Grow Lights?

[DonnaKay]

I want to start some seeds under lights. The guy at Home Depot tried to tell me I needed bulbs specifically for plants. The seeds I started back in Germany were started in my kitchen under the lights mounted under my cabinets. I'm sure they were not plant lights but they worked fine.

What kind of bulbs do I need to look for and which ones won't work??

BTW the bulbs will just be going in standard shop light fixtures.

Thanks,
Donna

[Deberosa]

Plain old cheapo shop lights and bulbs work fine! It's what I used last year. Put them on adjustable chains so you can keep the lights very close to the plants. Also the light will be stronger toward the center of the bulbs than at the ends. But I started all of my seeds with two four foot long shop lights last year, cycling the different kinds through and moving them to the green house after a couple of weeks.

[AlchemyAcres]

Just as Debbie said, standard shop lights...You want the plants as close as possible to the light, even touching is is ok!

~Martin

[DM]

I want to start some seeds under lights. The guy at Home Depot tried to tell me I needed bulbs specifically for plants.
Well, the depot guy isn't exactly lieing to you... The bulbs with the proper color temp do work better, but they are not a must have...

BTW, all you need is "warm soil" to get the seeds to germinate, and then use the lights after they do...
DM

[humbug]

The cheap shop lights are what I have used for years. They work just fine. You might want to add a timer so that you don't have to remember to turn them on and off.

[WileyCoyote]

Um... I used to sell lighting to businesses, and the 'grow lights' are better simply because fluorescent lights literally pull vitamin resources out of the human body - and plants, too. Some of the lighting I sold actually encouraged the formation of Vitamin D and others, because of where they were on the color/radiation scale.

I will tell you though that, in some states, setting up large indoor grow situations - some with lights, but mostly with the hydroponic solutions, etc - can get you reported to the Feds for investigation. CA is really bad for that; heard that WA and OR respond to that too. Apparently the only reason they can see for a large operation of indoor growing is to raise pot.

When I built my greenhouse, I was asked by the local cops what I was growing and I told them, "Nothing you need to worry about." They wanted permission to come over and look at it, and I told them come on - but there were lots of spiders and some large chameleons in there, so be careful. They never showed up... ;D I didn't have ROOM for pot plants!

[snickering]

Indoor lighting 101 :D

Everyone germinates seeds there own way so I wont bother you with that. As far as lighting gos, there are several ways to go.

1- CFL Compact fluorescent lights. These are the little spiral Fluorescent lights you screw in to replace regular lights. These work well for seedlings and small plants. Just remember that they give off more heat that tube type lights. So you need to make sure you dont burn your seedlings. Use the hand test. Hold the back of your hand under the light. If it gets warm/hot its to close to the plant.

2- Tube type flourescent lights. I prefer these. They are cooler and the seedlings can actually sit right on the light and not get burned. Any old shoplight can be used 2 foot - 4 foot two bulb up to 12 bulb fixtures. I use a mix of warm and cool bulbs to give more of a mixed light spectrum for the seedlings. Keep the light as close to the seedlings as you can.

One problem with flourescent lights is that there is not a lot of penetration of light so you may find your plants stretch a lot trying to grow to the light. A simple way to help this is to put your seedlings and the light into box. A old piece of furniture a old shipping crate etc. Paint the insides a flat white paint or line the box with one of those foil lined emergency blankets (1 dollar at wallmart)

The other option is to buy a actual grow light. For seedlings you can use a 150watt bulb. There are two types available metal halide and High pressure sodium. Metal halide is used more for germination and growth, while the HP Sodium lights are used primarily for blooming, Not law though you can use either one with no real problem. They have fantastic light penetration that causes your seedlings to grow bushier and stretch less. These are probably the best you could buy. Several drawbacks though. The price you will need to buy a ballast and the light cord and a reflector, You will most likely spend around 150 dollars. The ballast and the bulb give off lots of heat, so you will have to ensure you have adequate ventilation. To keep the seedlings from burning. You should also take into account the extra electricity you will use. Seedlings need on the minimum of 12 hrs of light a day. I leave my seedlings under 24hrs of light (fluoro) with no ill effect.

