Home Made Grow Lights

[smutley]

Thanks for the welcome.

It's just a case of making time for reading.

Just getting back in to veg gardening after a break. It looks like the greenhouses will be earning their keep again this year.

I must say have really missed getting out in the garden the last couple of years.

[mariohi]

Anyone came across 3ft lights or fixtures in some reasonable prices? Look like most popular are 2 or 4ft but i found this 3ft shelving unit on ebay and have 1 meter long grow bag trays so 3ft lights would be perfect.

[Kristen]

T5 growing light tubes only available in 2' and 4' lengths AFAIK.

With a grow bag are you planning on growing something tall? Tubes don't have enough "throw" to penetrate the canopy of a plant taller than a few inches. They are ideal for, say, seedlings (the lamps need to be within a couple of inches of the seedlings, so it helps if the lighting rig is on chains / pulleys so you can raise it as the plants grow.

If you want to grow, say, Tomatoes in a grow bag indoors (i.e. they are staying under artificial light, not going out when they are, say, a foot tall) then you need a different sort of lighting system - e.g. "High Intensity Discharge" (HID) lamps.

[mariohi]

They don't have to be "special" grow lights, just to get seedlings started without being leggy (tomatoes) as it happens on windowsill.
Growbag trays are quite sturdy and take 4 regular trays - easy watering without spillages. I could even do with T8, but still no luck. I can buy tubes, but fixtures are the problem here. I have seen LED lights in different lengths, have anyone tried them? Wattage and lumens seems lower than T5/T8 lights but apparently they seem to be more efficient - directed lights etc. How many LED lights would I need for 4 trays 21x36cm?

[Kristen]

They don't have to be "special" grow lights, just to get seedlings started without being leggy (tomatoes) as it happens on windowsill.

Well if you are happy with that approach how about dangling some CFLs over them? Fittings are a lot more straightforward too. Reflectors optional!

The T5's on my lighting rig have 8 tubes in a 2' width, I think they are 24W for the 2' long ones so that would be 8 x 24W and it covers an area of 2' square, so would give an indication of watts / sq.meter if you can work back from that.. I've not used CFLs, but I imagine one would easy do the width of the shelf, and probably two along its length should be enough?

[maverick451]

You can get t5's in 3 foot 39W version, im using them myself, any online lighting place will sell them, just buy 6500K daylight tubes.

I dont money wise think its worth making your own t5 units, just buy 2nd hand fishkeeping lights, alot of fishkeepers are switching to LED now but imo the t5's are just as good is not better.

Ifve got 2.5K worth of led over my marine tank but if I still grown my seedlings under High output t5's

[Veggiemama]

Can i ask a question please...

You know the flourescent lights in B&Q and such likes, the twin ones, do you take the cover off to use for plants or keep the plastic cover thingy on?

Many thanks
veggiemama

Oh, forgot..

the unit I have has T8 lights init, do i need a unit that takes T5 lights or can i use the same unit and change the lights/

sorry to be daft, i just want to know in case i do something stupid.

I did manage to wire a cable to the unit myself and fit a plug on the end....what a fiddly job that was!!

[maverick451]

Id leave the plastic cover any for safety

Unfortunately you can not simply change out t8's for t5's, they require different starters.

[Kristen]

You know the flourescent lights in B&Q and such likes, the twin ones, do you take the cover off to use for plants or keep the plastic cover thingy on?

The cover is presumably a reflector? in which case it is beneficial.

the unit I have has T8 lights init, do i need a unit that takes T5 lights or can i use the same unit and change the lights

T8 tubes are fatter than T5 (I think that's the difference) so the fittings are different and the tubes are not interchangeable.

Make sure you get tubes suitable for growing - hydroponic shops (online or highstreet, if you have one locally) will stock the right sort of thing.

[Kristen]

I was curious and looked it up. T5 and T8 refers to the diameter in 1/8ths of an inch. So T8 is 1" diameter, and T5 5/8ths ... good old Imperial lives on, eh?!!

The fact that T5s are skinnier would mean that they ere lower wattage, but T5 Tubes are usually High Output and so actually higher wattage than T8 - thus brighter. The bulrb said taht T5 use less power than T8 - so brighter and use less energy.

[maverick451]

The best set up is t5's with individual reflectors and cooling fans to keep them running at optimum effiency.

High output t5's are much powerfull and because they are skinnier they are much more efficient at being reflected, with t8's more of the light output ends up hitting the tube itself.

Id go for a 4 tube set up minimum.

These are pretty good units

2 foot version
LIGHTWAVE T5 HYDROPONIC 4 TUBE PROPAGATION CFL LOW ENERGY FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT | eBay

These are the absolute daddy, only 99p aswell at the moment

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ati-Sunpow...item2a4ce0493f

[Veggiemama]

I saw the T5 tubes in B&Q this morning but i couldnt see any casing, just the tubes. I went armed with notes i had taken from this thread, but could i make head or tail of my own notes.....NO

So, the T8 thing i got this morning wont really work. Its ok i have a cupboard that needs a light, so i can use it for that, it wont go to waste.

I am not depending on it this year, the weather here is rubbish today and i thought i'd give it a go. I should have been doing housey things but want to be gardening,

I have no time left today (children coming home soon) I'll re read later.

Thank you both for taking the time to respond and explain things to me, it is much appreciated.

veggiemama

[Kristen]

I think you can get an adaptor for the T8 fittings to take a T5 tube, no idea if that is cheap or worthwhile ... particularly if you have another use for the T8 fitting

[maverick451]

I saw the T5 tubes in B&Q this morning but i couldnt see any casing, just the tubes. I went armed with notes i had taken from this thread, but could i make head or tail of my own notes.....NO

So, the T8 thing i got this morning wont really work. Its ok i have a cupboard that needs a light, so i can use it for that, it wont go to waste.

I am not depending on it this year, the weather here is rubbish today and i thought i'd give it a go. I should have been doing housey things but want to be gardening,

I have no time left today (children coming home soon) I'll re read later.

Thank you both for taking the time to respond and explain things to me, it is much appreciated.

veggiemama

Im sorry I feel bad now!

Why not just use the t8's but keep the seedlings closer to the unit? you wont get much spread much you could keep a few pots happy.

[Veggiemama]

Im sorry I feel bad now!

Why not just use the t8's but keep the seedlings closer to the unit? you wont get much spread much you could keep a few pots happy.

Dont feel bad, please you have both been really helpful.

my head can be like a sieve because there is so much in there i have to remember....(honestly, i am not a dimwit :-) )

Going out to pick children up now, but i will reread the thread later tonight and get the right lights. As i said, its just to fill in a gap until i get outside......I hope to have it sorted for next years growing, just experimenting for now.

Huge hugs
veggiemama