I usually partition off a part of my front porch and put in a heater or a lamp (or both sometimes). However I've been really busy this year and I will have to partition my deck (with arbor) as well. This has always worked pretty well. But I always lose a few things, forgetting to water and most of all I think because I don't have grow lights. I live by myself and have no idea how to put up neon lights. My front porch has plugs, and if I need more I can run a line in through a window.
Is there such a thing as grow light bulbs? I have extra lamps. What should I do? On limited budget so hiring an electrician just isn't going to happen.
winter in Texas
Anne, I've bought Gro Lights at Lowe's before, and put them in the long shop light fixtures. I don't remember them being very expensive.
No electrician needed :)
I've also bought gro light lightbulbs which fit in regular lamps. I use them in those canister type lamps that people get to uplight a plant. Either Lowes or HD. Don't remember which.
I always use one cool and one warm bulb in my fixtures for my light stands. Cheaper and works just fine.
My DH is an electrical engineer who is always harping at me NOT to exceed 15 amps per wall outlet. So if your heater uses 15 amps (1500 watt heater), you can't use that outlet for anything else. The other socket in that outlet will have to remain unused. Overloading the outlet will overheat the wires and can cause a fire. If you do run an extension cord from inside the house and will be using the maximum amps per outlet get heavy duty (15-16 amp rating) cords. I have several multiplug heavy duty extension cords. They are expensive, but well worth it.
For the florescent lights to be effective, they have to be inches from the plants. You may have to install a number of fixtures to cover all your plants. Also leave the lights on at least 16 hours.
Yeah see that's the problem I don't know how to install shop lights. And thank you Betty for the info. I always wondered why those heaters failed that night that it got down to 26 degrees. Still wondering how to solve this problem. I will look for those light bulb types, Voss.
Anne
DH is also an EE and agrees w/ Bettydee about amperage and dangerous overloading. I know you say your budget does not allow for an electrician but caution when evaluation solutions will be important for obvious safety reasons.
I agree.
For mounting shop lights, I've always used screweyes & "S" hooks with light chain. Using chain allows you to change the height and angle of the fixture from the ceiling. Be sure to screw into joists to support the weight (although light) safely.
All of these are available from HD or Lowe's or almost any hardware shop. About a buck for a package of "S" hooks, same for the screweyes, and the chain should be well under a buck per foot.
You will need a ladder, a pair of pliers, and probably a screwdriver placed through the eye to turn it into the wood.
But how do you get the electricity to it?
Use an extension cord that is rated for the load and exterior use. You said you had an outside power source, so plug in there.
As many DG'ers as there are in your area - I'll bet someone could help.
Our weekends are pretty filled for the rest of this year, but would be happy to do it all if the time were available.
I'm still trying to decide how much of the porch I'm going to have to partition off this year. I've been a busy bee this last year and I don't think everything is going to fit in the space that I used last year. But thank you I will do that.
Anne
aunt, if you're in z8b, that's just a little bit cooler than my zone. Maybe you ought to post a list of the plants you are protecting and see if they really, really need to be protected. You might find out you don't have to work as hard.
The only thing I bring indoors (garage) is plumies and tropical hibbies. The rest pretty much fend for themselves; shouldn't be much different for you. Of course, I would feel just awful if I told you to leave something outside and it died...
Anne, are you starting seeds or cuttings or just trying to keep things alive that you already have? If you're not doing seeds or cuttings you might not need lights. In our gh we have a light that we turn on only to see at night. Otherwise the only light the plants get is sunlight and alot of that is cut out because of the heavy shade cloth. I knew it would get way too hot without the cloth and there's still plenty of light. On the other hand, depending on what you have in there, you might get by with just using those clamp lights for heat. They get quite toasty.
auntanne...i was sorta technically/electrically challenged till hubby showed me how easy it was and how cheap it was....basically plug and play; i will take some photos of my set up; very cheap and easy....
Potted plants I'll just bring into the garage if the temp is supposed to get to freezing. If it ain't freezing, they will stay outside, with possibly a very few exceptions. Stuff that I've outplanted will get covered if I think it will get too cold, but that is just because this is the first year in the ground. The second year it will be up to the plants to survive.
okie dokie auntanne....here is my sophisticated setup(grin):
i did 500 cuttings of coleus under these lights last year....; you can
get this light for next to nothing at the home improvment stores...
i have a grow light in it...
another.....as you can see this is one of those light things that are suppossed to be installed....it has an electric cord that is plugged in the electric outlet....you might be able to see the hanger i use to hang it from the hanging basket hooks in the ceiling
This message was edited Sep 28, 2007 9:45 PM
another....i hope you can see better
final pic of another type of fixture i use....it is plastic and cheap; has a growlight in it
Thank you Sticks, I'll show this to the bf because he'll have to help though he's as technically challenged as I. And Voss tropical hibbs and a plummie is exactly what I have. The brug seedlings that I have and cuttings that I have I will bring inside. I guess the kalanchoe can stay outside I baby things way too much. Unfortunately I typically lose a few of my potted hibs in the winter and was just thinking that I might try something new this year. We put up plastic sheeting which screens a lot of the sunlight. I am hoping to fit everything onto the new deck which faces the west. This should be easier to control the temp than in years past when I used the front porch which is northerly facing. I'd like to start some seedlings in Dec. or Jan but we were planning on building a two tier shelf to put in front of a south facing window here in the house.
Losing a few just makes room to acquire more plants... 8 ) Sticks ~ great engineering ~ works for me too.
:)