ALSO.... Do not buy those spotlight looking things that are sold as grow lights. It looks like a normal spotlight with the bulb painted blue or green or some other color. They do not work do not waste your money.

[snickering]

Ok Im on a roll now. Dont forget to put your plants outside once it starts warming up a bit. for a hour or so everyday. They will appreciate the sun more than a light, also the wind will stimulate the plant stalk to "thicken" up and make the plant stronger. Or you could use a fan blowing indirectly on the seedlings.

One last thing before my morning coffee buzz wares off. ;D A sunny south facing window sill will work just as good. You can spend 100s of dollars for your seedlings, or you can spend 20. Its all up to you. There are a lot of hydroponic stores around the world that you can look at online to get some ideas.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[humbug]

Donna I start all of my own plants inside under grow lights. I only use the cheap shop light fixtures and have had no problems with them. Here is a picture of my setup.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/nvhumbug/frank007.jpg

This has worked well for me over the years. Here is a copy of the plans...it may be a little hard to read. If anyone wants a copy of these plans pm me your address and I will get them sent out to you.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/nvhumbug/plantrack.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/nvhumbug/plant2.jpg

There are some things I would do different with this plan though. I would make the shelves wide enough to put the black nursery trays crossways in it. It would allow for you to start more plants in it. I would also never glue and dowl the end pieces together...what a pain and they didn't stay. Use long lag screws. I built this shelf rack about six years ago and have been fairly happy with it. I have it set up with a light timer so I don't have to worry about turning the lights on and off.

[Deberosa]

Great pictures humbug! I went the "easy" route with my shelves but it wasn't that much more expensive. At Costco they have chrome 4 shelf carts that are perfect for grow lights. The shelves all adjust up and down and the whole thing is also on wheels! It's around $70 so not much more expensive than building one. When I get mine set up for this season I'll take some pictures too. I have a timer too - makes it really convenient.

You sure have some nice looking seedlings!

[12vman]

If ya don't want the power company worryin' 'bout whatcha gots growin' over there, Check this (http://www.besthongkong.com/index.php?cPath=9_68&osCsid=c7e80c644bd1023c19b746 63b679ac5f) out... 8) ;D ;D ;D

[jajbellsouthnet]

Warm soil is almost as important to raising sets as is light. You can buy the very expensive seed flat heating pads or keep your eyes open for old waterbed heating pads. They come with a thermostat for controlling the I temperature and cost about .50 to $1.00 apiece at flea markets and garage sales. My success with sets improved 500% when I used them.

[bee_pipes]

... wants a copy of these plans pm me ...

... some things I would do different...
... shelves wide enough to put the black nursery trays crossways...
... never glue and dowl the end pieces together...
... Use long lag screws....


Thanks for the plans HumBug. We had to make some adjustments for lumber, but I appreciate your advice. We just put simple cross pieces on the ends, rather than the dowel arrangement. I considered making it wider - wouldn't have taken much more lumber, but might have required more lights? We put on an old power strip and can override the timer, if desired. I'm thinking casters might be a good hit too!

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/bee_pipes/seed_starter_rack.jpg

Regards,
Pat

[humbug]

Looks Great Bee Pipes. ;D ;DI thought about coasters too. It would make it a lot easier to move around. I can hardly wait to get my plants up and going. :)

[crafty2002]

4' tubes work great but use one warm white and one cool white in each fixture. That makes up the light spectum that plants need.
But a metal halide and a high pressure soduim together is about two times better per watt of electricity that the tubes are. They blast the plants with light.
Dennis.

[leera]

Just bumping this up a bit.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I use full spectrum tubes or what they call 'daylight' lights.

They aren't much more than regular and you can a big pack of them at Lowes.

I put my light stand near a large southern exposure window so sometimes I turn the lights off for a few hours.

I'm here most of the time so I don't have them on a timer or anything.

I turn em on in the morning about 6:30 or 7 am and turn them off in the evening about 12 hours later. On very sunny days they are off for a while.

