I am new to growing and have just gotten my second round of sprouts and want to do a much better job with them so they aren't frail or leggy. One thing I am still unsure of is getting them some light love. I am looking for an LED solution for a small growing area (15 side by side solo cups at most) in my office. The only main concern would be something that doesn't radiate light around the room, and is more concentrated on the growing area. Thank you in advance for any assistance.
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LED Rookie guidance
- Thread starter FunkyFibes
- Start date
Thanks. I read your sticky in the Growing section and it is amazing! I love to read a lot about things, but I started the seeds before realizing that this is something that is needed for a good strong plant. Now i am going down the LED rabbit hole and frying my brain. For such a small area (1' x 2') I was thinking about getting https://www.amazon.com/Newhouse-Lighting-30UFGROW-Watt-Light/dp/B01MZBXL28/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532373984&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=newhouse+lighting+led+ufo and just putting it in a clamp light shade. Would that work, or am I way off base still?
Quantum boards!
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Quantum boards would be amazing, but they are out of my price range right now. Otherwise I will be growing them in my car when my wife throws me out. That looks to be a good idea for a future investment though, so thank you.
Okay ,that is good to know. That will work for a short term solution. I will eventually upgrade to a larger/better system, but I am trying to keep it gradual against my own nature. Thank you for all the assistance.juanitos said:
I played around with this alot in the winter using "grow" lights...some 6500k led corn bulbs as well as some CFLs. Since I didnt get a chance to really use one or the other on its own I cant tell you what was better but they would all work just fine. I will list some of the stuff I bought and most of it is very inexpensive on ebay ect can just do a quick search to look at it.
5m 300 Led Grow strip lights (12v 5A power adapter required) $10 + adapter
45w grow panel light $25-30
Various LED grow bulbs 28w (28led) $3 200led (34w) $5 and a couple 126led bulbs (100w) $20 each)
165 led (5730) and 200 led (2835) corn bulbs 6000-6500k+ which gives of more of a blueish light $3-$4 a piece
Couple 4 and 5 way corn bulb adapters
CFL 5500k and 6500k bulbs 3 pack $10 (local store)
Hanging pendant light bulb holders $3 each
Reflective film (emergency blankets) $1-$2 for 4ft x 6ft tin foil works good as well
The $ amount is in CDN and most of it I bought from Ebay which I found to be the cheapest place for the stuff I wanted....On anything you buy just take some time and do your research if you have the time to do so.
I got all my stuff over a 5-6 month period and some I asked my wife to buy me for x-mas ect...Since space is an issue you could always go the corn bulb route with an adapter and it really gives the best bang for your buck in any space regardless. As far as grow lights go the strip lights for me were the most cost effective way to go..sadly I didnt figure this out until after I had all my other stuff. You can even make your own grow light just using Red and blue strip you buy on there own as well. If in a large grow box you can just set up a 3/4 to 1 red to blue ratio like most strips and grow light s are set up OR you can cut them up and make the strip however you want.
Far as light all over before i built my grow shelves I just built a small cardboard set up with tin foil on them that I could set up all around the plants, this kept my wife from smothering me with her pillow in the night since it was in our bed room. The fun thing with growing indoors is you can be creative and whatever works for you is just fine.
Good luck finding the best set up that works for you.
5m 300 Led Grow strip lights (12v 5A power adapter required) $10 + adapter
45w grow panel light $25-30
Various LED grow bulbs 28w (28led) $3 200led (34w) $5 and a couple 126led bulbs (100w) $20 each)
165 led (5730) and 200 led (2835) corn bulbs 6000-6500k+ which gives of more of a blueish light $3-$4 a piece
Couple 4 and 5 way corn bulb adapters
CFL 5500k and 6500k bulbs 3 pack $10 (local store)
Hanging pendant light bulb holders $3 each
Reflective film (emergency blankets) $1-$2 for 4ft x 6ft tin foil works good as well
The $ amount is in CDN and most of it I bought from Ebay which I found to be the cheapest place for the stuff I wanted....On anything you buy just take some time and do your research if you have the time to do so.
I got all my stuff over a 5-6 month period and some I asked my wife to buy me for x-mas ect...Since space is an issue you could always go the corn bulb route with an adapter and it really gives the best bang for your buck in any space regardless. As far as grow lights go the strip lights for me were the most cost effective way to go..sadly I didnt figure this out until after I had all my other stuff. You can even make your own grow light just using Red and blue strip you buy on there own as well. If in a large grow box you can just set up a 3/4 to 1 red to blue ratio like most strips and grow light s are set up OR you can cut them up and make the strip however you want.
Far as light all over before i built my grow shelves I just built a small cardboard set up with tin foil on them that I could set up all around the plants, this kept my wife from smothering me with her pillow in the night since it was in our bed room. The fun thing with growing indoors is you can be creative and whatever works for you is just fine.
Good luck finding the best set up that works for you.
Thanks for all the details. I will definitely keep that in mind for reference when I upgrade/expand. I just went the K.I.S.S. route for now and got a 5k LED flood light on a timer. Since it is such a small area right now with so few sprouts, I figure that should do the trick.CDNmatt said: