Ready for new 'grow lights'. Which ones?

[wsmoak]

A couple of years ago I set up a seed starting area with 'daylight' florescent bulbs -- just whatever they had at Home Depot. I have two shelves each with two 'shop light' fixtures over them, so four tubes per shelf. They take 48" T8 florescent tubes.

Towards the end of last season I noticed they weren't working quite as well, and I want to replace them before I start seeds this year. That's now!

This is just for starting seeds and up to 8-10 weeks (though I hope to get platforms built in the garden shed/greenhouse [that really does not get enough light] and use that for the last few weeks, it gets crowded in here with 30-40 tomato plants!)

So... what's the best T8 tube for this purpose? Are the ones at the home store good enough (they certainly worked fine...) or is there something significantly better?

Thanks,
Wendy

 

[Durgan]

Most seeds do not need light to germinate. This is applicable to about 99% of seeds. After germination the small plants need light preferably Sunlight.

I consider all artificial light to be a total waste of effort and money. A scam if you like.

I use a bit of a greenhouse with some heat primarily to get as much light as possible for producing seedlings for planting in the outdoor garden about the end of May.

 

[jackb]

You should do some online research and decide for yourself. You might find this link interesting:

http://www.enzan-green.com/cyber_green/index_english.php

Completely Controlled Vegetable Factories (Artificially Lit Vegetable Factories)
image

Completely Controlled Vegetable Factories

These vegetable factories utilize artificial light sources like fluorescent lamps and LEDs to facilitate photosynthesis and cultivate plants in computer-controlled semi-clean rooms. They

allow accurate annual and planned production. Additionally, they provide advanced sanitary control and maximize space utilization for advantages of scale. Urban vegetable factories

that utilize space in basements and storage rooms and on rooftops are garnering attention as environmental businesses because they result in zero food mileage."

T5 fluorescent lights work great for me for seed starting, but LEDs work better.

Jack B.

 

[Jared77]

6500-6700K is the rating most folks are using as a target for the type of bulb your after though anything up to 10,000K will do the job. Most of the time you can find the Kelvin (K) rating on the side of the packaging though anything usually labeled "Day Light" is what you want. Most of the big box stores will carry these bulbs so you shouldn't have any problem finding them.

 

[dickiebird]

The one poster above claims artificial light is a scam, if it really is then I need to tell the plants I've started over the last several years that they shouldn't have grown!!!!....but they have??
I just checked the lamps I use in my grow cabinet and find they're soooo old there are no modern day lumens, kelvins or whatever, only watts. They are rated at 40 watts and are a couple of different brands, Sylv. and GE.
2 are Gro-Lux and 2 are plant/aquatic wide spectrum.
These lamps get about 350/400 plants off to a great start for me every winter. Once the plants are 6" to 8" the weather is warm enough and out they go into the green house until weather is warm enough for planting.

THANX RICH

 

[wsmoak]

Most seeds do not need light to germinate. This is applicable to about 99% of seeds. After germination the small plants need light preferably Sunlight.

I consider all artificial light to be a total waste of effort and money. A scam if you like.

I use a bit of a greenhouse with some heat primarily to get as much light as possible for producing seedlings for planting in the outdoor garden about the end of May.

Very nice if you have a proper greenhouse, but my seed starting shelves are *inside*. I don't even have a suitable sunny window. So, I need lights, true, not to get the seeds to germinate, (though the heat they put out does help,) but to grow the starts out until they are ready to move outside.

The curent bulbs are Philips Natural Sunshine 5000K, 2850 lumens, and have done well for two years. I'd be happy replacing them with the same thing, I just wanted to see if there was something better available. Now... if anyone else has bulb recommendations, let's hear them!

-Wendy

 

[Jared77]

If your shopping Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...talogId=10053&productId=203466587&R=203466587 is a 2 pack of bulbs. Just do a search for T8 daylight bulbs. It should say right on the link to the product or if in person on the packaging that their Kelvin (K rating). If not ask. Someone can look it up for you and confirm your getting the bulb you want.

As I mentioned earlier 6500K is ideal but anything close to that is fine. Even 10,000K is fine though I wouldn't go any lower than the K rating on your current bulbs.

Lowe's also carries them but Home Depot's site came up first when I looked for a big box store that carried those kinds of bulbs so I copied and pasted it.

Thing about these kinds of bulbs is after 2 years they typically lose their intensity. However if your starting the bulbs closer to your seed pots and then raising them up as the plants get taller you can get more usable life out of these bulbs. Most of the fixtures have holes in them that you could put a ring or S hook through the top of the fixture and then chain or rope to alter the height of the bulbs as the seedlings germinate and grow. That will help keep your plants compact and not get real leggy.

Hope this helps

 

[majorcatfish]

have been using ge plant and aquarium48" t-12 lamps for years have not had a problem, did have to replace 4 out of 6 last week.

lumens 1900
3100k
cri 90

with the t-12 technology being phased out in the next couple years, the next round of lamps will be t-8 may even switch out fixtures to t-5 all together.

 

[Jared77]

Thing is making sure you have enough ballast to power those bulbs. You may have to upgrade the ballast or maybe to a new fixture all together depending on what you can find and how your DIY skills are. An inexpensive alternative would be a CFLs. Simple incandescent sockets would hold the bulbs, you can space them out at whatever distances you want and they only sip electricity. Or go with something already premade like a bathroom fixture that has multiple sockets on it. Wire it up, screw the bulbs in and your good to go.

 

[ducks4you]

I disagree, but you need to study up bc some vegetables and very fussy. I've had success starting tomatoes inside from seed with just 60 watt lightbulb above an old basement table. They start best in a warm spot, like above the refridgerator, but that's bc they are a warm weather crop.
I like to start them on an open grilled "bookcase" with grow lights, and then move them in late March/early April to my east facing, glass window enclosed front porch, until it's warm enough to be planted. The porch has screens, and I can partially open windows during a warm spell...or not. It becomes my spring "greenhouse."