I only put one double fixture on each shelf with chains and an s hook to lower and raise the lights. 2 fixtures per shelf or a wider one would be more optimum--but also pricier and I do have lots of sunshine on clear days.

I have cold frames out in the garden and if we weren't having such freakishly cold weather I'd have already transplanted some of these seedlings outside or put them in the cold frames. I probably will soon. My cool season veggies, herbs and flowers are already up and growing and my warmer season stuff will be started as soon as there is shelf space.

This works fine. I also enjoy having the full spectrum lighting near my desk as I have a bit of a problem with winter--gets me feeling bad. Also I have been taking Vitamin D for a couple months due to a deficiency. My D level is up--i don't know if these lights helped that or not-but they do make you feel a little happier when its gray outside.

[AlchemyAcres]

I experimented with GE Plant and Aquarium Wide Spectrum lights after reading the following article. I think that they're certainly worth the extra money.

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/fluorescent.html


~Martin

[nhlivefreeordie]

A good thing to remember, it doesn't really have to say Plant and Aquarium, as many specialty bulbs are produced that are basically the same thing, with different labels, and drastic differences in pricing. Bulbs that are good for plant growth are 5000 kelvin and up to 6500 kelvin, as long as it is in that range it will be good for plant growth.
Warm White bulbs are 3500 K
Cool White bulbs are 4100 K
Broad spectrum or Sunlight bulbs are 6500 K

Generally the higher the K number the more expensive the bulb, but you just may save some money by finding bulbs in this temp range that a store wants to get off the shelf and you can get them at a steal.
So check the temps, you may find a deal.

[MooseToo]

I experimented with GE Plant and Aquarium Wide Spectrum lights after reading the following article. I think that they're certainly worth the extra money.

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/fluorescent.html


~Martin

sure do have to admire the effort that went into all that experimentation - yet, a variable he did not introduce was to compare degree of growth with more than one species of plant - granted, that would have made things VERY complicated but the results would have been very interesting -

[pamsabear]

Go to propertyroom.com. They always have a huge selection of grow lights seized from marijuana grow houses.

Pam

[Diavolicchio]

I've had a set of growlights for about a decade now that have worked quite well. I don't recall the make, but each of the four shelves is 4' long and around 2' deep. The system uses 16 - 4' fluorescent bulbs and will accommodate 16 standard 11" x 22" flats.

My one concern about it is how much of an energy hog it is. I've never actually measured how much juice it uses, but boy does my electricity bill jump up when I've got my seedlings going in the Spring.

Shame there aren't any Energy Star grow light systems aside from the sun.


John

[nhlivefreeordie]

I've had a set of growlights for about a decade now that have worked quite well. I don't recall the make, but each of the four shelves is 4' long and around 2' deep. The system uses 16 - 4' fluorescent bulbs and will accommodate 16 standard 11" x 22" flats.

My one concern about it is how much of an energy hog it is. I've never actually measured how much juice it uses, but boy does my electricity bill jump up when I've got my seedlings going in the Spring.

Shame there aren't any Energy Star grow light systems aside from the sun.


John

640 watts per hour, plus the energy to run your ballasts. There are energy star fixtures, you can get from Lithonia, Bay-Brite, or Techincal Consumer Products, as well as many others, but the fixtures ain't cheap.
I just was checking at Wal-Mart today for fixtures to build a portable stand, the fixtures are only $14.98 ea. but they are not energy star.

[Diavolicchio]

At least there's a place online (http://www.bulbsmart.net/itemdet.php?brandid=1&itemid=7906&catid=504) that is selling the best bulb (http://genet.gelighting.com/LightProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=CONSUMERSPECPAGE&PRODUCTCODE=49893&TABID=2&BreadCrumbValues=Specialty_Residential_Plant_,0&ModelSelectionFilter=FT0010:Specialty_Residential_ Plant) at a pretty decent price ($5.70/each + S/H). But this price only applies if you're buying a case of 24 (I'd need 16, and it's good to have back-ups.)

Here's the package to look for (http://genet.gelighting.com/LightProducts/images/t03/0000001/r01215v29.jpg) at your local home depot or ace hardware.


John

[Diavolicchio]

640 watts per hour, plus the energy to run your ballasts.


