~ Anthony J. D'Angelo
If you place your seedlings in the window, while they may get a lot of light, sometimes they will still seem to stretch for it. You may find that their stems are becoming leggy for the effort.
Even in a south-facing window, in late Winter and early Spring, sometimes daylight just doesn't last long enough to give the plants the amount of sunshine they need. Plus, overcast winter skies and spring rain clouds can block the full effect of the sun's rays. And then there's always the perfect window in a great sunny spot, except for the giant tree or neighbor's house blocking it.
Grow Lights are a simple way to get the appropriate amount of light to your young seedlings and plants.
Many gardening supply stores offer a variety of ready-made Grow Lights for sale. They're equipped with state-of-the-art bulbs, reflectors, ventilation, timing devices, etc. And they are an excellent option if you can afford them.
But if you are on a budget like me, and know how to use a drill and a screwdriver, a Grow Light can easily be made at a fraction of the cost.
This video gives a pretty good demonstration of the basics of How to Make a Grow Light. The amount of materials needed will depend on how big the Grow Light is.
TOOLS
- Saw
- Power Screwdriver
- Power Drill
- Wrench, long screwdriver or stick
MATERIALS
- plywood (only necessary if you are combining 2 or more fixtures into a single grow light)
- spray paint (optional)
- self-drilling zinc screws for metal (2 per fixture)
- fluorescent bulb light fixture(s)*
- Daylight 6500 Kelvin Cool Light Bulbs*
- Sunlight 5000 Kelvin Bulbs*
- screw hooks
- lengths of #3 double loop chain
- indoor extension cord with grounded plug (16 gauge, 13 amp)
- light timer (optional)
* Make sure the bulbs to correspond with the light fixture. T5 bulbs go with a T5 fixture, T8 bulbs with a T8 fixture, T12 bulbs with a T12 fixture... Always pay attention to the wattage requirements.
Because of the size of my seedling trays, I decided that my Grow Light needed to be 20" wide and 48" long. So I purchased three 4' 2-light Shop Lights. Since this type of fixture is prevalent in a lot of office, government and school buildings, sometimes you can find these types of fixtures for a couple of bucks at a building material reuse retailer or ResourceXchange type of service. I looked for light fixtures at Pittsburgh's Construction Junction, but unfortunately, they didn't have any. Search Earth911 to locate recycling centers in your area. You might even be able to find some for cheap on Craigslist or Ebay.
I bought two twin-packs of 48" Daylight Cool Light 32 T8 bulbs and two twin-packs of 48" Sunshine F32 T8 bulbs (I have one extra of each bulb in case one breaks or burns out). It is alright to use just the Daylight Cool Light fluorescent bulbs. I also purchased a 2'x4' piece of plywood to mount the fixtures on, a package of screw hooks, a pack of self-drilling screws, 3-outlet indoor extension cord with grounded plug, and 15' of #3 double loop chain.
I unpacked all three light fixtures and lined them up side-by-side light-side-up on top of the plywood so I could mark the cut line for the plywood. (Please note: For safety reasons, the lights were not plugged in and also did not have the bulbs installed.) After the plywood was cut, and the edges were sanded to eliminate splinters, spray paint was applied to the plywood to match the color of the fixtures, and left to dry.
With the fixtures unplugged, I then removed the protective panels from the interiors of all 3 lights, setting aside the screws and washers. There were existing holes, so it was unnecessary for me to drill through the metal, however I still used the self-drilling screws. I lined up for the first fixture with the edge of the plywood, and attached the fixture to the plywood with the screws, being careful not to hit or damage the wires or their casings. I repeated the process for the next two fixtures (making sure all of the plugs lined up on the same end), then reattached all the protective panels, also making sure not to damage the wires in any way.
Making sure not to touch the ends of the bulbs, I carefully inserted the fluorescent bulbs into each fixture, alternating Daylight and Sunshine bulbs, one of each per fixture (Daylight-Sunlight-Daylight-Sunlight-Daylight-Sunlight). I double-checked to make sure each bulb was secure.
With my husband Ben's help, I carefully flipped the entire fixture over. To attach the screw hooks for hanging, we measured halfway on the end, one inch in, and drilled a small hole, then screwed in the screw hook, and repeated on the other side.
We then measured the distance between the two screw hooks, and found a spot on a basement ceiling beam, and drilled two holes for screw hooks that same distance apart. We attached the length of chain to hang the Grow Light. We plugged the individual fixtures into the extension cord and ran it to a grounded socket. Then turned on the individual fixtures.
We positioned the Grow Light to hang just a few inches about the top of the seedling trays to ensure that the seedlings get the proper amount of light. As the seedlings grow, we will raise the Grow Light on the chain.
Shopping for materials took about a half an hour. It cost me $95 to make this particular Grow Light. I could have saved around $30 buying different fixtures, but I liked the sides of these fixtures and the quality better than the cheaper versions. Even at $95, I saved between $130 to $300 by making my own Grow Light.
Assembly (minus the spray paint drying time) took about 30 minutes. Very easy. It does help to have another person to help with the hanging of the fixture especially if there are multiple fixtures.
I can already see a difference in my plants. I think that they are healthier and happier. Now all they need is some Mozart playing in the background.
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