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[MadPlanter]

Winter isn't that far off in the year. Luckily I'm in a warm environment. However it still gets cold enough to give certain plants I have a hard time. Most of my stuff has no choice but to sit outdoors...too big etc. However viridis leaves in mid rooting and baby cacti that are far too young will perish if I can't find them a place to stay indoors on the coldest of nights.

What kind of lights might I want to get that won't kill the pocket book or electricity? Also I guess they'd have to be primarily general purpose as to house multiple species from sally to caapi to viridis to...a bunch! I have maybe until mid November before I'm pushing the limits of big cold fronts pushing through. Maybe as late as December but its odd down here. Also it'll all be over by late February! Gotta love the subtropics!

I'm illiterate as it gets with talk of lights etc. Gonna have to type real slow lol! I usually am outdoors only but this year I have way too much stuff if there is such an asinine thing as too many plants.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

1 Like BubbleCat likes this.

[New Wisdom]

T5 flourescent lighting is my go to choice for indoor growth.  6500k bulbs.

2 Likes happyconcacti and MadPlanter like this.

[hereje]

A 6 rack of 4' T5 HO - get 2-3000k 2-6400k and 2-6500k tubes this will produce 29,000-31,000 lumens (sunlight is 10,000) which will be enough power to grow just about anything you want

With the newer designs HO T5 bulbs most will last years without losing power and needing replaced - the total cost of this light fixture with bulbs will not excede $220 and most hydro shops ive been in sell kits containing mounts fixture and bulbs for even less than that

Best to place your bulbs in this order from my experience 6500-3000-6400-6500-3000-6400 this will ensure you get a broad spectrum across all your plants and a bit wider spectrem than using a single color alone

In the case of seedlings though you will need shade cloth for them unless you hang the lights well above them

This setup is about the best you can get without moving into hps or hid but for power this will only eat about 325watts

1 Like MadPlanter likes this.

[happyconcacti]

Nice simple package, fixture, and bulbs:

http://www.greners.com/i/grow-lights/fluorescent-grow-lights/brand/sun-blaze/sun-blaze-t5-fixtures-4-foot-2-4-6-8-tube.html

Sold at many hydro stores (probably a lot cheaper to buy locally after shipping costs).

Also, for the really cheap option, check thrift stores for regular fluorescent tube fixtures and put +5000K bulbs in em. +5000K bulbs put out very white light, like what you'd use in a refrigerator or medical operating room. They feel very sterile.

I just picked up a T12, 4 foot, 2 bulb fixture for $7 at a Good Will. It already had 5000K bulbs in it.  They're not great in terms of total output but they'll keep low-light plants alive (i.e. viridis).

Regular T12, 4 foot bulbs (The kind of fluorescent lights that you see in office buildings, stores, ect.) run at 40Watts. Over 4 months, 12 hours a day, 2 bulbs would cost you about $14 in electricity.

Hcc

1 Like MadPlanter likes this.

[MadPlanter]

Wow HCC thanks! That's not a bad price on any of the sizes really. Might be able to muster up some cash for that by winter. Now if I were to get say a six bulb lamp and use hereje's bulb recommendations how far do you hang the lights from the plants? A few inches or a few feet?

I really need this! I won't be able to bring everything in under the light but maybe at least one or two of each thing in a smaller pot. I'm just thinking of how daunting its gonna be for some stuff to sit outside at 60 F or less for 2-3 months. Things like the iboga, viridis, colorata, white aya babies, etc. They must survive!

Now I must also figure out where I can put such a light! My house really isn't equipped for much space. I'll figure it out. Maybe I'll rig it up in my shed lol and find a way to half ass heat it to a reasonable temp.

[BubbleCat]

Can someone tell if plants would want a lighting and heating that is balanced - like a simulation of a specific climate, or do they only need light and warmth that is in the range they tolerate ?
I see this might be a fuzzy way to ask so here is an example:

Imagine I had a plant that can tolerate temperature as low as A and as high as B, light as little as X and as much as Y. Would it like to sit at A temperature and Y light ? Or would it need to be low temp and low light / high temp and high light, as we know it from nature, and the plant knows it from the place where it comes from (and where I could have climate diagrams from to roughly guesstimate the right conditions ).

So does someone know if it would hurt if the plant had winter temperatures and summer lighting ?

