Due to an emergency my neighbor was unable to make my plant stand, BUT my wonderful hubby stepped in and did it for me! We purchased everything from HD and it cost under $200 to make it. I am one happy camper tonight!
Blessings,
Awanda
Plant light stand up and runnin
Looks wonderful Awanda. Now...surely you have more plants per shelf than shown!!!
Carol
Oh yeah, Awanda ~*~*~ Looks GREAT! You will loooove this.
It looks perfect, Awanda. What a great place for your plants.. I bet they are happy there! Kudos to Hubby for a job well done!!
Barb
Carol I had just started putting plants on it when I took the picture, I'll do the rest tomorrow. Thanks Barb and Betsy, I'm really happy with it. We didn't put a plant light on the last shelf, but I think that's going to change.
Blessings,
Awanda
How long do you keep the lights ON, Awanda....?
Hi Awanda,
What kind of fluourescents did you use for your light stand? the grow lights you can buy at Home Depot or just the regular ones?...Your plant stand looks great....
Sandy
Carol I have them on timers from 8am - 12am. Sandy I used plant lights from Home Depot, for the shelves that has one light and for the one shelf that has two lights I used 1 cool and 1 warm fluorescent light. I read the following: The plant light bulb is a combination of the cool and warm lightwaves, it is just that they put it into one bulb. I learned you can create the same lightwaves yourself by having one warm fluorescent bulb and one cool fluorescent bulb next to each other. The plants receive the same lightwaves either way. The only difference is the cost. For the 24 inch plant lights, I paid $9 each, for the warm and cool fluorescent, I paid $7 each for a total of $14 instead of $18 for two plant lights. I hope I didn't confuse you:-). So I did save a couple of dollars.
Blessings,
Awanda
Hi Awanda,
Nope that didn't confuse me at all! Makes perfect sense, i have read that too about the warm and cool.....Just havent tried that in my plant lights of late, maybe next time I need some new bulbs I will try that and see if it makes a difference as compared to using grow lights....The grow lights are certainly much more expensive you are right there....Thanks!
Sandy
Yep Awanda I'm with you, utilize that space down there and throw up another light.... Looks really great, your DH and you work well together. Hope your neighbor is O.K.
Tami
Tami we're going back to HD today and pick up another light, maybe two. My neighbor is fine, how nice of you to mention it. Hubby and I are totally different, (ask Carol) opposites do attract. I'm always talking and laughing and he's very quiet and reserved.
Blessings,
Awanda
What a neat stand, Awanda! Please post pics when it is full!!! Karen
This message was edited Nov 19, 2005 4:34 PM
Right on Awanda! That is a beautiful plant stand.
FYI, for those of you with COSTCO memberships, there is a 7-foot tall heavy-duty chrome plated wire storage shelving unit on wheels for $75.00 that would be perfect for such an endeavor.
Ann
Well at least you work well together. DH and I would have had about 3 arguments or more befor we got it done. He's a retired home builder, so everything has got to be just so stinking perfect all the time. Now he is laughing at the plastic I have wrapped around my light stand. Maybe he will get the hint and enclose the back patio. I'm still only getting about 35% humidity inside and I even have some plastic over the front of the light stand. If I mist it goes up to about 70%.
Kabob I laughed when I read your post, "a need stand" I'm sure you meant "neat, but it really is a "need stand". Thanks Ms. Kitty, this stand is 6 feet, no rollers and cost $60.
Blessings,
Awanda
Thank goodness for "editing!" Freud is alive and well - 'cuz I NEED one!!!!! LOL
Awanda, that looks awesome! I'm still trying to create the "perfect" environment. Good thing hubby is very patient with me! Tami, I'm with you on the humidity thing, mine has been at 30% since it started getting cold here. I have a humidifier right by the plants, and it still doesn't seem to raise it! Curses, back to misting!
Heather
Nice one Awanda. I could use one of those too. Are the lights individually wired and plugged into a power strip or are they daisy chained in some way?
Susan
Heather, the humidifier just seems to make it colder, to me anyway. I have all my plants in saucers with water in them, and plants are up on there canning jar rings. I even have extra saucers with water. I don't get it. Well at least I am only misting 3 times a day now instead of 5.or 6. We will have to wait and see once Mel gets hers operating, how she keeps the humidity up. We can do it!!!!
Susan the lights individually wired and plugged into a power strip. We're going to need another power strip when we add the additional lights.
