This is hands down the BEST simplified video showcasing the pros and cons of growing lights I've seen thus far on UA-cam. Thank you so so much for sharing. You helped me finally make a decision on my plunge of indoor starting my seeds!
The big, nice MarsHydro lamp is suppose to hang at 30cm distance for flowering, 45cm for veggiation and even higher for seedlings (I think it was 60cm), the Mars you got is made to even fruit tomatos and chillis with these lamps, so now you have an idea how much usable light that lamp is emitting.
I don't know if the same is true in Canada, but in the US, there's a frugal way to buy grow lights: buy them used in areas where cannabis has been legalized. When Cannabis was legalized in Colorado, lots of people tried to get into the business, and lots of them failed. You can now buy barely used grow lights for next to nothing here: HPS lights are nearly free and LED's are far less expensive than new.
In uk where what kind led . Also a variety of chillis can u use same led light makes? Someone said ebay? Others say amazon its for indonesian vegetable growing
You do not have any problems! You have just learned more about great lighting versus okay lighting, and I thank you for teaching me and the world about lighting plants and use the information on other growing areas in and out of water.
Just an FYI, T8 and T12 bi-pin lamps use the same lamp sockets. You can put new T8 LED lamps in the shop light fixtures as long as you make the necessary wire corrections within the fixture (takes five minutes). Thanks for the vid.
I ended up getting the mats hydro and got impatient and started peppers and eggplant too soon and they grew so fast I gave them away in March and started new seeds only 4 weeks from my last frost instead of 8 weeks. Amazing light!
This video was so well done. It wasn't overproduced and it got straight to the point without a bunch of BS fluff. Subscribed and look forward to checking out the rest of your stuff. Thanks for using your time to help others out. This is the reason I love YT. You deserve all the subs you can get your hands on.
I feel like I've watched this video twice a year now since it came out. After last spring, I realized I needed more growing space for my seedling. Even though this is just a hobby for me (I'm not selling anything, I just enjoy growing flowers), I'm looking forward to getting a little more out of my growing season. I just ordered the 4ft lights from Amazon and I can't wait to get them set up so they are ready to go for next Spring!
Your measure of success seems to be predicated on the top growth. I want my plants to grow roots faster than tops. Short, stubby seedlings with huge root balls give me strong transplants for planting to my garden beds. I have 40 years experience using lights to grow my seedlings. Those old cool white fluorescents gave good service for many years in a completely uninsulated basement room. My tomatoes germinate on about Day 6-8. I repot my tomatoes to 4 inch pots on Day 17 and then into tall pots, burying the roots, about Day 28. One month later the pots are filled with root and they are ready to go outside. Although I use the (expensive) Sunblaster tubes, I don't like them as much as my very cheap plastic LED tubes that cost about $10 and use 7W of power each. Now that my basement is finished, my biggest challenge is providing a cool enough grow room. Plants will grow better roots at 16C but my grow room rarely goes lower than 20C. This encourages top growth which I counter by placing the lights as close as possible to the seedling tops. Good luck with your future experiments.
I can't thank you enough. The links you posted are so affordable. Trying to find a low-cost energy efficient lighting system has prevented me from getting started. Problem solved!
Great video. Because light isn’t the limiting factor under the good quality lights you are seeing nutrient deficiencies. If you adjust the duration it might not be a big deal but otherwise you’ll have to up fertilizing the plants under the Mars lights. I’m trying to decide what to get for my hydroponic system and for starting my seeds. Thanks!
This is the best video I've seen on grow lights. There are so many options on the market, but it really helped to see the difference in your plants. Thanks!
I think it,s the most confusing video I ever watched. All she says is : Shop light , and Led light . So, what , s the difference between both ? No clue 🙄🤔👎👎
I was getting a little stressed out with the options. I have a small garden. i just wanted a small garage setup for max 72 seedlings. And omg, so many options. So i really appreciated this. I'll just get some LED shop lights.
