Need help with light set-up

10 months ago

last modified: 10 months ago

I'm just not satisfied with the light output on my light cart. This is for growing plants. Back in the day I had a mix of cool and warm fluoro bulbs and had terrific, stocky plant growth. For the last almost decade I've had a pre-fab light cart which uses Sylvania 40w Gro Lux bulbs. They suck. I think I've had only so-so results because the light just isn't as good as what I used to have. I want to replace but don't know what to get. These are 4-foot T12 bulbs.

The old-school fluoro tubes are dc'd, any stock left is sold by the case ($$$$ if this doesn't work out and I can't return).

Are any of the newer "grow lights" any good? What do you recommend? Any sources of small quantity old-school fluoro bulbs?

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Comments (5)

party_music50
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
I like plain 4' fluorescent T12 shop lights.... the kind you buy at a Lowe's or Home Depot. Are you saying you cannot get those anymore?! I don't want to hear that because I think one of my old bulbs is going. :(

eta: argh... you're right. They're being phased out. I have 4 different fixtures that each hold two or more 4' fluorescent T12 bulbs. It looks like I'll be needing to buy new fixtures when the bulbs go!
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party_music50
9 months ago
I have one plant light setup with 3 U-shaped fluorescent lights. One of the ballasts went in 2023, so I tried a set of LEDs that is working quite well as a substitute. You might want to buy something like this just to try out because they're lightweight and can be configured in many different ways.

Link to LED lights on the A site.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked party_music50
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wdccruise
9 months ago
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porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
9 months ago
Update: I managed to find smaller quantities of both warm and cool T12 fluoro's from some off-beat sellers on A*n. Put them in and I can tell they are generating more heat than the original bulbs I had in there, which is a good thing. They seem brighter, too, but not sure if it just looks different because of the color of the light emitted. Hopefully the seedlings will grow better this year.

(When I say "better", I mean beefier root growth. Top growth was ok but root growth was skimpy under these Gro Lux bulbs)
Ali Alsamty
19 days ago
Glad you found the tubes. On the roots: they respond more to how much light the plants get than to the bulb brand, so a few things help whatever tubes you run. Keep the tubes 2 to 4 inches above the seedlings and raise them as the plants grow, because fluorescent output drops off quickly with distance. Run them 14 to 16 hours a day on a timer. Swap tubes every couple of seasons even if they still light, since they dim with age. And when this batch runs out, a new LED shop light is the easy replacement now that T12s are being phased out; LEDs run cooler, so you can keep them close without scorching the leaves. For root growth itself, gentle bottom heat and a seed-starting mix kept moist but never soggy often make more difference than the light.

Full disclosure: I run Ali's Home Organization Boutique, which sells grow lights and hydroponic kits.