Home Made Grow Lights

[Cadalot]

I thought so, that's must have been where the idea came from I couldn't check because the photos with the unknown status (lost mapping links or lost forever) are missing in action.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I do actually love this set-up as a put on!


https://youtu.be/GF8DlpGu5FE

That's very good Deano & will be easy to store away when not in use.

The reason I like it is I have a few wooden trays "Snaffled" from work, which I need to put to good use of, and this seems the prime idea!

Need to adapt it to sit inside a "Grow Cupboard" etc

Here's another one I like!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...24&FORM=VRDGAR

[Bigmallly]

Here's the MKII as of today. Tomatoes have now been moved to the bottom shelf, Beetroot were put on the top shelf this morning showing about a quarter inch of growth, they are now around 1" in a day......

[Bigmallly]

Here's another one I like!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...24&FORM=VRDGAR

That looks really good, sturdy & easy to build.

[Cadalot]

I finally made space elsewhere for the lawn mower that used to sit folded up on top of the small Allotment produce freezer in the outside brick shed. See Alans Allotment: Brick Shed Grow Station 2

Now is it worth making a U shaped walled area in white to go around the back and sides painted white to reflect the light?

What do you think or am I over doing it?

[Bigmallly]

I would think the more light the better Al, so I would paint it white. Plus maybe a bigger piece of board, once you start with seedlings you're gonna need all the space you can find especially if starting them off now.

[Cadalot]

I would think the more light the better Al, so I would paint it white. Plus maybe a bigger piece of board, once you start with seedlings you're gonna need all the space you can find especially if starting them off now.

I think you are right the bulbs are a Philips Tornado 42W E27 Edison Cool White Spiral Energy Saving Light Bulb and a Daylight 6500k Spiral SAD 42w Day Light E27 Low Energy Bulb but I will linie the back and left with correx fixed to the wall and have a removable panel on the right.

If I can find an alterative home for the tree pruners & rake then I have a longer board that I can screw to battens on to go either side of the freezer to stop it moving sideways but could cantilever either side giving me more layout space.

Now thinking about adding one of these in there Shop4 All Electrical Ltd Offers For Sale Dimplex Tubular Heaters just to bring the temperature up to 15-20 degrees rather than the heat mat which does not appear to be doing anything.

[Bigmallly]

Sounds a good plan Al..........looking forward to your progress.

[Bigmallly]

...........Would the pruners & rake hang on the back of the shed door?

[Bigmallly]

Before splashing out anymore cash, I would be tempted to put a thermometer on the mat just to make sure it doesn't work. If not, I would go for a large heated propagator.

[Cadalot]

I have a temperature gun in the shed that I can't get into at the moment but I have just laid the longer sheet of timber in and I will be able to get three trays worth in there, and I have put the outside probe under the mushroom tray and turned the heat on and will leave it an hour or two and see what difference if any the heat mat is making, It didn't feel warm when I touched it yesterday.

Had a quick look at heated propagators and they are very expensive to cover an area three full trays in size and I don't really want to splash a vast amount of cash at this, I may just have to wait until the temperature rise or perhaps consider the Shop4 All Electrical Ltd Offers For Sale Dimplex Tubular Heaters which is £15.49 + vat or something similar just to bring up the temperature in the shed to between 15 - 20C

[Bigmallly]

Your setup is lending itself to something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy5fzPlsXK0

[Cadalot]

Thank Mal - I like Ray and watch him on a regular basis, I don't have the space for the steel tube but I'm going to fix correx to the underside of the shelf the fitting is fixed too and line the walls and create a white box, I may even all a removable front and use some insulation to assist in increasing the ambient temperature.

I have tested the mat over a three hour period and the results can be found here Alans Allotment: Tweaking & Researching Grow Station 2

[Bigmallly]

Instead of using metal, why not try a piece of white hardboard, the type you get on the back of kitchen cupboards. I'm sure that would bend into a hood.

[polc1410]

Thank Mal - I like Ray and watch him on a regular basis, I don't have the space for the steel tube but I'm going to fix correx to the underside of the shelf the fitting is fixed too and line the walls and create a white box, I may even all a removable front and use some insulation to assist in increasing the ambient temperature.

I have tested the mat over a three hour period and the results can be found here Alans Allotment: Tweaking & Researching Grow Station 2

Is your freezer on? You should get some decent heat off the condensor on that... ...bit of effort might be needed to get the heat to go where you want it - either using some ducting or even some sort of heat exchanger.

Ducting might mean a piece of tube (say 3 inch diameter) with a PC computer fan in it to blow the air from the warm part of the condensor on the freezer to where it should be warming.

Heat exchanger would mean wrapping the hot bits on the freezer with some thing tubing. A small circulating pump and then some form of block to disipate the heat. Fill the system with fluid and a pump in theory - although I suspect if your block is big enough you might be fine... ...something like an old radiator - and use that as a shelf to sit the trays on. Water with antifreeze in and then plenty of narrow bore copper round the freezer bits down below. Heat will rise and I doubt it will actually get that hot on the radiator so you might not need to force circulation....

Instead of using metal, why not try a piece of white hardboard, the type you get on the back of kitchen cupboards. I'm sure that would bend into a hood.

While a dome would be ideal, a tent shape would do OK. The white hardboard doesn't bend as easily as you will want and at some stage of bend suddenly splits.

Some off cuts of kingspan on the walls would help reflect (its foil coated) and would make a big difference. Off cuts should be easy to find near building sites etc. You aren't looking for lots.