Thanks for the tip on the cellphone light meter!! Did not know about them. I grabbed that same light meter app and checked on my garden starter setup---whoa!!! 75,000 lumens!! I have two 200 watt LED arrays about 1.5 feet above the top of the plants. They seem to like it. But it's like 100 times brighter than what these people are using....hmmmm
I live not far from you in the North Thompson. I used shop lights with Grow light bulbs in them for years. My seedlings would stretch for that light and end up touching the tubes but still seemed to need more light. Fans helped to build stronger stems but they were sill leggy. I was a bit clueless though and had my timers set for a bit more than the outside daylight hours were. I should have had them on longer. I am replacing them all with the Sunblaster T5HO tubes this year. The led was a bit too pricey for me when buying 9 lights, 3 per shelf on my grow rack. A study I read didn't show a huge difference with the led vs T5HO so I went with the T5HO. The type of light in the colour spectrum affects the results depending on the use. Seedlings vs microgreens vs cannabis vs house plants, etc. The Sunblaster lights were good for seedlings from what I read. Thanks for making me feel better about upgrading my lights. Hope the fires this year leave us alone to grow our gardens.
Bigger doesn't mean better in my experience. I grew tomato plants in a cold basement, 55 -60 F, under shop lights suspended 2-3 inches above the seedlings. After 2 months the plants were just 4 inches high with stems nearly an half inch thick and had already produced sets of blossoms. I preferred this seedling to any 7-10 inches tall. these days I grow in a cool three season sunroom with sun exposure of 5-7 hours daily. Ready to plant out, they are 7-10 inches tall with very thick stems and usually 3 different clusters of blossoms starting at 4 inches up the stem. One week in the garden and they grow about a foot and fruit has set. Likewise frugal, I would again use shop lights. Thank you for the very informative video and I enjoyed viewing your seedling room.
@@ralphb4012 Hi Ralph: the flourescent lights used were the cheapest ones available at home Depot or a hardware store. No idea about light spectrum or lumens. If I would use them again I'd probably use the cheapest Led variety. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Kind regards and best wishes for successful gardening and a bumper crop.
Thanks for such useful information. Just wondering whether you let all the different lights on for 24 hrs/day or just shop light and how many hours you keep the other lights on per day?
OHh i went through all the same stuff you mention. I changed my lighting, built an insulated 5x2' cabinet. I can grow 400 plants in it but the first year was amazing to see how fast it all happened and I definitely wasn't ready for them to do that. They were ready weeks ahead of May long.
Thanks so much for the "right to it" info - awesome. 2-QUESTIONS:1) Are you saying that the old fluorescent shop lights you used - that these were NOT a full spectrum bulb but just regular, like cool white??? 2) What size shelves are you using that line up with what length bulbs??? - Many Thanks for your help here and ... Great Share!
You should also look into making a solar generator to power your lights if possible that would be even more money saved. Love your light idea. I’m looking at what I may have to do to off set things here in states now
This is a wonderfully informative video! I'm in the process of replacing my SunBlaster T5's with the SunBlaster T5 LED, which looks like the lights you're using. I'm wondering what distance you keep these lights above your peppers and tomatoes? Cheers and thanks for the video.
You could, and maybe should, raise the full spectrum LED light to about a meter above and put more seedlings under it, in a bigger area, since it seems to provide more coverage. I understand a MarsHydro 150 watt LED light will cover the whole lifecycle, per square meter of fruiting plants.
I enjoyed this video. I recently bought 2ft LED lights from alibaba. 4000k, 72ct epistar 2835 diodes. I see an average of 600 μmol/m²/s PPFD. Really nice. Couldn't find a vendor that had that with samsung diodes.
