Need cheap light setup for yr round indoor growing, cfl vs tubes?

15 years ago

Hi all, I'm trying to get started with growing veggies/fruits indoors year-round (starting with cherry tomatoes and strawberries, want to grow watermelon) and need some help figuring out my light setup. I don't have much space, just a 2x3.5ft area underneath a desk. I've read a lot of the postings and I still can't decide if CFLs or tubes would be better for me.

I don't really have the space to fit in a whole hanging tube fixture so I'd probably just have to get some strip lights and use string or something to secure them below the desk. If I go this route, would two 20W F12 tubes be enough? I have 7 small cherry tomato plants (a couple inches tall) at the moment and a small strawberry plant (a few months old). I'm trying to minimize costs and I think while bulbs may be cheap, the cost of fixtures can add up real quickly.

My other idea is to just get some 20W "Daylight" CFLs with clamp on light fixtures and just position them around the plants. Would 4 or 5 of these be enough? That'd be about 5000-6000 lumens, but I'm not sure how much of that I could actually reflect onto the plants.

I do have a west facing balcony that gets direct light only after 3pm, but I don't think this is enough light. Also, my other cherry tomato plants died of powdery mildew on my balcony and I'm reluctant to put the new ones out there. If I go the CFL route, I may consider putting them on the balcony so the plants get both CFL light and some sunlight.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Thanks in advance.

Comments (3)

almax881
15 years ago
It may be a while before you get a response from one of the seasoned posters (I am a newbie) because this forum has been dead for a while.

Try going the link below for a nice overview of the different lighting options.

I don't think you will be that successful with fruiting tomato plants with two fluros though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lighting Guide from Little Greenhouse
xmaslightguy
15 years ago
I can't give an answer on CFL's but...
With regular tubes: 2 20w T2's will not be near enough...
you will need probably at least 6-8 bulbs. Esp if using
standard magnetic ballasts (most 24" fixtures use cheap
low-power-factor ballasts) you can get more light *if*
you can find one with a commercial/high-power-factor ballast
(rare-thing on that size light...good luck) -or- if you feel
safe doing it you can use a T8 ballast to 'overdrive' (in
this case if you use T12 bulbs the 'overdrive' will amount
to basically what a commercial ballast would give
brightness-wise. If you use T8 bulbs they will be truly
overdriven and give more light...but...heat may be an issue
(in any case with multiple lights) it may not be a good idea to attach the lights to a wood desk.

Also use a mix of bulb colors (Daylight, Grolux, Cool-White)

And if you can give the plants any natural sun do so...
no artificial light will compare to sun
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lermer
15 years ago
Tomatoes use a lot of light, water, and fertilizer. I don't recommend fluorescents for tomatoes. Ceramic Metal Halide is available in 400w horizontal and this is what I usually recommend.

Fluorescent is mainly for cuttings/seedlings,
or for maintaining houseplants.