Hello all, I am newly registered to the site and just did my introduction yesterday morning. I have a question or two for the experts. I am growing a mix of superhots and hots from seed this year for the first time. Last year i bought some seedlings and planted in my raised garden beds. I purchased this http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-JSV2-2-Foot-Start-System/dp/B0006856EQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391704380&sr=8-2&keywords=hydrofarm+light+stand (i hope this link works) a little while back as well as a heat mat. I have since realized that this is not big enough for all of my seedlings once they get transplanted to solo cups. My question is what i bought enough light to grow seedlings until they are ready to get transplanted to the garden or should i have gotten something with more bulbs? The reason i ask is i guess i am going to need to get additional lighting for the rest of my seedlings, so should i just get another one of these or do i need something with more bulbs/additional light? I have read a lot of useful information on here already and greatly appreciate any help that a beginner can be given. I will gladly provide additional information if needed. Money is always a factor, but so is getting my plants to grow correctly.
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- Thread starter parker49
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How many solo cups are you planning on planting?parker49 said:
The grow light you linked seems like its good for ~15 cups(1 tray), It's certainly not very much light and don't be expecting to grow really big plants off it.
you can buy a 4ft 2 bulb T8 shoplight @ lowes / home depot for 20$
They are great for starting seedlings and are cheap.
You can run about 40+ off this shoplight. Usually people do 2 of these fixtures (total of 4 bulbs) for 4 trays (~ 80 solo cups) (this is about 6x light, same cost as your current fixture)
example
Welcome my fellow Tennessean! From what part do you hail?
Thanks. Clarksville but originally from Knoxville.Pepperjack91 said:
OKGrowin said:you can buy a 4ft 2 bulb T8 shoplight @ lowes / home depot for 20$
They are great for starting seedlings and are cheap.
How many solo cups are you planning on planting? You can run about 40+ off this shoplight. Usually people do 2 of these fixtures (total of 4 bulbs) for 4 trays (~ 80 solo cups)
example
It will probably be about 40-50 solo cups by the time it is all said and done. I was trying to avoid hanging from the ceiling since it is in my basement not my garage (garage is not heated). How many solo cups do you think i can get off of the lights i bought already?
I meant to ask, where are you at in our great state?Pepperjack91 said:
I have some family in Clarksville.. I live in Cookeville.
I'm from Sparta. But i'm in school here at Tennessee Tech.
I'm from Sparta. But i'm in school here at Tennessee Tech.
Glad to hear from someone so close to home on here!
And good luck with your grow!
And good luck with your grow!
My setup is similar to the one you bought, except I built mine out of PVC. I just used 1/2" wooden dowels link all the fixtures (four T8s) together, side by side. If that support seems sturdy enough, maybe you could add another T8 or two on each side of the original one by using a setup similar to mine.
The way it stands now, I would't feel comfortable putting any more than a single row of plants under that one bulb. Even then, that's just not very much light. They'll probably get really leggy. I can post pics if it would help. Good luck!
The way it stands now, I would't feel comfortable putting any more than a single row of plants under that one bulb. Even then, that's just not very much light. They'll probably get really leggy. I can post pics if it would help. Good luck!
Just a very small tid-bit of advice, if you have the option and you are going to use a fluoro tube light, the T-5 tubes are the most efficient and used by most indoor growers. The setup you purchased from Amazon has a T-5 fixture and bulb.
You could use a T-8 or T-12 bulb/fixture, but it is recommended to use the T-5. The lumens per watt used ration is best with the T-5 bulbs.
This is only partially relevant to this post, but I figured I would throw it in the mix. I run a 400watt MH and HPS setup, as well as a 125watt fluoro wing light. The 125 watt us currently lighting 6-7 plants in a small inclosed stealth box.
Long story short, you have one T-5 already. If you add anything I would stick to T-5. They are a little more expensive than the larger bulbs to buy, but they run efficiently and put out good lumens.
PS - I definitely do not mean to knock anyone's set-up. If you are using a t-8 or t-12 bulb/fixture, there is nothing wrong with it. And the start up costs will be the lowest, which is very attractive also. Just wanted to say that because everyone's situation is different and just having the desire to grow and enjoy it is amazing in itself.
You could use a T-8 or T-12 bulb/fixture, but it is recommended to use the T-5. The lumens per watt used ration is best with the T-5 bulbs.
This is only partially relevant to this post, but I figured I would throw it in the mix. I run a 400watt MH and HPS setup, as well as a 125watt fluoro wing light. The 125 watt us currently lighting 6-7 plants in a small inclosed stealth box.
Long story short, you have one T-5 already. If you add anything I would stick to T-5. They are a little more expensive than the larger bulbs to buy, but they run efficiently and put out good lumens.
PS - I definitely do not mean to knock anyone's set-up. If you are using a t-8 or t-12 bulb/fixture, there is nothing wrong with it. And the start up costs will be the lowest, which is very attractive also. Just wanted to say that because everyone's situation is different and just having the desire to grow and enjoy it is amazing in itself.
