HD should have these but maybe not at this time of year. As you can see everybody does it different, thats just my method. I also use 1 gallon milk jugs I cut off the top and use the bottom, just make sure they are cut low enough to fit under your lights.

I use shoplights in a shoplight fixture, pretty inexpensive even if you by them new. Remember the lights need to be 1-2" from the seedlngs. I prop my lights up with small mason jars, then large mason jars, and finally coffee grounds containers if they need to stay protected longer. If your looking for a a 2 light set up you probably dont need to much space. Im going to post a picture, we can only post one at a time if you would like more let me know. What kind of seeds are you looking to start?

Thanks, 1lisac! I never thought about propping the light fixture up on something like jars. We have 3 shop lights, each 8 feet long, in our garage, just used for general lighting. I've been thinking we could easily do without one. I can get my dad to take it down and move it to a storage shed and we can prop it up on something. He's good at problem solving and using whatever is sitting around.

I don't need it for my fall crops. I already have cauliflower and cabbage seedlings sitting outside growing away to their hearts' content!

I'm hoping to use the shop light this next winter for my spring crops: tomatoes, peppers, herbs. I usually plant out in mid-late March. So I need to start seedlings first of February.

Forgot to add that I start my seeds in those clear plastic trays or boxes, two to four inches deep, that you can buy lettuce or baby spinach in. Also use clear plastic strawberry clamshell boxes. Then, when the seedlings get big enough, I pot up to newspaper pots that I make.

You can also prop the lights on books, or blocks of wood, too.

Good information on the site up until we got to the discussion of propping hanging light fixtures up on items. Please do not do this. Propping the lights up on items is Not a good idea. It could create a fire or electrical safety issue.

The lights were designed to be hung off of a structure. GymGirl's design of hanging them on the bottom of the shelf works. If they are heavy lights then be sure you have heavy enough hangers and supports to handle the weight.

Habitat for Humanity Restore shops sometimes have shelves, concrete blocks, lights, etc. Prices vary. A garage or moving sale is another place to pick up items. Garbage pick-up day is another place to find items.


This message was edited Aug 29, 2011 10:34 AM

Thanks, Susan, for the safety reminder!

I totally agree, and should have clarified that I only propped up my lights for a short emergency lift, until I could secure the wooden blocks. And, they were not unattended.

I would NEVER, EVER, NEVER, leave my lights on unattended if I thought there was even the most remote possibility of sparking any kind of fire!

It's the only home I have!!!!

Hugs!

My hubby built a three story wooden shelving unit. On the top shelf I keep the pots I will use. Shop lights are hung by chains from the underside of each shelf using cup hooks. As the seedlings grow, I shorten the chains.

This set-up produces as many transplants as I can grow each season.

If anyone needs actual measurements, let me know, I'll be glad to provide them.

That is a really great point. As you can see,in my picture none of my lightbulbs actually touch the jars. Don't recommend that. However, I have a 12 foot ceiling and plywood tables so I can't stack anything at this point. But I have gotten lights that I can't prop up because the fixture isn't the right design, it also makes me nervous to water right above electric lights. With this method I pull the trays out and water them,no chance of anything electrical getting wet. I've also used the Produce Clamshells they make great mini greenhouses.
Miles-Remember when you start spring plants they need to be kept warmer. I use a heat mat, not a heating pad, especially for plants. Besure that you are able to do this in your shed. ATM Im trying to keep the seeds/plants cooler.

Yep, I'm doing it about like everybody else who's answered. I grow my seedlings on a workbench in my shop where it's cool, and I built a simple frame to hang three 48" two-bulb shop lights from Lowe's. There are hooks in the overhead frame to hang the light chains from, so I can raise the lights as the seedlings grow. I've got the lights on a timer, 16 hours a day.

Each shop light has a "cool" bulb and a "warm" bulb, and like others I've noticed that the seedlings grow toward the "cool" bulbs. They like that kind of light better, and if I had it to do over again I'd only buy "cool" white florescent bulbs.

The 48" shop lights from Lowe's were only about $10 each - much cheaper than "grow lights" from seed suppliers.

1lisac - I think you can buy some shop lights that can be used around water - but I'm not sure about this. Personally, I've never had a problem with water dripping down on the fixtures below as I'm very, very careful. (Having said that, we'll probably be on the six o'clock news tomorrow) LOL

Dont say that Bee. Knock on wood or something... I know what works for me but I dont want to pass on dangerous info. even though I got the prop up idea from articles Ive read, didnt think it up myself.

I noticed that Miles only wanted info for a small, inexpensive set up and that was the best advise I could think of. I never have the lights touch anything. I usually use fixtures with 4 bulbs that are 48" about 10 of them total. I prop them up by the corners of the fixtures, not near the lights, and I have them "hardwired" with a "ground" by a professional, who knew what he was doing.

BUT Susan's safety reminder makes a very important point, that I will keep in mind. I hate using water near electricity under any conditions.

Bee knock on wood PLEASE.....

After reading the last few posts, I've gone back and edited my last post to correct it to read do not prop up the light fixtures. Please make sure you install them as specified by the manufacturer. Everything photo I've seen posted so far is a hanging style fixture and should be installed as such.

If the light fixture has any power to it then it cannot be propped up at anytime. If you have the lights propped up, please unplug them until you have this corrected.

We use our top (and bottom) shelf for storage of gardening items. Like a couple of other people we have water trays below our plants. We use a metal wire shelving unit that was on sale at Lowe's or Home Depot and a plant grower that the DH bought before we were married. I find the plant grower rather limited use compared with the metal shelf. I also invested in a timer to turn the lights on and off.

All my fixtures have three-pronged plugs - I thought they came that way, although it's possible that my hubby re-wired them if they came with two-pronged plugs. They are also plugged into outlets that have circuit breakers. Hmm... seems I was more cautious about electricity/water dangers than I thought I was when setting up the stand.

This shelving stand was originally built around 2001; when we lived in an apartment ; to house my African Violet collection. When we moved to our current location in 2007, it was dismantled and put back together to accommodate vegetable seedlings.

1lisac - I'll be sure to knock on the wooden uprights of the stand when I water the broccoli seedlings later today (smile)

Miles here is a good link that address all your questions. Her lights are on wooden dowls. I dont want to debate this issue just showing an article that address all the issues. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/464/. In order to not cause any problems this will be my last post but I hope this article helps, its just one of the places that Ive read about proping up the lights.