Hello all. This aerogarden light and clamp lights from home depot are not gonna cut it. I have a 4ft table the clamps don't work and not close enough. Now i am not going to drill holes in my house to hang grow lights so that's outta the question. Maybe a t5 light stand then attach shop lights if it's possible? Any help with this? Thanks!
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Looking for a budget grow light system
- Thread starter Codeman
- Start date
Uncle Eckley
Extreme Member
I recently grew these with a $26 LED flood light I got from Amazon.
How small a hole in the ceiling would still be objectionable?
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How small a hole in the ceiling would still be objectionable?
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Uncle Eckley
Extreme Member
Face two chairs away from each other. Span the tops of the backs with the light and set the plants on a plank sitting across the chairs' seats.
Buy some 2x4's from Home depot. $2.98 a piece. I built this with $30 dollars worth of 2x4's, but I cheated with free plywood from work, and I prob spent $20 in screws and $20 in scab plates... but that being said, you can build something with $3.00 to $6.00 worth of 2x4's to make a frame to screw a light too if you dont want to screw into your ceiling. If you wanna go super cheap just build a 2x4 frame and line it out with tin foil.
Not sure why I would make another shelf when i already bought a table. I'm not seeing where you screwed the light in. Maybe it's easier to get a 50 gallon tote and put a 4 foot light across it? I could also get a nice sized wooden crate and lay a grow light across it?ADRUNKK said:Buy some 2x4's from Home depot. $2.98 a piece. I built this with $30 dollars worth of 2x4's, but I cheated with free plywood from work, and I prob spent $20 in screws and $20 in scab plates... but that being said, you can build something with $3.00 to $6.00 worth of 2x4's to make a frame to screw a light too if you dont want to screw into your ceiling. If you wanna go super cheap just build a 2x4 frame and line it out with tin foil.
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VIVOSUN T5 4 Feet Foldable Grow Light Stand Rack for Seed Starting Plant Growing (Stand, No Bulb Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJQ1F6M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1.IvEbJPHAWCW
You said you didn't want to drill into your ceiling. So you can build a frame out of 2x4's that sits on your table, then you can screw into that and use ratcheting light hangers to move your light up and down as needed. I'd post a pic of my set up but I'm at work at the moment. There's a link to the ratcheting light hangers below. They work really well, and allow you to move the light up and down as the plants grow or if you need access to get in there and water them. I keep my t5 just inches away from the tops of my plants so the setup works really good for me. YMMV.Codeman said:
https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Adjustable-Fixtures-Gardening-Capacity/dp/B010PYWCX8/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ratcheting+light+hangers&qid=1582729598&sr=8-3
**Edit** ugh.. Note to self.. Need. More. Caffeine.
Didn't see the hangers were already posted.
On Topic: All I did was buy 4 18 Gallon totes, stacked them 4 feet apart, rested the shop lights across the totes (inner edge to inner edge.) Covered the top with a tablecloth. Underneath: Cardboard box on the floor, heat mat with a thermostat, a small desk fan, and plugged everything into a power strip that's connected to a 24 hour timer.
Didn't see the hangers were already posted.
On Topic: All I did was buy 4 18 Gallon totes, stacked them 4 feet apart, rested the shop lights across the totes (inner edge to inner edge.) Covered the top with a tablecloth. Underneath: Cardboard box on the floor, heat mat with a thermostat, a small desk fan, and plugged everything into a power strip that's connected to a 24 hour timer.
I would build a light hanging rack out of PVC pipes to hang the lights from. You can do it with 8 pipes and 4 of these connectors. Just do two vertical pipes as long as you want the rack tall and one cross pipe between them as long as you want it wide. Make two of these. Now take two pipes as long as you want the rack long and put it all together. Get some chain or string and hang your lights. If you want to get really fancy you can splurge on a few extra pipes for reinforcement or for additional hanging points. All in all you'd be hard pressed to spend more than $20 on it.
2x4's would be cheaper, stronger and more versatile than PVC IMO. Right now 2x4's @ 8'-0" long are going for $2.85 a piece at home depot. Your could build a 4' tall 4' wide x 4' long frame on your table and hang your lights from ratchet straps from the top of your frame.
All it would take is with 4 each 2x4's. $11.40 in lumber. Throw in a couple bucks for screws and your on the budget end of $15. If light pollution becomes a problem you could wrap it in tin foil or nail up some cardboard from old Amazon orders, or old beer box's.
Below is a pic of the ratcheting straps in the up and down position. If your not trying to drill any holes in your ceiling I honestly think this would be your cheapest most versatile fix. If you come across more money down the road you can always add to the frame you've made or re-use the wood from your framing and build something different.
All it would take is with 4 each 2x4's. $11.40 in lumber. Throw in a couple bucks for screws and your on the budget end of $15. If light pollution becomes a problem you could wrap it in tin foil or nail up some cardboard from old Amazon orders, or old beer box's.
Below is a pic of the ratcheting straps in the up and down position. If your not trying to drill any holes in your ceiling I honestly think this would be your cheapest most versatile fix. If you come across more money down the road you can always add to the frame you've made or re-use the wood from your framing and build something different.