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grow lights
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Posted by goldpianogarden z8b, S.E. GA (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 04 at 23:23
| If I wanted to hang a grow light in one 'stall' of my 4-car garage to use just for overwintering plants, is there any such light/fixture that would work to hang in the middle of the ceiling that would work? The area of space that could be used is about 18 feet by 13 feet, with a 10-foot ceiling. I'm trying to simplify my wintertime task of taking plants into the garage, out of the garage, into the garage, out of the garage, etc., that completely exhausted me last year. If I can just put them in there and know they're getting enough light, then I'd be content to just leave them there for the 2 or 3 months when freezes can occur. That would free up tons of my time, cause we're talking about hundreds and hundreds of plants. The majority of plants would all be arranged on different shelving units, also, if that matters. Air circulation is not a concern..........just getting enough light to stay alive. Thanks for any help! I looked at several websites, but it's all mumbo jumbo to me. Figured someone could help from their own firsthand experience. Barry |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: grow lights
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Barry,
For your space, a couple of profession horticulture 1000w HPS lamps would give you almost full-sun conditions and provide a spectrum that is good for flowering plants. You could also force such things as fresia, anemone and ranunculus and other cool bulbs. Fluorescent shop lights are less expensive, but more of a hassle to install. I've also found that cheap shop light fixtures will not tolerate much moving and handling. Mess with them and pretty soon one tube won't light up or worse, neither tube will light up. The advantage of fluorescents is that they do not generate much heat, so you can place the lights close to the plants without burning. I like to keep an oscillating fan running in my plant room. Plants seem to like the circulation and the moving air helps strengthen the stems. I've also used compact fluorescent lights -- I forget how many watts, but they're about the brightest available. Walmart sold them as shop lights in the hardware dept two years ago, but I haven't seen them this year.
They work well, but their spectrum is a little different from ordinary 4' cool white fluorescents and they generate more heat, so they must be further from the plants. What kinds of plants are you wanting to keep under the lights? There are lots of good sources for horticulture lamps. Charley's Greenhouse Supply offers a selection. |
RE: grow lights
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| I will be keeping cuttings of tropicals that I want to make sure I have again next year (sometimes the different tropicals in the yard will make it through the winter and come back up, but sometimes not, so I do cuttings to be safe). Also several huge palms, and a ton of succulents and bromeliads. Several people had suggested 1000w metal halide bulbs. What's your take on that? |
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