First year growing indoors. Just about to get started. I have three 19"x54" shelves. I have three T8 lights & one clip on compact fluorescent. I haven't seen much on here about sunlight. I'm putting the shelves in sunny window. I know the amount of lights might be a little lower than what most may have but is that OK with the supplemental natural light most aren't getting? Thanks.
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lighting Indoor Lights & Sun
- Thread starter coachspencerxc
- Start date
Corner with windows on each side. It'It'll be on the E/SE wall with the sun still hitting it from the S wall.CAPCOM said:
t 8's will work fine , 
Thanks. Don't most people use two T8s per shelf though?moruga welder said:t 8's will work fine ,
i start them under a 6 bulb fixture , keep them there for a while then under a couple of 400 watt cfl's till greenhouse in april to harden off and hope to drop them in their permanent homes . but i've seen them under a 2 t8's per shelf , but won't hold many for very long
I did this last year and will likely do it again this winter as well. For right around $100 you have space for 4 full seed trays under lamps:
1 - metal shelf from Lowes for $60 like this one:
2 - T8 light fixtures from Lowes $18 each
2 - T8 bulbs $9 5000K
2 - T8 bulbs $9 6500k
I hang them from the shelves over my seed trays. 2 trays fit lengthwise on each shelf with a little overhang. I have 1 of each bulb (warm and cool) in each lamp, and I have it on a power timer for 15hrs a day. I have the whole thing in front of a south facing sliding glass door and let the sun supplement the lamps.
I had great success last winter from the beginning of February till i planted outside in late April. I will likely do it again this year even earlier. I'll set it up this week since we're due for our first freeze and take a pic.
1 - metal shelf from Lowes for $60 like this one:
2 - T8 light fixtures from Lowes $18 each
2 - T8 bulbs $9 5000K
2 - T8 bulbs $9 6500k
I hang them from the shelves over my seed trays. 2 trays fit lengthwise on each shelf with a little overhang. I have 1 of each bulb (warm and cool) in each lamp, and I have it on a power timer for 15hrs a day. I have the whole thing in front of a south facing sliding glass door and let the sun supplement the lamps.
I had great success last winter from the beginning of February till i planted outside in late April. I will likely do it again this year even earlier. I'll set it up this week since we're due for our first freeze and take a pic.
Sorry for the delay. I finally got around to putting the lights in and getting things ready for winter seed starting. This is my setup as aforementioned with the dual T8 lights with two different bulbs in each for a better spectrum range and the wire shelf that makes it easy to adjust height on the chains. Nothing really in the setup yet, just some early starters that i did outside a couple months back. Seed cells will get added to the trays as they sprout from on top the cable box.
I purchased this adjustable 6 shelf cart with castor on "fleabay" for $65 shipped to my home.
Shelves adjust at 1" increments
Dimensions: 72”H x 48"W x 18"D
Heavy Duty Steel
Shelves are adjustable height at 1" increments
Commercial Grade Chrome Wire
Maximum Weight Capacity for entire Unit: 3000 lbs.
Maximum Weight Capacity per shelf: 500 lbs. equally distributed
Also found this interesting youtube video on how to "overdrive T8 lamps".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJncJmkQPtM
Shelves adjust at 1" increments
Dimensions: 72”H x 48"W x 18"D
Heavy Duty Steel
Shelves are adjustable height at 1" increments
Commercial Grade Chrome Wire
Maximum Weight Capacity for entire Unit: 3000 lbs.
Maximum Weight Capacity per shelf: 500 lbs. equally distributed
Also found this interesting youtube video on how to "overdrive T8 lamps".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJncJmkQPtM
Nice! looks like mine plus a shelf and casters. I would love a slightly wider setup but as you can see i'm already tight on space. I guess i'll just have to build a green house next year
While listening to a gardening radio program this morning,
they mentioned this company and a DIY fold-down greenhouse/cold-frame.
http://bonnieplants.com/library/build-fold-down-greenhouse/
they mentioned this company and a DIY fold-down greenhouse/cold-frame.
http://bonnieplants.com/library/build-fold-down-greenhouse/
Might work for me, sticking a little heater out there on the nights it dips into the 20's... but i'll bet your Ohio winters would prove that to be very difficult to keep anything from freezing.
I have a question about amount of light needed at early growing stages indoors. I am growing aci sivri and criolla sellas here in Colorado over the winter. I have had good luck in the past doing this, but I added more grow lights last spring. Now that the seeds have germinated and the plants all have about four leaves, I am noticing that the plants furthest away from the grow lights are bigger than the ones directly under them! I am giving them about 14 hours of grow lights per day. Is that too much? Thanks for any help you can offer!
boostdemon said:I did this last year and will likely do it again this winter as well. For right around $100 you have space for 4 full seed trays under lamps:
1 - metal shelf from Lowes for $60 like this one:
2 - T8 light fixtures from Lowes $18 each
2 - T8 bulbs $9 5000K
2 - T8 bulbs $9 6500k
I hang them from the shelves over my seed trays. 2 trays fit lengthwise on each shelf with a little overhang. I have 1 of each bulb (warm and cool) in each lamp, and I have it on a power timer for 15hrs a day. I have the whole thing in front of a south facing sliding glass door and let the sun supplement the lamps.
I had great success last winter from the beginning of February till i planted outside in late April. I will likely do it again this year even earlier. I'll set it up this week since we're due for our first freeze and take a pic.
Good set up. Actually been looking into redoing my current set up. Problem is I always get to inpatient and move to early. Then seedlings die off with not enough light or too much sun. Last year I started to late but this year I feel like I'm starting too soon.boostdemon said:I did this last year and will likely do it again this winter as well. For right around $100 you have space for 4 full seed trays under lamps:
1 - metal shelf from Lowes for $60 like this one:
2 - T8 light fixtures from Lowes $18 each
2 - T8 bulbs $9 5000K
2 - T8 bulbs $9 6500k
I hang them from the shelves over my seed trays. 2 trays fit lengthwise on each shelf with a little overhang. I have 1 of each bulb (warm and cool) in each lamp, and I have it on a power timer for 15hrs a day. I have the whole thing in front of a south facing sliding glass door and let the sun supplement the lamps.
I had great success last winter from the beginning of February till i planted outside in late April. I will likely do it again this year even earlier. I'll set it up this week since we're due for our first freeze and take a pic.
On the turbo flourescent, unless you have an issue with space for the light I don't see the benefit.
1. You are using nearly twice the electricity, so why not just use two fixtures?
2. The bulbs burn out much faster, so why spend the extra money?
3. The additional heat means you have to keep them further from the plants, so less of that light is used.
Seems like a bad idea in the $ department.
1. You are using nearly twice the electricity, so why not just use two fixtures?
2. The bulbs burn out much faster, so why spend the extra money?
3. The additional heat means you have to keep them further from the plants, so less of that light is used.
Seems like a bad idea in the $ department.