Where are the inexpensive grow lights?

Many stores sell the same light.
The ones I got were from Americian florescent Corp.and in tiny letters ( made in China) & it does say instant on, low noise, more light, 0 F cold start.
I hope this is of some help ! Russ

Good Morning Yall,

I was looking to find the seed starting forum, but I guess propagation is the forum we want.

Ran across this and wanted to share the cheap thing I have done on a small scale. When Darius was here last winter she brought HD plastic shelving. To help her cut down on moving space, I took the shelving off her hands. The cost of the shelving is between $40 and $50. Have some in the pumphouse and I put this one in my work out room with grow lights. These herb seeds in the 3 open trays were put in 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I am using the surge protector power track from a broken computer. It has a rocker switch so I just reach in the room and turn it on/off. Not counting the power cord, I probably have $100 into this one unit. There is a cheap timer in the house that I should use since I keep forgetting to turn the lights off.

The unit has 5 shelves on it. I don't know the weight capacity, but seems to be quite strong since I have power tools etc stored on them in my pumphouse.

The lights were purchased at Walmart and are actual plant grow lights.

When stringing the wires, I kept the aquarium mentality in effect. The cords are hanging in such a way if there is a water leak, it will not drip back into the light fixture nor into the outlet track, but drip down the dip/curve of the cords.

Molly
:^)))

A little closer.

Looks good MollyMc.
I'm useing rope lights for heat. Haven'y checked the temp yet. Think I should though. Sure made some old Moon Flowers pop out though.
Haven't really gotten down to brass tacks yet. Have one tray of tomatoes that are just sprouting. I was almost ready to give up on. I'm not sure how long it takes for them to germenate.

I came home tonight and found my coneflowers had germinated in that 4th tray while I was gone. Unbelievable!!!!

I also found a leak in one of my trays. Good think I had the cords away from it.

I have some maters, sweet peppers and hot peppers all germinating in the one tray, herbs in the other 2.

Molly
:^))))

Now your trying to give me zone envy. LOL
Oh well we were there 47 tears ago, in the military.
Lets see, how should I put it. . . . . So much in us with love were we. . . .
Coining a phrase from Tommy Smothers poem.
The weather didn't bother us at all. hee hee hee. Went to the beach just about every chance we had.
I went to town and got two more lights today, when I got back home; about half of the maters had sprouted. I found a thermometer and set it with the plants and found it to be right at 62 F.
Our weather should start warming up this next week. It's been going down to -16 F at night up to 3 to 10 above during the day. So one of these days it will thaw out and we will be working the garden too.
Send some pics when your garden gets going.

Russ

If you really want to make it even easier on yourself, I posted a thread below this on humidity domes for these stands....really keep the humidity up on the stands....they come from Charley'sgreenhouses....I made my stands just like you all did...
gail

Sounds good, that you would be able to see all the flats at a glance. Right??

Bettygail, could you provide a link to your humidity cover? I looked on the site and found 3 different sizes.

I wonder if Wal-Mart has something similar (depends on size) in the laundry department. I know you can get the cloth closets but if they had clear vinyl and the size was appropriate, then maybe, just maybe....

I have been playing with humidity control for the last 3 years from plastic baggies, aquariums, plastic cups, hi rise humidity domes, shower curtain, and thick plastic sheeting.

Aquariums are perfect but are costly and weigh quite a lot.

Plastic cups and other food containers (salad and fruit containers and cake covers) work but are awkward due to size mismatches. I haven't tried two liter clear bottles yet (since I don't buy soda in the huge bottles).

Humidity domes are great if you can get them to fit your trays (doesn't work well with aluminum serving trays or Permanest trays but may fit Jiffy trays?). Time for the clear duct tape. Humidity domes also cheat by robbing some real estate (edges are used for strength but also take up nearly 1/2 inch all the way around).

Plastic sheeting was not cut to size and also created a false sense of security (what's really going on behind all that plastic?) so a lot of my plants suffered badly last year because I thought I didn't need to water as often. Was I ever wrong.

I just bought ten yards of vinyl protector (1 yard wide) at Wal-Mart with the intention of creating humidity covers but the task can be daunting. The material is fairly cheap (less than $2 a yard) but attaching it and having access is another problem.

A couple I know has used aquariums, glass bowls (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Wal-Mart), high humidty domes, and homemade enclosures using wood laths and vinyl protector. The vinyl is attaced to wood using thumbtacks and the frame has drop down front access using piano hinges and screen door latches. Obviously they have had a number of years to work on their setup.

