Let there be light

A lot of us who start seeds inside use a grow light. I got mine last year, and my seedlings grew so much better.  Money is always tight, so mine are inexpensive ones.  But they were totally worth the cost.
I was hoping to improve the amount of light so I surrounded my seed station with aluminum foil.  It did seem to help.
Yesterday I watched a YouTube video by the MI Gardener on increasing your light by 75%.   I was convinced. I removed the foil. I had some foam board and some poster board left over from some project, or other.  I put it up and I do think it makes a difference.  It took a couple of minutes and cost me nothing.  In the future I will be making some modifications to make it better and more permanent, but for now since I'm in the middle of the seed starting season this works great.
The MI Gardener guy didn't talk about foil, but he did mention mirrors can create hot spots like a magnifying glass, and shouldn't be used. He also said a mat white works better because it directs the light. ( Kinda what he said).  Anyway I thought it was worth a share.

Thank you for sharing!

I came across this post looking up grow lights on the forum as I was trying to come up with gift ideas (for myself) after a family member asked what I'd like. I never know what to say...

But I've decided a grow light would be perfect :) I always have trouble starting my own seedlings, especially the second batch of the year planted during the hot Texas summers, so I hope doing it indoors will make for stronger plants.

We spent a good bit of money at the nursery this Spring after I gave up on all of my starts from the winter... hope this changes things for us!

Thanks for sharing. I also noticed that for the board, the surface is flat and rigid, while the foil crinkles and that reduces the efficiency of reflection too.
I like watching MIgardender's channel too. He grew a coffee plant to maturity indoors but that takes a much more expensive grow light.

Your very welcome. I enjoy learning new things. Some work for me, and some not so much.  I especially like things I can do that helps a lot for little to no cost.  
Good luck, happy gardening