I just have no idea how much juice the 8 ballasts are sucking up. That's the unknown.



John

[nhlivefreeordie]

Thanks for the plans HumBug. We had to make some adjustments for lumber, but I appreciate your advice. We just put simple cross pieces on the ends, rather than the dowel arrangement. I considered making it wider - wouldn't have taken much more lumber, but might have required more lights? We put on an old power strip and can override the timer, if desired. I'm thinking casters might be a good hit too!

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/bee_pipes/seed_starter_rack.jpg

Regards,
Pat

Pipes,

You have inspired me, I always wanted one, and have many times considered spending the several hundred dollars on one from the catalogs.
I kept going back and looking at your picture and figured, ....why not?....studied the picture, made a list of materials and off to Lowes this afternoon.
Got everything I needed to build this, plus the timer and lights, and it all came to $70.68. I have thought of some modifications, and already am halfway through the build, my battery ran out on my drill or I would be still down there.
Thanks for your picture and the nudge to go ahead and get it done. Now waiting to plant is going to be tougher than ever.

[bee_pipes]

1/21/2008
Last year my wife started seeds indoors. She placed each flat on top of the freezer, a warm spot in the kitchen, until the seeds germinated. Then each flat of sprouts would be placed under a small fluorescent light. This wasn’t too satisfactory – the seedlings got pretty leggy. Still, I was impressed with the growth from that small fluorescent light. We have a covered porch on the front of the house, so natural light through the windows is pretty poor and plants don’t do that well inside. Recently a picture of a seed starter rack was posted on the BHM user forum by a user named HumBug. It was a simple affair, a three shelf rack with adjustable fluorescent units above each shelf. When my wife saw the picture she decided we should build one. The best part about HumBug’s post was that in addition to the picture and instructions for building the rack, she added her two cents about what she would do differently if she had it to do over again.

We took a look at the plans, and I have to agree with HumBug. The peg/dowel arrangement on the joints is unnecessarily complicated. I didn’t really want a pretty piece of furniture, just a sturdy rack. We measured a basic greenhouse flat – 21“L x 10 ½“W x 2 ½“H. I toyed with the idea of making the rack deeper, so that flats could be placed across the shelves (HumBug’s idea), instead of along the shelves. That would make the structure two feet deep, double the capacity but also double the light requirement. My wife quickly reeled me back in before I could get too carried away…

The original instructions were simple, and provided a list of materials that would be required:
(4) 2x4x8’
(3) 2x3x8’
(5)1x3x8’
(1) sheet 4x8x½” A-C grade plywood
(2) dowels, 5/16”x48”
(3) double-tubed, 48” fluorescent light fixtures
(12) lag bolts 5/16”x3½” with flat washers
(3) broom handles or 1” dowels, 48” long
(6) finishing nails 3d
(2) lengths of window sash chain, 4’ long
(2) screw hooks
(36) 1½” flathead wood screws
4-mil plastic sheeting

That’s a pretty short list, isn’t it? Well, we live a ways out, and the nearest hardware store with lumber didn’t have all these “exotic” cuts of lumber. Your basic 2x4 and a ½” sheet of plywood was no problem, but we ran into trouble with 2x3 and 1x3 lumber. We substituted 2x4 for the 2x3 and substituted 1x4 for the 1x3. Don’t worry, there’s an amended list at the end. Next, we wanted to get rid of the dowel joint on the end. Rather than the fancy joint, a simple cross piece would do. Next were the lag bolts. I like lag bolts – they are simple, easy to use, and have lots of holding power. But physically, a single lag bolt in the end of each shelf support where it attaches to the upright was just not very stable. I know enough about the limitations of my own carpentry skills to recognize that the shelf supports could twist on that single bolt. I had the remainder of a box of 3½” screws that would work fine. Two screws in each end, in place of a single lag bolt, would be much more stable.

