Tying grow lights to a shelf....?

I am about to buy some grow lights, either T5 tek lights w/4 lights, 2 warm & 2 cool, or New Wave T5 tek lights w/4 lights, 2 warm & 2 cool. looking at info from here: http://www.homeharvest.com/teklighthighoutputfluorescents.htm and an email from here: http://www.4hydroponics.com/lighting/HighOutputFluorescents.asp the only difference is the fancy black outer housing on the Tek Light, and the new wave cost less.

I think I remember seeing a picture on another forum of light setup with such a light tied to a homedepot like metal shelf. That made me want to buy a shelf from HD and attach the light myself rather than spend several hundered on a grow shelf.

My question is, did I see what I think I saw--someone has tied their lights to a shelf? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks,

Maureen

BTW, Growco http://www.4hydroponics.com/ has free shipping all the time on lights.

I attach my lights with S hooks and chains. This way the lights can be raised as the seedlings get taller.

I also attach my lights with S hooks and chains.

JesseK

I just looked at these web sites and I think the prices are way too high! I can see why they would offer free shipping with prices like that. I buy the 48" grow light bulbs, made just for plants, and I only pay $7 each for them at Walmart. And the fixtures, wow. Quite pricey. The cheapest one I see on that site is $189. I hope you do not pay that much. I only pay $7 for mine. Many of the online sites are very expensive on their fixtures. I don't know why they are so expensive, but you can get much better buys at Home Depot or Lowe's.

JesseK

I agree with Jesse, the 4 foot shop light fixtures are all that you need, 7-$10 at Lowes or Home Depot.
I've been using them very sucessfully for over six years.

Paul

I, too, bought the cheapest fixtures I could find at Home Depot (bulbs too for that matter.) And my plants are all doing great.

Oh yeah, and I attach them to my wire shelving with S hooks and chain, too.


Edited to add the note I forgot... :)

This message was edited Jan 28, 2005 11:20 AM

I also have some lights from home depot. Right now I am using them for seedlings.

I wanted to get these because of the high lumens they put out. I have been growing bougainvilleas under my Home Depot fluorscents and I think they need a higher amount of light to bloom.

These high-output lights are lower maintenance than metal halide or high density sodium. I've read about people getting great results with these and I need all the help I can get. ;-)

My intention is to attach them to a regular metal shelf from home depot (I have it picked out) because the "plant" shelves often cost more than the lights.

This message was edited Jan 28, 2005 10:57 AM

Watch your electric meter spin off the wall :).

You want any advice from an old, tight, man ?
We have been growing all of our seedlings in our basement for 22 years.
We now have 3 - 4' x 12' tables covered with the cheap shop lights. They are 12" apart, so there are 24 blubs per table. I will challenge anybodies set-up, I don't care how much is spent!
Some of our bulbs have been there for years. I just bought 4 new ones yesterday. Package of 2 for $3. Then when I check-out, they hand me a rebate paper. I will get all of my money back! Sure beats sending some glorified company hundreds to get the same result.
Oh, did I mention we grow this stuff to make our living!

Go to your local big box store, find the cheapest thing you can, and happy growing!
Bernie

Here's a link to some pictures.


http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/371007/

Bernie

That's how I do it too Bernie...just cheap generic lights and enough of them to cover the tray. Never had a bit of a light problem.

The only thing is, both of us grow seedlings for eventual transplant outdoors.....It may be a bit different for those of us who are depending on the light for the survival of an indoor plant for long periods, or enough for a certain cultivar to bloom.

you've been at this longer than I have, so I'd be curious as to what you think

I'm interested, too. I've got begonias and aloe blooming under my cheapies, but not bougainvilleas. I would love to see if someone (Bernie?) has gotten something like that to bloom under plain ole $3 fluorescents.

We have tons of stock plants under lights, no probelm.

blooming?

I have a Brug 7 foot tall in the basement thats been blooming under a shop light with cheapie warm and cool light bulbs all winter.

Paul

hello, everyone! this is exactly the thread i'm looking for. answered my questions and learned more.

thank you!

annapet

off to home depot again!

Hi Bernie,

I love all the advice I can get, believe me.

Do you use your lights to grow beyond seedlings? I think your setup sounds great btw!

Thanks,

Maureen

Wow--just checked your pics, looks great...I hope to have room for a little something like that when I'm done cleaning out the garage.

This message was edited Jan 29, 2005 3:15 PM

"I have a Brug 7 foot tall in the basement thats been blooming under a shop light with cheapie warm and cool light bulbs all winter."

Paul
**********

Very cool Paul, I've had mine under fluorscents from wormsway, not high outputs but the cheaper kind for several months and lots of growth but no bloom :( I have one warm and one cool too. Maybe mine weren't cheap enough?? *shrug*

Some of the things are blooming, but we keep taking cuttings to get started.
Bernie

I increase the effectiveness of the lights by hanging sheets of reflective mylar around the growing shelves. I have had some things increase their size by 5 times over just the lights. Jessamine

This message was edited Jan 30, 2005 12:49 AM

jessamine, that is a good idea. I think I will try that. The shelves that my plants are on are white, but the reflective mylar will enable the plants to get even more light.

JesseK

JesseK, I find I get the best results by aiming the lights at the reflictive mylar rather than just down on the plants. Jessamine

Thanks Jessamine. I will try that.

JesseK

While I use regular 40 watt fl. tubes for starting seeds, I have compact fluorescent fixtures on my SW aquarium tanks, and I've heard really good things about the (relatively) new T5 fixtures from aquarium buffs. People are even using them instead of halogen lights for reef tanks (corals need a lot of light!). Your light fixture probably has a reflective surface above the bulbs, but the mylar sheets sound like a good idea too. I don't think the T5's put out the kind of heat that halogen or HO fluorescent lights do, but watch your temperatures at first to see, especially if you're enclosing the sides of your shelf space with reflective material.

Bernie, that was great advice!! Before I found this thread I had gone out yesterday (on the advice of others from another website) and bought the $7 Shop Light from Home Depot and splurged a little on two (2) Natural Sunlight bulbs by GE ($6 each). I used a rolling clothes rack to hang the fixture over an old architect's table and VOILA! It's perfect. I know I could have done it even cheaper and I'm so glad I never bought one of those huge, fancy systems that are outrageous in price!