I have a bunch of plants on my room. this is the first year I have tried to grow anything. so I don't know which kind of light to use when I take them inside. I have a long hanging 'pendant lights'
- posted
15 years ago
I have a bunch of plants on my room. this is the first year I have tried to grow anything. so I don't know which kind of light to use when I take them inside. I have a long hanging 'pendant lights'
Derryl Killan Wrote
If your plants are small in size I suggest Gro Lux Fluorescent Tubes ina
4 Ft. fixture. They have the red and blue light that plants need.Garden centers probably have the tubes and a lighting supply house will have the 48" fixtures.
Derryl
Calgary
I've used ordinary 48" fluorescent lamps for about thirty years with excellent results. However, you may wish to rig the lights (or a bank of lights) with a pulley so you can raise/lower the lights as the seedlings grow. Alternatively, you can always place something underneath the sprouted seedlings to raise them closer to the light, especially if you have seeds from various plants that sprout at different times. Keep your seedlings as close as practicable to the lights so the plants don't become spindly or "leggy." Before long, you'll gain experience and confidence.
Sound advice.
My dad does this too.
Bill
The ten buck shop lights from Home Despot come with chains that make it easy to adjust the height.
Thanks for the details, I have search it in google and planning to buy this afternoon.
'Bill[_13_ Wrote:
I used 48" flourescents for many years but last year tried the CFLs. CFLs have a broader light spectrum than ordinary flourescents so I thought that it was worth a try.
What I did not realize was that the smaller CFLs in a painters fixture was much easier to get close to the seedlings. And when I have some tall seedlings (tomatoes for instance) next to some short seedlings (something recently started, I can direct one CFL down close to the short guys and another close to the tall guys.
My results were excellent and I am using the CFLs again this year.
John
Thanks for the tip, John. I shall try this next year. You using
100watt equivalent CFLs?When you say painters fixtures, do you mean reflective hanging fixtures, half globe shaped, such as the fixture used for heat lamps on chicks?
Care Charlie
Yes, I use the biggest ones I can get.
Geez, never thought of attracting chicks that way. Does it really work?
John
You mean the regular CFL bulbs? I am new to growing indoors as well and I had this same exact question. Good thing I came here. I am planning to do bonsai keeping them on shelves that may or may not be able to move with spot lights above mounted on the wall, possibly in track lighting that is mounted vertically for adjustments. Do you think this setup will be feasible? everything I have seen for grow light bulbs puts them at about $40-$50 with one of those cheap clip-on spot domes. If CFLs work then I may be in business.
What do you guys think?
Bill D.
LOL ;-)
23 watt (100 watt incandescent equivalent) CFLs work great. 23 watt PAR CFL reflector floods work even better, putting all the light on your plants instead of burning your eyes. The enclosed design is safer, too, reducing breakage and containing the tiny little bit of mercury in case they _do_ break.
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