We picked up the materials and returned home with them. The first surprise was that the 2x4’s were a few inches shy of 8 feet long. I had figured on cutting 18 inches off of 4 pieces, and using the remainder as the uprights – approximately 6’6” for each upright. The uprights would be 3 inches shorter than intended, but they would still work. In addition to the 3½” screws, I had some 2 inch screws for attaching the uprights and cross pieces. A piece of milled and kiln dried, store bought 2x4 is actually closer to 1½”x3½”. By themselves, the 2 inch screws were not long enough. To remedy this situation, I drilled pilot holes with an 11/64” bit, and then drilled out the top of the pilot hole with a 3/8” bit to a depth of about ¾”. To prevent drilling too deeply with the 3/8” bit, I laid it down on a counter and held a permanent marker against the bit while turning it, drawing a line ¾” from the tip of the bit. That made it much easier to see when the bit was deep enough. The result was a hole big enough to take the head of the screw, effectively countersinking the screw and providing enough length of screw in the upright for good holding power. The cross pieces were mounted on the outboard side of the uprights at the extreme top and bottom (see photo) using a framing square to ensure nice square joints.

continued next post...

[bee_pipes]

Next we had to attach the shelf supports. Again, the short 2x4 lengths affected this part of the project too. Cutting the 2x4’s exactly in half resulted in two pieces of lumber 46¼” in length. I was planning on something a little closer to 48 inches (4 feet). This did prove to be adequate, but would require the plywood shelves to be trimmed. The tricky part of the shelf supports is to make them level. The shelves have to be as close to level as possible so water will not collect on one end of the flats when placed on the shelves. This was no easy task, as the two ends were not attached to each other at that point. I wanted 6” of clearance above the floor because the unit would be sitting over a cold air return. Starting with the bottom at my 6” clearance, we marked 24” up for the two remaining shelf supports on one side, and then attached them with two 3½” screws in each support. We used the same method of countersinking the screws as described above. Next, my wife and I held up the two ends and used a level to mark the location where the attached shelf supports would hit the other end.
Another feature/benefit of store bought lumber is that almost all of it is warped in one fashion of another. It may be bowed, twisted, cupped or otherwise distorted in any combination of ways. You need to be sure that the two ends are sitting squarely on the floor when making your marks. Holes were prepared using the two drill bits, and each support was attached with two 3½” screws each. The other side was a little simpler. A level was placed across the support already attached and used to find the location of the shelf support for the other side. Marks were made, holes prepped, and supports went up. With a little care on the ends and the first set of shelf supports, the remaining side went much faster.

< 01_basic_frame.jpg – this is the basic frame with uprights, cross pieces and shelf supports. We took a lot of care to ensure square corners and level shelf supports, but you have to watch for wood deformities pulling pieces out of square.>

Now we needed plywood cut for the actual shelves. To catch any imperfections in measurements or wood, the supports were re-measured. There was a slight difference of ¼” on one shelf, and that was taken into account when cutting the plywood. Cutting a 4x8 sheet of plywood can be difficult. Even a 4 foot run across a sheet with a circular saw can seem to take forever. We had an old trailer that we used as a work bench. The work area was low enough that it was easy to lean over the sheet to make the cut. It is invaluable to have a second set of hands to hold the piece being cut so it won’t break off at the end of the cut.

<02_plywood.jpg – plywood shelves in place, checking for fit.>

After the plywood, the 1x4 lumber is cut. This will work as a sill or side for each shelf. The lengths, or long sides of the shelf, will be the same as the plywood length. The widths must be the same as the plywood widths, less the thickness of the 1x4 lengths, or about 1 5/8”. A simple box is made of these 1x4 pieces, and then the plywood is screwed down over the top. This structure is flipped, and placed on the shelf supports. The plywood/sill construction was tacked on the shelf with a single screw through the sill into the upright behind it. The structure was becoming rock solid. All pieces were attached using the 2 inch screws. Heads were slightly counter sunk, just to cover my butt. I don’t want a piece of furniture, but should my wife decide she wants to paint or stain the rack, this precaution will allow me to spackle and hide the screws.