Blessings,
Awanda
Awanda, sorry to be a dummy but I have another question. The cool bulbs are easy to locate but got confused on the warm bulbs. Did you buy soft white for the warm? We saw soft white, daylight, and natural sunshine......those were Philips brand designations. Also there's a good two fer sale at HD right now. I think it's 3.99 for a 2 pack of cool. 6.49??? for a two pack of the soft white. 4 footers.
Yes Susan soft white is warm, and natural or daylight is also fairly close to warm. Hubby is adding additional lights now, and I'll post a picture when he's finished.
Blessings,
Awanda
Hubby just finished adding the additional lights, I will add more plants tomorrow.
Blessings,
Awanda
There ya go.... Now ya better get that puppy loaded to the brim!!!
Tami
Your light stand looks awesome, Awanda. You are one lucky lady to have such a giving DH. Try putting a Hoya that gets pink splashes on the leaves as the lights really bring them out.
I was able to get my H. retusa to bloom under lights last winter!
Thanks Mel, I do have a wonderful hubby. Well hopefully with the light stand, I will be able to grow healthier hoyas, so when I send cuttings, they won't be "juvenile cuttings" :-).
Blessings,
Awanda
Many of my favorite and most healthy plants came from you, Awanda. Your plants are always awesome and so are you. Meanwhile, I will go to the garage and find a power tool as that is what it may take to get my foot out of my mouth.
O.K. Heather, I don't know where I read it, but someone was using the plastic zip bags that blankets and comforters come in for little humidity houses. I took a couple of these and put it under the lights. Misted them zipped it up, holes in the top. Humidity is staying at 79... I am getting new growth though from the plants just sitting under the lights without being in the bag like Mel suggested. Yippee, I'm liking this..
Looks like you ladies have a system going on..
Ohhh, Tami, great idea! Funny, I was just looking at one of those in my closet today thinking I might toss it out! Weird, maybe our hoya senses were communicating. "hey lady, don't throw me out" the comforter bag screamed!
Heather
Here's a picture of my new plant stand. After seeing Awanda's I wanted one too, so my Husband & I went to Lowe's and picked up the shelf unit and the lights. It was all together in about an hour. I still need one more light for the bottom shelf, but felt this was a good start. I love it. Thanks Awanda for the great idea. It sure brightens up the area. I haven't filled it completely yet, but I am working on it. I read that Mel's retusa bloomed after putting it under lights, so I moved my retusa to the plant shelf today, although my plant is very small, I have high hopes for it. I am curious to see if all the new brighter light will entice any of the plants to bloom.
Deb
Deb it really looks great! Tell Mike he did a wonderful job. I had forgot Mel mentioned that her Retusa bloomed under lights, I'm going to bring mine inside tomorrow and give it a try.
Hopefully now more of your hoyas will bloom!
Blessings,
Awanda
Those new plant stands are looking good. How many of you ladies have pulled the DH over to the computer screen to check out these beauts.....It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas, huh?
Your light stand looks awesome, Deb! I like the white paint. The lights can really brighten up a dark corner too.
My retusa was a small plant when it bloomed last winter. I am glad you ladies reminded me as I need to move it back under the lights. Hoya growers are sure a creative lot!
Mel Deb didn't paint the stand, she brought it white from Lowes.
Blessings,
Awanda
Awanda is correct, I did buy it white, and it was so easy and quick to put together, no tools required. The light fixtures came with chains to wrap around each self and had a "s" hook at the ends. Once the fixture was put together (did take two people), my husband put the lights on, we added the bulbs, and it was done and ready for plants. I didn't buy the expensive plants bulbs, I used one warm and one cool, the same as Awanda used for her plant stand. Call you tell Awanda and I chat often? So who is going to be next to put one together? Deb
Great minds think alike.......I already have TWO that I threw together this summer. One lighted, one not. Of course, after having to bring all my plants home from the greenhouse ~~ I COULD USE A THIRD!
Hmmmmm... I have three extra lights, I could do another stand too. They all look amazing! I like they come already white, I hate painting... Deb.That little glass greenhouse thing is giving me some ideas. Did you make that? If you did, do you have a pattern you could copy for me.
Tami
Ok Betsy, let's see some plant stand pictures!!
Blessings,
Awanda
Okee dokee, Awanda! Here ya go:
This is the plant stand in my kitchen/dining area..