Here was my experiment last year with plastic sheeting. I would not recommend this unless you have a zippered door for easy access. I did get the clear sheeting for the next shelves but still heavy and draped on the floor..

sorry I am just catching this....if you go to Charleysgreenhouses.com look at the search and type in 5354...........then a picture will come up and you click option for humidity tent....there you have it for 49.95 .....best thing I ever bought....it has side zippers to regulate the humidity and heat produced......this is really a beautiful set up....My shelves are 74" high, 48" across and so are the lights, and the depth is 18"....this tent is plenty big for this...a tad short on the bottom but that is good.....
there is plenty of room on each side of the stand....not a tight fit thank goodness..but the top part fits wonderfully....

This message was edited Feb 16, 2007 8:42 PM

Has anyone seen shop lights that are rust-resistant or rust-proof? I tried to find them on-line to work with Bettygail's humidity cover, but I can't find any -- although I noticed that Charley's Greenhouse has a $900+ setup that uses rust-proof lights (http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&productid=5352&s=light&cid1=-99&cid2=-99&cid3=-99), but I don't see them sold separately. (Note -- the link to Bettygail's cover is towards the bottom of that page.) They sell waterproof fixtures for almost $200, but that's more than I need!

I'll probably just go with inexpensive shop lights and see if the humidity inside the humidity cover causes them to rust out, but I'd love to know if you have found a rust-resistant set.

Thanks!

How about the cheapo lights, painted with rust-oleum? Maybe that's not practical though...

Well, if I apply the rust-oleum to the finish on the lights, it might just bubble off -- plus, being lazy, I really don't want to invest that much time. I may just keep an eye on it, if I can't find any that advertise as rust-resistant.

I'm more worried about the humidity causing an electrical problem.

Oh, I hear you. I was wondering the same regarding the electrical side of it. Good luck.

DH has started building my stand. It will be 52'' X 18'' X 6' tall. There are 3 shelves and it will be heavy!

This is the bottom shelf.

Good idea. Here's mine. Sorry about the poor lighting.

Thanks again to all who helped me with this question. I am grateful!

Very nice!

Thank YOU for the thread. I've learned a lot!!

Wrightie--That's the same stand I bought. I use it for my house plants in the winter. I've never grown from seed, but maybe with the lights, I should give it a try. I really like my stand and felt like for the money, it was a great buy. HOpe your's does great for you. Lou

I love love love it. I've added a few more flats of seedlings since taking that shot. My husband just laughs at me because he'll find me down in the cellar visiting my little babies a few times/day.

Well...just got back from Sams Club with my new shelving unit!!! Now why did the strapping young man that loaded it in my vehicle look like he just threw it in there without even a struggle??? I had to take the darn thing out of the box and haul it in a little at a time...and I'm no delicate little flower, lol.

Just gotta go get my lights and I'll be planting by tomorrow morning!!!

DH got my plant stand built and we carried it into the house this morn! Pardon our sloppy work clothes!

Ooooh... FANCY! He's okay, you should probably keep him (and get him to make one of those for me, too, please)

Another picture.

Yeah, I'm keeping him!

A long shot of the room.

Very nice! I'm envious!

Wonderful! And the chicken wire should help keep out curious little fingers (or curious little paws)!

Billy, You did read about keeping the light within an inch or two from the plants, right? I just see that large expanse and wanted to make sure.

Critter, I have the same set up as hcmcdole, except I use two 4'0 lights per shelf, 2 bulbs each for a total of 4 bulbs per shelf. The thing is, I have stuff that doesn't require full hot burning sun on there, the lights are 2" away from the plants, and I still wonder if they have enough light! Impatiens are okay, but I'm looking at those petunias and wondering. I'm not using all 5 shelves on the unit (purchased at Costco) because I need to sort of sneak the lights in when Mr. Clean isn't looking. LOL!

hcmcdole, if you want to pay postage, I have 4 castors you can have...heavy devils, tho.

I am neurotic about having enough light for my seedlings. The fixtures are waaaay down low right above the cell packs or pots, and turned on, even before they sprout. I also have a series of clay pots and wooden blocks I use to raise pots of seedlings. No matter how tall or short the seedlings are, they can be raised up. I would say I have very stocky seedlings this year bcause I have been diligent keeping those lights at the perfect height. I use the regular chain that comes with them, then I raise it with a long tie that goes through the chain. I can do it one handed.

I have read advice that the shop light bulbs are only good for one season over plants. After that, I use them in the overhead fixtures in the basement. I buy new bulbs every season. I know I said I don't use all the shelves, but I also have a green house bench I like and it has 3 fluorescent fixtures over it, so I buy a box of a dozen. They new bulbs go in the fixtures, then the old ones go in the sturdy box; as they burn out in the basement, we pull from the box of used bulbs which provide plenty of general purpose light.

