Artificial Spring

[bluedog]

Once you all let m know what's worthwhile to bring inside, I'll need to know how to keep it alive. I've got a place for them by a window but some will need more than western exposure in January to kep healthy. Any suggestions for artificial lights?

[Audwoman]

Some things my goal is to just keep it alive until winter is over. :D So I do not do grow lights. I give everything the best light I have.

[MrSeedy]

I've been using gro-lites for many years and generally just use those flourescent shop fixtures with maybe one regular gro-lite along with one regular cool or warm white tube, but I've often heard just regular tubes work fine for most plants. Remember that they work best for smaller plants since those will fit quite close to the tubes for maximum light, but larger plants underneath will only get the bright light near the tops of the plants nearest the lights so they may lose lower leaves. I must say though, given a good sunny winter , my south windows are the best, and I have no supplemental or artificial lighting near there. My west windows get little sun by midwinter, since the sun sets more in the southwest then, but it's good enough for plants that don't need full sun to do well. If you generally have sunny winters without the many overcast gray days that we often get in Michigan, you could skip the extra artificial lighting. I sometimes think during those sunless winter days here, that many of my plants wouldn't last the winter without the additional artificial lighting however. Remember also that those shop light flourescent tubes wear out over time and faster if they're on many hours a day for months, so they should be replaced with new tubes long before they've "burned out" or your elcectricity is just putting out less and less light over time as the tubes get "weaker" over time, so it gets less and less "cost effective". Years back I read somewhere that after as little as six months the flourescent tubes can have the light output drop 25% and sometimes up to 50% in a year. Really old tubes aren't nearly as bright as new ones, so the expense of replacing tubes frequently is well worth it for the additional light.

[SilenceOfTheClams]

I had a few "spindles" and created a "crib"... from which I put below eye level, a 4 ft shop light, one bulb a GroLite... and the other a Cool White... to make my "winter sun zone"...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/SilenceOfTheClams/lightsetup3.jpg

I'll be building 2 more of these units to tuck under the other bay windows this fall. I found it easier to keep the plants all together in one room, those with the "natural light" and supplemental for the ones below that needed longer light hours per day. Hey... works for ME ;)

[Rich]

I've just been persuaded to plant seeds, I'm sure though that if I don't install lights any seedlings that I have will go leggy and horrible.

I've tried looking up lights on the internet and in ebay, but they are all hydroponics sites, which gives them the excuse to triple the price.

This winter is going to be a challenge.

[bluedog]

Clams, very impressive. My plants ar a little too big and numerous for such a set up but I'll keep it in mind

p.s. That little snippet of your house looks pretty good. Is the rst of it so nice?

[Arkie111]

;) I garden on a budget. I have a spare bedroom with a south picture window.
However, I have more plants than that window can support for the winter. I
use lights and timers to help out.
I have 2 shelves made from cement blocks and boards that I mounted
floursecent bulbs underneath each shelf. When I run out of shelves; I buy
heat-bulb shields from Wal-Mart. I use 60-75 watt bulbs in them. All lights
are attached to cheap timers. I set them for 12-14 hrs of light. Each timer
handles 3 lights. It's been working for me.
You just have to figure out which plants need to be closest to the light.