Got my grow lights up but got a question.

[gardening_gal]

My grow lights arrived today so I quickly put together a frame to hang them from, made out of cheapo pvc pipe, pipe brackets and cable ties.

I deliberately haven't used solvent weld adhesive on the frame yet because I just know I'm likely to tweak it.

Originally I was only going to make the frame long enough to fit the propagator but for now, I decided to make it as long as the space that was available. I have more tweaking room that way, should I decide to move things.

I was also originally going to make the frame height adjustable but soon decided that was too much faffing and it was easier to just raise or lower the prop itself. I may change that in time but I just wanted the thing up quickly. If I'm honest, I also wanted the lights to stay as far above the worktop as possible. This is having to sit in the very small utility space beside the back door and I have clumsy kids so I figured the higher up they were the better.

So, question is, exactly how close to the prop lid should the lights be? I had thought there would have been something about this on the light bulb instructions but there were no height guidelines. Once the seeds germinate I'll be taking the lid off so will move the prop even closer to the light but I'm not sure what kind of distance is optimal.

[gardening_gal]

No idea why the 2nd pic is sideways. I've uploaded it twice now and it's still the same. Sorry.

[veggiechicken]

Hope this is right side up!

[Scarlet]

Oh well, VC is always quicker than me! GG if you crop your photos slightly, not much, they will upload the correct way.

[Bigmallly]

Firstly you don't need lights over a propagator, seeds need warmth not light to germinate. Once germinated, the tray would then go under the lights without the lid, the tubes would be lowered to around 2-3" from the top of the plants for approx 12-14 hours a day. On mine I used chains to adjust the height which was particularly useful if you had different plants at different heights, you could then place the plants in a sloping manner & adjust the lights to the same slope using the chains.

[gardening_gal]

Firstly you don't need lights over a propagator, seeds need warmth not light to germinate. Once germinated, the tray would then go under the lights without the lid, the tubes would be lowered to around 2-3" from the top of the plants for approx 12-14 hours a day. On mine I used chains to adjust the height which was particularly useful if you had different plants at different heights, you could then place the plants in a sloping manner & adjust the lights to the same slope using the chains.

I just figured the sun is bright and warm so I was covering all bases.

Appreciate the tips, thank you.

[Bigmallly]

Save your electricity until they have germinated, they don't need it.