Grow Lights

[ninnymary]

I’ve done research in grow lights and am still confused as to the necessity of color spectrum. The way I understand it is the color is needed for flowering and fruiting. Since I’m only growing starts I figured white LED shop lights would work.

Can I use LED shop lights?

 

[ninnymary]

Thinking of getting these at Costco.

 

[majorcatfish]

afternoon mary, your asking a lighting question that has gone around here for many years, of course we all have are ways for doing our seedlings/starts.

heres a question for you what are you trying to do?
house plants
flowers
veggies
herbs

 

[ninnymary]

Hi Major, yes I realize there are many different grow light setups I want to grow mainly veggies along with some flowers.
Mary
@digitS' @Ridgerunner

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Understanding Light for Your Indoor Vegetable Seed Starts and Grow Closets: Lumen & Kelvin Measurements Explained!

The Rusted Vegetable Garden is about self-sufficiency and homestead gardening. I teach how grow vegetables from starting seeds through harvesting.

therustedgarden.blogspot.com

.

I hope the link above works. I followed his recommendations and my seedlings do great. I hope this helps!

 

[ninnymary]

Understanding Light for Your Indoor Vegetable Seed Starts and Grow Closets: Lumen & Kelvin Measurements Explained!

The Rusted Vegetable Garden is about self-sufficiency and homestead gardening. I teach how grow vegetables from starting seeds through harvesting.

therustedgarden.blogspot.com

.

I hope the link above works. I followed his recommendations and my seedlings do great. I hope this helps!

Very informative. I was just hoping the Costco ones would work.

Mary

 

[dickiebird]

I just sold my grow cabinet and don't remember what my lamps were, other than they were old time florescent tube, not the new led's
I remember the sleeves they came in said they were good for aquariums also.
According to the rusted garden link the Costco leds have way more Lumens than needed and I don't see a Kelvin rating.

THANX RICH

 

[ninnymary]

Thank you dickiebird. I didn't see the Kelvin rating either. Perhaps because they are white lights.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mary, I used the old standard ones, the ones I had on hand. I did not get special grow lights or LED lights. I doubt they had LED lights when I started using them. I'm sure the new grow lights are best. but my seeds sprouted and grew.

 

[PhilaGardener]

At that price, Mary, just buy two and see how they work for you. They should be fine for seed starting!

Some folks say that the higher brightness of LEDs can lead to more purple pigment (anthocyanin) in the leaves (just raise the lights if that happens) but that the seedlings also may be easier to harden off before you plant out. Because LEDs are more efficient, they also produce less heat, so if your rooms are cold, the seedlings may grow a bit more slowly, but that is about the only down-side. As my 4 ft fluorescents finally die out, I am switching over to LEDs. As @majorcatfish said, there are a lot of threads on different forums about folks making this change, and most have been very happy with them for this application. For more extended growth and blooming, plants may benefit from the extended spectra of plant growth LED units, but they are expensive - like the special plant growth fluorescent tubes that Rich mentioned (which I paired in my fixtures with cool white tubes).