<03_sills.jpg – sills being boxed, attached to plywood and anchored in place on shelf supports.>

< 04_complete_wood.jpg – shelves complete.>

I didn’t like the way the chains hung from a single support. This looked like a good way to smash tubes if the rack was bumped into or moved. I put hooks in at the top and bottom to limit swing of the chain. The purpose of the chain is to provide a sturdy means of hanging the light fixtures. The lights are adjustable – they can be moved up and down the chains to make the lights closer or further away from the flats below them. Hooks were screwed into the wood cross pieces, dead center, at the top and bottom of each end piece. The bottom hooks were bent open slightly until the proper depth was found for the top hooks to keep the chain taut. No great tension is required, just enough to keep the lights from swinging. We also used a little heavier chain that the window sash chain recommended; it would take the hooks without having to bend links to fit. When we were satisfied with the chain, the bottom hooks were bent shut again.

continued next post...

[bee_pipes]

<05_hook_open.jpg – hook bent open until hooks have b3en screwed into a proper depth to keep the chain taut. The chain is strung and the hook is ready to be bent shut.>

The actual fluorescent units were inexpensive shop lights. Inexpensive is a relative term. Three of these units add up. If possible, find salvage units. Old fluorescent fixtures aren’t worth anything to the world. Thousands of these things are thrown away each day. If you have a dump, land fill, favorite dumpster or other good place for scrounging salvage, try there first. You may have to bite the bullet and buy the tubes new, but if you can find a source of free or inexpensive fixtures, you are money ahead. I looked around and tried to find the components to build my own, but they were not available at a price that made the extra effort and hassle worthwhile. One benefit of buying new units was that they included short lengths of chain and “S” hooks for hanging. The original plan called for a wire harness that hung on a 1” dowel rod. I could see no reason for adding this complication when we had everything we needed. I fashioned additional “S” hooks out of old fence staples and hung the lights. The original mounting method could require two people to change the position of the light. The chain and “S” hook method makes it possible for one person to adjust the light, one side at a time.

< 06_smoke_test.jpg – lights powered up, no smoke or burning smells.>

The shop lights did not have much of a reflector – we compensated for this by lining the bottom of the shelves with aluminum foil. The top shelf is open, so a foil reflector can’t be made for it. Someday, if I have the inclination and suitable scrap wood, I may put some sort of canopy up there that can hold a reflector, but the project was usable as is. We had an old power strip lying around and attached that to one of the uprights. All three lamps could be plugged into the strip, and the strip could be plugged into an outlet timer that would control the lights automatically. Pieces of plastic were cut and stapled into the shelf-boxes, acting like a waterbed mattress liner. This is far from completely leak or accident proof, it’s just added insurance. I suppose you could line these boxes with silicone caulk, if desired. I also added casters to the setup so it could be moved around.

<07_finished_with_casters.jpg – starter completed with reflecting foil, plastic liner and casters.>

Use, Operation and other Considerations
- I’m sort of cautious about having water and electrical appliances together. I remove each flat and set it in a container of water to soak the flat. When soaked, the flat is placed in another container to drain. When drained, the flat is returned to the rack. It does sound like a pain, but not intolerable.

- Seeds need to be warm to germinate. The top of the refrigerator and freezer are still the best places. Each unit is in sort of a cubby hole, and air rises up behind the appliance and warms the top of it. The original plans claim that the top shelf should be warm enough, with two fluorescent units running below it. I don’t know about that yet.

- The lights used, standard economy fluorescent tubes, were supposed to be adequate for growing plants. We’ll see. I just have to try a pair of those full spectrum lights (VitaLites) to see if there is a difference. I used to sell them to folks that owned tropical fish and reptiles. That will have to wait for another day when I have the cash to spare for such an experiment.

