Thread: need advice
View Single Post
  #28   Report Post  
Old 19-01-2011, 03:45 PM posted to rec.gardens
Nad R Nad R is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2011
Posts: 410
Default Anybody out there use grow-lamps?

northwards wrote:
Hi everybody

I'm new to these forums but I've been lurking for a while and they look
really informative. I live in the Cairngorm Mountains, in Aberdeenshire,
in Scotland, so the gardening conditions can be challenging, to say the
least

Because light levels here aren't great in the spring, I've always
started my seedlings off under grow-lamps. Does anybody have any
experience of the new LED grow-lamps, or do most people use the usual
high-intensity bulbs or fluorescent lights?

Any advice or opinions will be gratefully received!


I have no experience with the new LED lamps. However,

I use low 15W T-5 grow lights, just two feet long, cost $15 per light. I
have eight lights. I have one 72 cell or two 48 cell trays for each light.
Seems to work very well. However, I have not tried other higher powered
lights. I also have southern facing windows. I have notice my plants grow
better with the lamps over the windows alone. In spring I only get about 10
hours max of sunshine though the windows. Many days in the spring it is
very cloudy restricting the sunshine even more. So far I see no need for
the high powered lights. I just put the lights closer to the plants. I use
a small chains with small hooks to manually raise and lower the lights.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)