[delta9hippie]

Can someone tell if plants would want a lighting and heating that is balanced - like a simulation of a specific climate, or do they only need light and warmth that is in the range they tolerate ?
I see this might be a fuzzy way to ask so here is an example:

Imagine I had a plant that can tolerate temperature as low as A and as high as B, light as little as X and as much as Y. Would it like to sit at A temperature and Y light ? Or would it need to be low temp and low light / high temp and high light, as we know it from nature, and the plant knows it from the place where it comes from (and where I could have climate diagrams from to roughly guesstimate the right conditions ).

So does someone know if it would hurt if the plant had winter temperatures and summer lighting ?

That is a really loaded question. The short answer is, it depends. Of course, that's not the answer you're looking for...

Plants usually prefer a sweet-spot temperature, between their "A" and "B" (min/max). But putting the plant into shock is not the only thing temperature can affect. Variations in temperature fundamentally alter the environment in which the continuous chemical reactions within and around plants take place. For this reason, giving the plant the lowest temps and the highest light would generally be BAD. At best, the plant would not be able to use nearly as much as its maximum capacity for light (photon) intake for photosynthesis, and so you would be wasting energy (and money) on lighting. At worst, it would put the plant in shock. If the environment is dominantly winter-like, make the lighting that way, and vice versa for other seasons. If you do want to try to pump the light up to get a bit more growth, just make sure the plants are getting sufficient air-circulation, and mind not to over-water.
^That is the medium-length answer.

[happyconcacti]

Well, it depends on which bulbs you go for.

The T5 HO bulbs are quite strong (picture 2 below). The fixture is a SunBlaze 2 foot, 4 bulb fixture with 4x 6500K lights. I use these for cacti. Cacti that are about 2"-6" tall, I keep the light about 10"-12" above the plants. I've definitely sunburned small cacti with T5 HO lights. The big guys you can put about 6", or less, from the lights without problem. For low-light tropicals, I put them at the outer reaches of this fixture when I need to, though I prefer to put them under regular flourous.

I use a single T8 4100K, 3-foot bulb for the "tropicals" and keep the light about 2" to 6" above the crowns (picture 1). Sometimes one of em gets taller and  sits right below the light, not even 1" away and they still do fine.

Also, for total number of plants, you'll be much better off with the big T5 HO fixture and do what New Wisdom does. From what I remember, he has stepped tables below his main light. That way plants that need more light sit very close and plants that need less can sit near ground level.

Also, for nice way to get a grow light into a house without a big disturbance, you could use a cabinet of some sort (pictures 2 & 3). Armoires work well and so do entertainment centers. I prefer entertainment centers because you get all sorts of nifty drawers and such to store seeds, ferts, ect.


Hcc

2 Likes MadPlanter and Ian Morris like this.

[MadPlanter]

I like the setup HCC! Looks like it works well. Its so odd to me to see things grown in such a way. I've just never done it yet I guess.

I have no shortage of fish tanks! I used to raise lots of reptiles. I have heat pads and temp controllers already from that. Just gonna have to get and get used to lights in general. I have some old round reptile lamps but am unaware of the bulb intensity or type. I know one is a day glow bulb that's supposed to produce light similar to natural sunlight. Not sure if these types of lights are utilizable.

Thanks for the help!

[Auxin]

Nice setup there.
I built my best light array out of garbage
Scrap metal, pop rivets, lamp fixtures from the local junk store, cords from two broken lamps, and daylight compact fluorescent lights.
I can take off the cross members and bolt on scrap metal legs so each light bar becomes a free standing light.
Be creative... but safe.

3 Likes Greentoe, MadPlanter and hereje like this.

[Frog Pajamas]

Would this ballast and lights (T8, 32W, 2 4' tubes) put out enough light to help plants overwinter?

[happyconcacti]

Would this ballast and lights (T8, 32W, 2 4' tubes) put out enough light to help plants overwinter?

Yes indeedy.

Those fixtures are nice because the reflectors allow em to be placed right on a fish tank without busting the bulbs.

[Frog Pajamas]

Sweet!

I know its nobodys' favorite place to shop, but Walmart has this ballast for $10 and the bulbs for like $7, iirc, so if anybody needs some inexpensive lighting it might be worth a look.

[nobody]

Damn I miss Walmart 

1 Like New Wisdom likes this.

[New Wisdom]

If I were you I wouldn't use those bulbs.  I would shoot for 6500k bulbs.