LED LIGHTS

[mensplace]

I wish there was a complete seed starting system that included a turnkey environment to start one flat of seeds;
something that included a bottom tray to hold the soil and seedlings for 1 1/2 months.

Under this would be a porous, fiber like material for a water/nutrient pad to go just beneath the soil. Beneath all this would be heating pad with reliable temp control.

Above would be a lighting system to produce a source of light to assure healthy, stocky, deep green seedlings, not the weak, spindly plants most such systems produce. Above all would be the heavy, clear dome with holes to allow excess moisture to escape.

Essentially, this would be an instant, turn key, plug in grow dome. I simply can't justify spending a fortune building a system for one tray. Everything I have ever seen is lacking in one or more ways. Any ideas or suggestions.

[dfollett]

Originally Posted by dfollett

… Anyone can change a tube with the ballast left in place, but only the electricians can remove the ballast, rewire and change the tube for the no-ballast tubes. ….

Originally Posted by bower

… I'm not sure if an electrician is required absolutely for that... I'm sure there's a video on YouTube.

Bower, you are absolutely correct. My post was somewhat misleading. An electrician is not required to remove a ballast.. Anyone who knows what they are doing and is careful can do it. I had my business hat on as I was writing. In a large business setting, from a safety and (primarily) liability perspective, I need to give that job to the electrician. I can have the entry-level employees replace light tubes, but not open and rewire 100s of light fixtures. There would be too much liability involved....

[GrowingCoastal]

Originally Posted by mensplace

I wish there was a complete seed starting system that included a turnkey environment to start one flat of seeds;
something that included a bottom tray to hold the soil and seedlings for 1 1/2 months.

Under this would be a porous, fiber like material for a water/nutrient pad to go just beneath the soil. Beneath all this would be heating pad with reliable temp control.

Above would be a lighting system to produce a source of light to assure healthy, stocky, deep green seedlings, not the weak, spindly plants most such systems produce. Above all would be the heavy, clear dome with holes to allow excess moisture to escape.

Essentially, this would be an instant, turn key, plug in grow dome. I simply can't justify spending a fortune building a system for one tray. Everything I have ever seen is lacking in one or more ways. Any ideas or suggestions.

NOT LED. I see units like this for sale for less than the price of the one in the link. No dome on this one but pretty sure I've seen them domed too. They always seem too costly.


https://www.ebay.ca/itm/SunBlaster-M...oAAOSwa0VaRwEJ

[bower]

Originally Posted by dfollett

Bower, you are absolutely correct. My post was somewhat misleading. An electrician is not required to remove a ballast.. Anyone who knows what they are doing and is careful can do it. I had my business hat on as I was writing. In a large business setting, from a safety and (primarily) liability perspective, I need to give that job to the electrician. I can have the entry-level employees replace light tubes, but not open and rewire 100s of light fixtures. There would be too much liability involved....

I totally hear you about that! I wouldn't do it myself either, unless I was absolutely certain that I had it right... And I do know people who have the skills, and could check my work if I had any uncertainty.
I really appreciate the info you provided about your work setting experience! As well as your setups at home.

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by mensplace

I wish there was a complete seed starting system that included a turnkey environment to start one flat of seeds;
something that included a bottom tray to hold the soil and seedlings for 1 1/2 months.

Under this would be a porous, fiber like material for a water/nutrient pad to go just beneath the soil. Beneath all this would be heating pad with reliable temp control.

Above would be a lighting system to produce a source of light to assure healthy, stocky, deep green seedlings, not the weak, spindly plants most such systems produce. Above all would be the heavy, clear dome with holes to allow excess moisture to escape.

Essentially, this would be an instant, turn key, plug in grow dome. I simply can't justify spending a fortune building a system for one tray. Everything I have ever seen is lacking in one or more ways. Any ideas or suggestions.

Heck, that's easy. Frame a box out of 2x2s. Screw on two ceramic light sockets, and into each socket put a splitter so it holds two bulbs. 100 watt-equivalent spiral florescent bulbs would be fine, smaller would probably work, too. Get a tray without holes to hold the flat, and then just bottom-water into the tray. Cover the whole thing with plastic, and the bulbs will make enough heat to sprout seeds.

Total cost would be very low. The ceramic light sockets are less than $2 each. I can usually find an old cord to scavenge, but you can just buy a cheap extension cord, too. Wiring your own lights is very easy. I did it as a 4-H project when I was 12 years old.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by biscuitridge

.... you'd have a very difficult time trying to grow a indeterminate beefsteak with t-5s or the led retro fixture,just not enough light to penetrate the canopy.

A bit of pruning will let the light penetrate.

Nan

[biscuitridge]

T-5s just don't have the amount of light that's needed, pruning isn't going to work, by the time the plant gets 3 feet tall the lights are way too far away from the lower growth, won't work.

[bjbebs]

My entire house is lighted by screw in type LED's. There is nothing not to like about these lights. Bright, instant on, long life and easy on the wallet.

I start all plants in a cool basement using 2' by 4' fixtures with T12 tubes and magnetic ballasts. I would love to swap out these T12's for LED tubes. Ballasts would need to be removed and wired directly to the tube. A task that most people can do. I just can't justify the cost of replacing my 16 tubes with LED's that would cost roughly $140.

I run these lights 16-17 hours a day for about 75 days. Plants then go into a small greenhouse and outside to harden off. Prices would have to come way down for me to replace a bulb that gives me a good 3 or 4 years use and costs $3 a tube.

[bower]

Originally Posted by bjbebs

My entire house is lighted by screw in type LED's. There is nothing not to like about these lights. Bright, instant on, long life and easy on the wallet.

I start all plants in a cool basement using 2' by 4' fixtures with T12 tubes and magnetic ballasts. I would love to swap out these T12's for LED tubes. Ballasts would need to be removed and wired directly to the tube. A task that most people can do. I just can't justify the cost of replacing my 16 tubes with LED's that would cost roughly $140.

I run these lights 16-17 hours a day for about 75 days. Plants then go into a small greenhouse and outside to harden off. Prices would have to come way down for me to replace a bulb that gives me a good 3 or 4 years use and costs $3 a tube.

Too true, the prices have to come down, and the selection has to go up.
At HD yesterday, the only LED tubes available were T12 6500 K and T8 in 3000 K. The T8 were 11.97 each, twice the price of fluorescents but close enough that I would have bought a pair if they were 6500 K - and if I was sure they were going to work with my fixtures. The T12's could fit, but at over $16 each I really couldn't justify it.
Even on amazon where there are more to choose from and discounts for bulk purchase, not that easy to find something in 6500 K that was both certified (by any of the usual bodies) and reasonably priced.
They've come a long way from where they were a few years ago, but not quite where it needs to be as yet.