Home Made Grow Lights

[redser]

If they are cool whites they'll be good for vegetive growth

[veggiechicken]

Will the wavelength of the light you are using make much difference?

I've absolutely no idea
Two pots of lettuce sown and I'll do a test to see which grows the better - in or out of the Box!

[veggiechicken]

Thought I would put a white cloth over the top, to reflect the light downwards. I started with a tinfoil ready meal dish but it didn't sit very well on the light.

Modified this to a white plastic tray from the Scandinavian shop (99p) since its exactly the same size as the box

[veg man]

I hope i have this right you dont need the fancy grow bulbs just an ordinary fluorescent bulb will do please correct me if im wrong it will save a fortune Thank you

[veg man]

I'm still thinking this through - could you use foil backed insulation boards to line a box - or plasterboard as that is matt white? I just may be able to find offcuts of these

Any Buiders skip will have some if you dont mind skip diving lol or try wickes/B&Q for a damaged board

[Bigmallly]

Grow light tent part 1:
Before: A 1 metre x 1 metre east facing square window that's as much use as a chocolate fire guard.......

After: A 1 metre x 1 metre foil coated grow tent..........

Total cost so far = £2.04..........

Part 2 to follow.

[veggiechicken]

Part 2, Hurry or I won't sleep tonight
Reminds me of an audit I did once, at a building material store. Reluctantly the storekeeper let me go up some stairs, and at the top, under a skylight, were a load of plants I just looked at him, and he was very embarrassed!
What are those, I said in my best authoritarian voice (even though I knew)
Sorry, he said, they're my overwintering geraniums

[redser]

Grow light tent part 1:
Before: A 1 metre x 1 metre east facing square window that's as much use as a chocolate fire guard.......[ATTACH=CONFIG]33108[/ATTACH]

After: A 1 metre x 1 metre foil coated grow tent..........[ATTACH=CONFIG]33109[/ATTACH]

Total cost so far = £2.04..........

Part 2 to follow.

God you could have a rosemantic dinner in there!

[redser]

I hope i have this right you dont need the fancy grow bulbs just an ordinary fluorescent bulb will do please correct me if im wrong it will save a fortune Thank you

That's right, if by ordinary you mean cool whites. You dont want to cook your plants, not at this stage anyway People would be well within their rights to argue the toss and say that the more expensive gro lights are better, but really the flourescents do a great job. Search on youtube for clips. CFLs would be great too but the bulbs are more expensive than the tubes. Cheaper to run in the long run I'd imagine but the initial outlay put me off.

[veg man]

That's right, if by ordinary you mean cool whites. You dont want to cook your plants, not at this stage anyway People would be well within their rights to argue the toss and say that the more expensive gro lights are better, but really the flourescents do a great job. Search on youtube for clips. CFLs would be great too but the bulbs are more expensive than the tubes. Cheaper to run in the long run I'd imagine but the initial outlay put me off.

Cheers that will do me

[Snadger]

Are you ready for this? The VC/BluePeter version of a Lightbox thingy!
Take one collapsible plastic crate, some spare mirror tiles and small mirrors from Freecycle, a plastic box and a worklight. Put them together and;-
[ATTACH=CONFIG]33097[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]33098[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]33099[/ATTACH]
Thought I would put a white cloth over the top, to reflect the light downwards. I started with a tinfoil ready meal dish but it didn't sit very well on the light.

Deffo not worthy of a Blue Peter badge..................where's the 'sticky backed plastic'?

Nice to see you're thinking 'out of the box' though VC (Or should that be IN the box)............

[veggiechicken]

Remains to be seen whether it works or not, Snadge!! At worst, it has cost me nothing but if I have to buy sticky backed plastic..........

[Sylvan]

How do you power the fluorescent tubes? (Presumably you haven't wired them in to the lighting circuit )

[veggiechicken]

Mine's on a long lead so no problem, but I wondered that myself. Tubes are cheap - its the fittings that aren't

[veg man]

Are the fluorescent tubes them selves marked cool white as i am doing some work at the mo and the lady is throwing out a fluorescent light with tube i think that will be going home with me tomorrow