Suzy

I replace my seedling light bulbs every 2 or 3 years... My aquarium lights get replaced every year, but they are on every day of the year, while the basement light shelves are in use for only 3 or 4 months...

You're right, though, I think seedlings appreciate light more than anything else we can give them! I use two double bulb fixtures (four 40 watt tubes) over each shelf also, but I squeeze in 4 flats per shelf. I think if you've only got 2 flats on a shelf, one double fixture should be enough (that's the amount that Tom DeBaggio recommends, anyway, and he's my seed starting guru). Putting the lights as close as possible to the tops of the seedlings is definitely a good thing.

For anybody else using the gorilla shelves (or something similar) from Sam's, the keyhole openings in the legs are perfect for running a piece of 1/4 inch dowel through, front to back... a 4 ft. shop light can rest right on top of the dowels, and it's pretty easy to adjust the height of the light. (From experience, it's risky not to take the extra 2 minutes to move the flats off the shelf before you start juggling the lights and dowels though... I thought I was coordinated enough for that maneuver, but I was wrong!)

Here's a look at what I mean... I also covered the shelves with plastic (garbage bags) because they're particle board, but I noticed that the ones that Sam's carried now are plastic coated (I'm planning to switch out my shelves with the new units DH just bought).

Cool

Thank you! I'm just lucky he likes to build!

Suzy, I can drop the lights right on top! Thanks for mentioning it tho. Did I read here, to rotate the plants, because the light is stronger in the middle of the bulb than at the ends? I do want stocky plants. I've been thru the leggy stage!

Critter, the dowel idea is cool!

(Rand, I'll reply with thanks even if it's for Critter.)

Thanks Billy Porter, Think were all one big happy family anyway. Some times we all get messed up a little as to who said what. lol Your hubby deserves a compliment as well, That wire mesh should do the trick for keeping the house critters out.
{{{{{{{{{ ONE AWARD OF EXCELENCE }}}}}}}}}

Our plant rack I just hook the chains higher or lower. from the rack above. We have peppers, tomatos, kohl-rabi started and have repoted already. also have a couple sweet-potatoes I'm takeing slips from. Looks like I will have enough extra to take to the RU in Cedar Rapids. I know some one was hinting for some sweet taders, so I'll keep taking some more sprouts as long as they keep sprouting.
When were done with seed starting, we may move it out to the garage in time to hold some of the harvest untill foul weather again.
The package of moonflowers I started are kind of getting in the way for now. Started them way too early
and have had to repot a couple times and put stakes in pots for them to rank up on. note to self do it later next year. Heh heh

Thanks Randbponder, your plants look nice! I'm in the process of lining up seeds and planting dates. I decided since I have a Farmers Almanac, I'll use it this year. Seems like everything I'll be starting grows and fruits above ground right now. Then I'm going to make a spreadsheet for future reference. I learned last year to start peppers in March and tomatoes in April!

Huh...
Just zooming through looking for grow light info and saw this thread. My setup looks just like hcmcdole's but I only have 24" fixtures...going to buy some plain old 48" shop lights now.

The rack was purchased by my son and daughter-in -law at Sam's for my husband for Christmas......but because he stole my wheel barrow for the horse barn, the rack is now mine! LOL
'

Here's a pic of mine that I just got a few weeks ago. My first season EVER starting seeds! :) YAY>

Very nice Mskatt

Think I'll call the kids to get e another rack. Where did you get yours?

Finally a healthy addiction

I got my rack at Sam's Club. :)

How much was it?....if you don't mind telling me

What a wealth of information of this thread! I am relieved to learn that it's not too late to start peppers and (currant) tomatoes. I got my hands on some Peter Pepper seeds, and I can't wait to get started! I also have pumpkins and gourds, feel free to let me know what's worked for anything LOL. I'll use the info here to get set up, great tip about the screening billyporter, I may have to do that as well. I wonder if the unheated front porch would be warm enough with the lights, so that I don't have to? I noticed that MsKatt started her seeds in the 4 inch pots, I was thinking of starting mine in smaller-celled flats first, any opinions/advice about that? One other thing I wondered, if I put Baby Boo pumpkins and Jack Be Little pumpkins on separate trellises, will they cross-pollinate? Thanks everyone in advance.

Prairie girl...I started mine in 4 inch pots because they are flowers, (that's my reason, lol). I plan on starting my veggies in smaller ones. I won't use peat pots again, either. I'm constantly having to water because the peat is drawing the moisture out.

Michelle

Prairie girl: I'd try the vegetable gardening forum for an answer to your cross-pollination question.