Materials List
(7) 2x4 (8 foot length, if possible)
(4) 1x4 furring strips
(1) sheet ½” exterior plywood
(3) 48” fluorescent fixtures (shop light type, each with its own AC cord and plug)
(6) 48” fluorescent tubes
(12) 3½” screws
(52) 2” screws
(2) 6’ lengths of chain (window sash chain recommended – we went with heavier chain)
(4) screw hooks

Optional Materials
(1) Power strip and mounting hardware (misc. screws)
(1) Outlet timer
(4) Casters (and screws)

Tools Used
Circular saw
Drill w/ 11/64” and 3/8” bits
Electric Screwdriver
Framing square
Combination square



Optional – Spackle, putty knife, stain or paint

[nhlivefreeordie]

Well it took me two days, mostly waiting on paint drying or I could have built this in about 2 hours. I decided to cut all the pieces, then paint them, then assemble the unit in the room it is going to be used in, as we would not be able to get it up the stairs assembled.
Here are some of the parts drying.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1016.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1017.jpg

After completing the assembly, I know that this is WAY over built, I belive where ever a 2 X 4 now exists, could use a ripped 2 X 4 instead, the cross pieces could be made from 1 X 3 as well, this would make the unit much lighter.
I already have an idea for another and will start building it later this week.

The top tray has 5000 kelvin bulbs in it, the second tier has plant and Aquarium bulbs, the bottom tray a single 5000 kelvin, that tray is going to have 6500s in it as soon as I go pick them up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1019.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1020.jpg

[bee_pipes]

Beautiful work! I particularly like the wide base - keeps the rack out from the wall. The paint sure looks good too.

Nice work shop you got there too! One of these days I'll have the space. Sure would be nice to rip boards on a table saw.

Regards,
Pat

[nhlivefreeordie]

Thank you Pat, for the clear concise pictures, it made the build so much easier.

That work shop was last winter's project. I always wanted one, and the space was pretty mush unusable before. It is a rock and mortar basement, I had to put up walls first, then build all of the bench's and shelving, as I was learning as I went, I didn't mind making a few mistakes. I finally finished it last January. On the second project, I took the tip of a finger off with the table saw, and spent Valentines Day in the ER. :D Been 13 months now, and although still somewhat numb, it did grow most of a nail back, and is useable. Good learning experience, if you decide you are done for the day, be done, don't almost clean everything up and then decide, one more cut, once you are out of that mode, it it can lead to mistakes.

[bee_pipes]

We've got a shed I've been working on for over a year. That's going to be the tool shop. Been getting by with a circular saw and drills so far. Anything I can keep on the front porch. Chicken house and rabbit shed took priority, then the garden fence, bee hives, yadda yadda.

Don't feel bad about the finger. Neighbor of mine, in his 60's, took off his pinky last summer. Probably used a skill saw a million times without mishap. Statistics finally caught up with him. One finger shy and he can still build circles around me. If that's the extent of your learning experience, you got off easy.

Can't wait for the day I can keep all parts in one place and get a table saw.

Regards,
Pat

[nhlivefreeordie]

A few other pressing items made me hold off on getting seeds started, so today, I got 100 Celeriac planted in a flat, and 60 Amish Paste Tomatoes. They are both sitting on heat mats right now, hopefully in 5-6 days the tomatoes should sprout, the celeriac a couple weeks. Then I can move them to the light rack, for a while, before transplanting and moving the tomatoes to the cooler cellar. That rack is probably going to be going 24/7 till mid May.
I also made another modification to the rack, I put cross supports under each tray exactly above the corresponding holes in the light fixtures, so no the bottom two lights are much more adjustable, probably going to add a cross piece on the top as well, so the top light will do the same.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1021.jpg

[AlchemyAcres]

A few other pressing items made me hold off on getting seeds started, so today, I got 100 Celeriac planted in a flat, and 60 Amish Paste Tomatoes. They are both sitting on heat mats right now, hopefully in 5-6 days the tomatoes should sprout, the celeriac a couple weeks. Then I can move them to the light rack, for a while, before transplanting and moving the tomatoes to the cooler cellar. That rack is probably going to be going 24/7 till mid May.
I also made another modification to the rack, I put cross supports under each tray exactly above the corresponding holes in the light fixtures, so no the bottom two lights are much more adjustable, probably going to add a cross piece on the top as well, so the top light will do the same.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/WorkShop/DSCN1021.jpg


Looks great!!!!


~Martin

[nhlivefreeordie]

Now that I have flats off of the germination mat and onto the light rack, I found that one strip of lights per tray were not going to cut it, so I have added 3 more fixtures, one to each level and now think it is about as good as it can get.