I’m pretty new to seed starting indoors, the past two years I’ve direct sown but definitely got cut short by excessive heat in the midst of fruiting so giving indoor starts a try. I found these 30W 4000K shop lights (3ft) and came up with this small jig that lets me adjust the height with the included chain. All in, the two lights, and a single 2×4 stud ran me about $40. They also had 4ft versions for just a few dollars more.
by Glittering_Side7975
8 Comments
P E P P E R S
I literally just did the same thing with some scrap wood from another project..Decided to grow bok choy indoors because now it’s too hot and they’ll start to bolt
I’d really recommend getting that off your floor. If no table available at least plastic down under the towel to keep the moisture off. Nice for the cost tho! Mine started very similar and I think 4 iterations later it’s grown a bit. 🤣.
https://preview.redd.it/10oo9ggiwblg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c2184c6d649ae7278a8b5f77b48a5594cc583dd
Some of the best “grow lights” I have, are cheap 4 foot long led shop lights!
That’s all you need. It will get your seedlings to the point where they can be hardened off before planting outside.
You’ll come to regret leaving that on your floor.
4ft is the more common size to be the same as the traditional 4ft fluorescent tube lights. I think I’m going to do the same thing with a bunch of left over cedar 2 by 4s I have. How long were the screws you used to go completely through the 2 by 4 and into the other one?
I’m no expert but under the impression that PPFD measures light quality for plants. There are free apps you can download and I have both PPFD Monitor and Photone on my phone. From what I gather, 200 to 300 PPFD is good for seedlings.
I bought 4 packs of LED light strips (6 strips each pack) for $29CAD each. I have 24″ of growing zone with a consistent 300 PPFD across it – and I can dim them – this is at 50%. So far so good. I’m not growing plants to maturity and only starting seedlings.
Might be good to measure what your lights are delivering to your plants and determine if it’s good.
My lights are – Wiaxulay Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, 360 LEDs Full Spectrum Plant Grow Light, 6 Bars/16 in Grow Light Strip with Auto Timer 6/12/16 Hrs, 3 Switch Modes, 5 Dimmable Levels for Hydroponics Succulent.
Again…..no expert but sharing what I’m doing. Feel free to critique!
https://preview.redd.it/sww8ebge1clg1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71c45bf102c11175b81887416ad5c060829094f7