Home Made Grow Lights

[Mikey]

Ok, that was a big read, very informative though.

Has anyone thought about using an old kitchen cupboard, maybe a freecycle item for a white box, save building one?

You can buy cool white flourescents with a mains cable attachment for a couple of quid at an electrical wholesaler. I think I've got a fluori in the attic though.

I'm sure I read somewhere that plants are green because that is the part of the light spectrum that they cannot use, I'm sure someone will correct me on this.

Shouldn't the floor of the box be a black concrete slab to help retain heat and release it later on when the light is off?

[unclefudgly]

Thought I would chip in with my own version which works very well and cost me about £20. I use a 45w SAD 6400K daylight tube (£8 ebay) and I made a reflector made from mirrored acrylic ( £10) , it is incredibly bright for a 45w bulb, equivalent to 250w old style tungsten, with the benefit of being bayonet fitting so can fit any household lamp fixture you have.



If i hang it about 2 feet above my plants in winter it covers about a square metre, but I can lower it for my seedlings if they need it.

[veggiechicken]

Like that UncleF Could you put one of those bulbs into an Anglepoise lamp, raising and lowering as needed? Guess who has a couple of spare Anglepoises

[unclefudgly]

The Lamps are big veggiechicken, about 7-8" long so not sure they would fit in your standard anglepoise

cheers

[veggiechicken]

Would that matter if you made a reflector shade to surround it?

[unclefudgly]

It wouldn't matter at all as long as the reflector was big enough.

[MartinRSharpe]

I'm sure I read somewhere that plants are green because that is the part of the light spectrum that they cannot use, I'm sure someone will correct me on this.

Close enough.

Green light is mostly reflected from the leaves. Chlorophyll which gives the leaves their pigment most strongly absorbs the blue end of the spectrum, followed by the red with very little in the green middle.

The most light left to reflect is the green, so that is what you see.

The exact type of chlorophyll will vary this slightly however.

[veggiechicken]

It wouldn't matter at all as long as the reflector was big enough.

Thanks again - one of the Anglepoise lamps is much larger than the normal ones and has a white shade to start with. I think I can make some sort of reflector even if its just a large white lamp shade (that I also have somewhere!). All I need is a bulb and its Blue Peter Grow Light Mk 2

[GreenTricky]

Any one have an opinon on these lights?

SUNBLAZER T5 4 x 24 w -2 foot HO Hydroponics Plant Propagation Grow LightWave | eBay

[GreenTricky]

Seems like it would make as much sense buying something like this, looking at the price of the bulbs origionally quoted

RootIt 2ft Propagation Light with Stand - Pots & Propagators - Grow Your Own - The Recycle Works Ltd

[Ananke]

Has anyone thought about using an old kitchen cupboard, maybe a freecycle item for a white box, save building one?

I'm using a computer cupboard, it's not far off the size of a double kitchen cupboard. Project starts tomorrow, i'll take pictures of our progress.

I bought a 2ft twin fluorescent light from B&Q yesterday but it didn't say cool white on the packaging. It states that each bulb is 18w 1,300 lumen 10,000 h (no doubt the answer is in there somewhere) I should have taken notes when I read this thread through the other day.

[areia]

ok gonna ask poss dim question looking at that reflective sheeting, if say your on a really tight budget and you have that shiny foil like present wrap would that have the same effect ??

[Aberdeenplotter]

Any one have an opinon on these lights?

SUNBLAZER T5 4 x 24 w -2 foot HO Hydroponics Plant Propagation Grow LightWave | eBay

If that is within your budget and is big enough to cover your growing/propogating area, then go for it. It is designed to do the job.

[GreenTricky]

If that is within your budget and is big enough to cover your growing/propogating area, then go for it. It is designed to do the job.

Thanks, I only ask as it seems unless you have bulbs and fittings laying around, building your own doesn't work out much cheaper

[Bigmallly]

Thanks, I only ask as it seems unless you have bulbs and fittings laying around, building your own doesn't work out much cheaper

Building your own works out a lot cheaper GT, I picked up a 3ft twin cool light fitting with tubes for £18. Just needed to add wire & a plug.