I was wondering how easy it would be to do something out of PVC. If you wouldn't mind, yeah post some pics to give me an idea. I appreciate all of the suggestions.dash 2 said:
mrgrowguy said:
I did see this on another post http://www.amazon.com/Light-4lamps-DL844s-Fluorescent-Hydroponic/dp/B00HEYCRI8/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_d_2
It seems like a good price based on what people were saying. Obviously i have to balance out the short term versus long term spending in terms of efficiency # of lights etc... I could figure out which way to go (T8 or T5) if i could find a good setup without having to hang it from the ceiling. I would like it to be more portable. My basement acts as a workout/game room so the ability to move it around is important to me.
that one you have now could do like 10 - 15 cupsparker49 said:
people hang them off of shelves, no need to do ceiling.
You can build a stand out of wood or pvc for about 20$ + 40$ for fixtures + 10$ for bulbs, that gives you enough to have approx 60+ solo cups and sounds exactly what you need
mrgrowguy said:
t5HO - 92 lumen per watt
t5 - 103 lumen per watt
t8 - 87.5 lumen per watt
not thatttt much of a difference in my opinion to necessitate the more expensive bulbs and fixtures.
Thanks for the pics and info OK, it definitely gives me something to think about. Doesn't look like the PVC stand would be too hard to do. If i go the route of the t8's at Lowes, do they sell the fixture separately? Sorry about my lack of knowledge, but like i said, first timer 
Never mind i see the link you sent me from Lowe's shows the fixture with chain
Never mind i see the link you sent me from Lowe's shows the fixture with chain
No problem. I'll see if I can find the website for the instructions I used, too. Back in a minute...parker49 said:
Here's the link for the destructions.http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/10376/diy-pvc-grow-light-stand
I like it because the vertical posts are adjustable, so as your plants grow all you have to do is pull out a screw, extend the pipe, and replace the screw in the new hole. I built mine to fit on a 2' X 4' card table. I can fit three flats plus one row of 4" pots under the lights.
I'll post a pic in a minute. Check out my blog, too. I think I have some pics in there.
Here's the setup.
Here's a closeup of the adjustable stanchions I was telling you about. The eyebolt on the top is stationary and is just there to hold the lights. The second (lower) bolt is the removable one that fits through a series of holed drilled through both the stanchion and the slider. Just pull it out and slide the pipe in or out to desired height. Put the screw back in through the matching holes and BAM, your plants have more headspace.
Also, you can get an idea of the ghetto-ass linkage I made to support the lights. Just a 1/2" wood dowel wired to the fixtures at the right spacing. Then one more wire loop added in the center (of gravity) to attach the line that hooks onto the eyebolt.
Very helpful i really appreciate the pic and linkdash 2 said:No problem. I'll see if I can find the website for the instructions I used, too. Back in a minute...
Here's the link for the destructions.http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/10376/diy-pvc-grow-light-stand
I like it because the vertical posts are adjustable, so as your plants grow all you have to do is pull out a screw, extend the pipe, and replace the screw in the new hole. I built mine to fit on a 2' X 4' card table. I can fit three flats plus one row of 4" pots under the lights.
I'll post a pic in a minute. Check out my blog, too. I think I have some pics in there.
Here's the setup.
Here's a closeup of the adjustable stanchions I was telling you about. The eyebolt on the top is stationary and is just there to hold the lights. The second (lower) bolt is the removable one that fits through a series of holed drilled through both the stanchion and the slider. Just pull it out and slide the pipe in or out to desired height. Put the screw back in through the matching holes and BAM, your plants have more headspace.
Also, you can get an idea of the ghetto-ass linkage I made to support the lights. Just a 1/2" wood dowel wired to the fixtures at the right spacing. Then one more wire loop added in the center (of gravity) to attach the line that hooks onto the eyebolt.
If i go the T8 route is this the light to go with http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-4-ft-T8-32-Watt-Daylight-Deluxe-6500K-Linear-Fluorescent-ALTO-II-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-422963/203466587
No problem, dude. I'm glad I was able to help!
edit: Wow, I just took a look at the instructions I linked to and remembered how complicated they made the project look at first. It's really WAAAY easier than it looks. Seriously, I built mine over the course of two beers, without a ruler! PVC is like Legos for grown-ups!
I use a mix of bulbs in my setup. It's hard to see in the pic, but about half of them are dedicated grow bulbs (made by Sylvania, I think). They are the pinker-colored ones. The others are just cheap white tubes (like $3 apiece). I've never really paid attention to the emission temperature ratings of the bulbs I buy. I just try to use more than one color, to get a more complete spectrum and it works really well. I used to work in a research greenhouse and there we used 4' fluoros and incandescents. It seemed ghetto as hell to me at the time, but it worked really well.parker49 said:
edit: Wow, I just took a look at the instructions I linked to and remembered how complicated they made the project look at first. It's really WAAAY easier than it looks. Seriously, I built mine over the course of two beers, without a ruler! PVC is like Legos for grown-ups!
No glue. Just friction and willpower.parker49 said:
Just remember the golden rule of this site… "Pics, or it didn't happen". We all wanna see happy seedlings bathing in fluoro light in the near future! Make it so.
From babies to thriving adults!!!
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