Grow light

[janetn]

Looks like Im going to start growing some veges indoors. things like lettuce carrots - quick cool crops. And Im gonna start some plants indoors. I need advice on a good light and whatever else you would care to share.

[hunybee]

the curly bulbs are good for growing plants.

[dilligaf]

yeah for small scale CFL's are the way to go..

[janetn]

Thanks :-D

[Summerthyme]

Umm... whatever you decide to get, you'll probably need a LOT more light for seedlings and veggie plants than you suspect.

And you absolutely need a way to keep them close to the lights (unless you go with those really high-output halogen type lights).

The sun produces more light than most of us realize, in terms of what it does for plants. And NOTHING you can do in terms of fertilizer or anything else will replace adequate light.

Summerthyme

[goatlady]

I use a 4' shop light with the 2 fluorescent bulbs then I cover large pieces of cardboard with heavy duty alluminum foil to enclose the light and reflect the light evenly on the seedlings. Seems to keep them from leaning and reaching.

[firebird]

the curly bulbs are good for growing plants.

The new ones that fit in a regular light socket and are supposed to be energy efficient?

[hunybee]

yup. if you can get a full spectrum cfl, all the better. i have a few, and they were fantastic for our winter indoor garden. unfortunately, i got infested in a horrible way with those little tiny white flies, and they killed everything. that is something else to think about. green house pests

[kelee877]

I bought plug in ballasts...like this
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=140847439 6672801&bmUID=1233073557255&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443281067&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

and then the grow lights to put in them..they work great..there are also disposable 12 inch grow lights..have had my for 3 years and they are still good,

ps I had a coupon for Canadian tire when I spent 40.00, I got 40 owrth of stuff for free, so I waited until the ballasts where on sale, got 2 ballasts for the price of one and then 40 worth of free stuff...

[Larvik]

I use flourescent lights too, as well as start them near windows and keep the tubes as close to the plants as possible. We have hooks drilled above them and raise/lower the fixtures with cord as plants grow. I start the seeds in a mix of vermiculite and peat, as it's sterile. No fertilizer until they have a couple of sets of true leaves.

White flies are the determined little greenhouse pests. They and aphids can be be reduced with insecticidal soap, dipping the plants in a weak solution as recommended on the labels. Don't let them get ahead of you if you can help it! Adequate ventilation, warmth, and not too much humidity help too, but they are tough once they reach critical mass. Spider mites also can be helped with the soap. Safer's was our brand of choice, but their price skyrocketed last year.

[Amishdude]

Last year we used 4' fluorescent fixtures with "regular" bulbs in them to start our plants. Seemed to work fine. Does anybody know what advantage there would be to switching from standard fluorescent light bulbs to "Grow Light" bulbs? Is it worth the extra expense? Rural King has Sylvania 4' Grow-Light bulbs on sale this week for $4.49 each.

[kelee877]

Last year we used 4' fluorescent fixtures with "regular" bulbs in them to start our plants. Seemed to work fine. Does anybody know what advantage there would be to switching from standard fluorescent light bulbs to "Grow Light" bulbs? Is it worth the extra expense? Rural King has Sylvania 4' Grow-Light bulbs on sale this week for $4.49 each.


This is from wiki

A grow light is an electric lamp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_lamp) designed to promote plant growth by emitting an electromagnetic spectrum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum) appropriate for photosynthesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis). The emitted light spectrum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_spectrum) is similar to that from the sun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun), allowing indoor growth with outdoor conditions. Natural daylight has a high color temperature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature) (approx. 6000 K) and appears bluish. Through the use of the color rendering index (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index), it is possible to compare how much the lamp matches the natural color of regular sunlight.

Light spectrums used
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Lightspectrum_lamp_chart.JPG/150px-Lightspectrum_lamp_chart.JPG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightspectrum_lamp_chart.JPG) http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightspectrum_lamp_chart.JPG)
The light spectrums of different grow lamps


Different light spectrums are used for the different stages of plant growth. The initial vegetative stage requires blue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue) spectrum of light, whereas the later "flowering" stage is usually done with red–orange spectrums. The lights can be bought by spectrum colour specifically, or some companies such as Sylvania Grolux produce a full spectrum bulb which caters for all stages of growth.
The light is usually used in conjunction with a reflector, to control and intensify the light emissions, and will include an electrical ballast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast) to control the current to the light. This is required because of the high intensity of the light that is necessary to produce something akin to sunlight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grow_light

grow lights or what I call aquaruim plants lights have different colours they emit, to help plant life grow, especially indoors or during winter when the natural sun is not available(sounds like a catoglog order..lol..)

[Amishdude]

Thanks Kelee. Good info. Does anybody have any hands on experience of the effective difference? Still don't know if the cost is worthwhile. Sounds like it could be.

[Summerthyme]

Amishdude... I've tried both, and found very little (no) difference for seedlings.

IF you plan on growing flowering plants indoors, they will do better with the full spectrum lights. I've still got a couple in my 4' florescent fixtures (I have a plant grow shelf with 2, 4' double bulb fixtures above each shelf)... I put one full spectrum bulb and one regular in a fixture. But they never showed enough difference in plant growth (including growing greens indoors for winter use) to justify the extra cost. I won't replace them.

Summerthyme

[Amishdude]

Thanks, Summerthyme (http://74.39.184.126/vb/member.php?u=613). I have used 2-bulb fixtures with one cool-white and one daylight bulb per fixture (making it pretty much full-spectrum) and have had wonderful results. I think I'll stick with my "cheap" grow lights. :mrgreen:

[breezy]

I use a 4' shop light with the 2 fluorescent bulbs then I cover large pieces of cardboard with heavy duty alluminum foil to enclose the light and reflect the light evenly on the seedlings. Seems to keep them from leaning and reaching.


Goatlady, you wouldnt happen to have pics of your setup, would you?

[Regency Lass]

Amishdude... I've tried both, and found very little (no) difference for seedlings.


Same here. They are only needed for flowering plants...and even then, only during the time the plant is in flower...such as if you want to grow container tomatoes inside the house over the winter. Granted, they may still start to bloom, but without the grow lights, most all the blooms will fall off and your yield will be next to nothing.

[RENMAN358]

+ 1

Have tried the wide spectrum and the stnd bulbs on tomatoes.
The ws where more purpler. (sp) Supposedly the plant absorbs
red and blue, BUT reflects green. Hence the purple light.

Didnt notice enough diff to justify the cost.

Have since gone to a south facing solar exposed potting shed
to do starts in. If they get enough light , then TEMP makes a
difference. We use gal jugs w/ water to absorb heat.

[hunybee]

purpler


purpler?

http://images.zaazu.com/img/scratch-head03-idea-animated-animation-smiley-emoticon-000416-design.gif (http://zaazu.com/sections/expressions-smiley/3/416-scratch-head03-emoticon.html)

[RENMAN358]

YEAH,,,,like,,,,MORE purple
like ,,,MORE BETTER
like,,, what do ya expect
from an enganeer , anyhoo

[hunybee]

http://images.zaazu.com/img/grin-animated-animation-grin-smiley-emoticon-000356-design.gif (http://zaazu.com/sections/expressions-smiley/356-grin-emoticon.html)