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Grow lights

 
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Are there any good inexpensive grow lights? I have two from walmart that do not seem to do much good. My seedlings are still getting leggy stretching to the window. One light is a reflector with one large bulb and the other is like a ballast for fluorescent lighting but with a led bulb. Both are funny colors, one is purple and one is a red a blue pattern. I just want a good light or two to have a counter garden while its too cold to do much outside but I also don't want weird colors glowing all the time!
 
pollinator
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Gail, I have a silly question. What are you planting your seeds in?

Mine only get leggy if their potting medium is too rich. You're perhaps not incorrect about the light, but I would check the potting medium first.

As to the light, though, in my experience, you want to avoid any more red spectrum light than is natural for, say, sunlight during the vegetative growth. Red becomes important for flowering, whereas blue is primarily what is desired for vegetative growth.

If someone has more in-depth information on this, it would be good. My experience is limited to niche applications, and it would be good to get some breadth.

-CK
 
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I just attended an indoor growing presentation and the guy (passionate hobbyist, not professional) said that 5000K LED work lights are his go-to grow light.  They are the "daylight" wavelength and they have enough red and blue for the plants but also have other wavelengths.  Since he changed over from the expensive grow lights to the work lights his plants do as good or better.

Like this: 10,000 lumen work light
 
master rocket scientist
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Not sure how well this is going to work but it was $42.00 on ebay. I'm going to give it a go this spring.
LED-grow-light.jpg
LED grow light
LED grow light
 
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Chris Kott wrote:Gail, I have a silly question. What are you planting your seeds in?

Mine only get leggy if their potting medium is too rich. You're perhaps not incorrect about the light, but I would check the potting medium first.

As to the light, though, in my experience, you want to avoid any more red spectrum light than is natural for, say, sunlight during the vegetative growth. Red becomes important for flowering, whereas blue is primarily what is desired for vegetative growth.

If someone has more in-depth information on this, it would be good. My experience is limited to niche applications, and it would be good to get some breadth.

-CK



Just curious, why would they get leggy if pottimg medium is too rich? For my seedlings, I have been using a mix of peat moss, vermiculite, homemade compost, homemade worm castings and jobe's organic vegetable fertilizer.  I am a newb, so I might not know what I am doing!  Looking for advice.
 
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Good post!  I didn't know what I didn't know about grow lights, and this thread just started!
 
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