This was such an interesting watch, thank you! So cool to see the results of this experiment. I was a bit concerned what was causing the browning on some seedling trays but pleasantly surprised at the why. Great video :)
greener doesnt mean healthier : it only means that the plants adapted their photosynthesis apparatus to the spectrum of the light to optimize photons capture. The ratio Chl a/Chl b varies with the light quality hence the difference in color of the foliage. ( of course provided there isnt too much light)
Thank you. Excellent video. Well presented. Worth a hundred dollars...Canadian. I needed the info and liked how quick you got to what I clicked on to find out. Thank you again...American.
thanks that was what i really needed to know. i am putting to t-5 4 footers in my apt dinning room about 6 foot off the floor. im in a wheelchair it will be so coolplus there is a heater in the wall so i con dial it all in
yep i grow all my greens in my closet its a 1 shop closet for fresh veggs then i have a tent for my medicine i grow i got no bugs no mold mildew issues its cheap really to get started tents are cheap lights are cheap nutrients you dont need a lot depending on soil you can get potting soil that you only feed every few months or hardly at all but thats stuff expensive Sohum is the best soil IMO, yep great video breaks it down.
Thanks for the video. Mars Hydro is a popular brand in the cannabis community. Definitely need a strong light for flowering phase but veg phase can be cheap lights. Happy growing 🪴
it's all about lumens folks. a 1000 watt metal halide produces 140,000 lumens 1 foot away from the bulb. Obviously you don't need that for growing vegetables but the same principle applies. You want the light as close to the plants as possible. Static shelving doesn't work as the plants grow. The best set up is to have hanging lights where you can constantly adjust/raise the lights as the plants develop. if you are using a flood and drain system, have your liquid food mixture bang on, you can average 2- 4" of growth/day. on certain plants wink wink. apply that same principle with garden plants. Also you have to shut the lights down. during seedling and veg stage, 18 hours lights on, 6 hours lights off. flower or bloom stage switch to 12 on 12 off. 12 hours light, 12 hours sleep. Just like bodybuilding, you weightlift putting stress, little micro tears on the muscles, muscles healing at their new size while you are sleeping. Your plants are leggy because they are screaming for light. The light is too far away from the plants. Another thing if they are too leggy is to have a fan lightly blowing on them. oscillating. This will replicate mother nature's wind and stiffen the plant stock up. Making it stiffer, shorter, and more solid. Pay attention to your NPK count. go higher on nitrogen and potassium during veg stage. if these two minerals are low, you will get a leggy plant, lighter colored. A flimsy, weak standing plant has low potassium. Potassium to a plant is like a banana to people. phosphorus heavy during flower stage. If your plants are leggy and light coloured, you have too much phosphorus. NPK n= nitrogen, p = phosphorus k =potassium . liquid food monster grow, flower bloom... too many to list. google...
Me!!! I love love love my grow lights!! And my heat mats!! And my dedicated shelving in my livingroom.....much smaller operation here! But our upgrades last year were a game changer!! We bought our lights last year and on a smaller scale, I had the same difficulty. Seedlings were ready to be potted up or planted out 3 weeks earlier that I had Ever seen ( we got our lights from Canadian Tire. A season end sale came up and we found the last 2 lights! It was very exciting! This year I found Brother Nature Seeds and I have a shipment coming already and I'm excited to start planting next week! Trying some new plants too, here in snow covered Malakwa BC! 😆 Brightest Blessings.
Just found you, awesome informative video. One thing you didn't mention was how long the bulbs last on each type of light. Most of the regular bulbs I find are good for something like 3000 hours which would not be good for the expensive bulbs. I have been reluctant to get real grow lights because of this unknown. Subbed and liked.
I haven't had any bulbs burn out on the mars hydro light yet. But I also only use it for a few months of the year, not year round. You are correct, that when the leds burn out, there is no replacing them, like the other fixtures, that can get replacement bulbs. But I believe they are also a higher quality led then what you would find in a home lightbulb, and therefore I would hope they would last longer. I guess I'll find out next year when I start to get into the 3000 hour range
It seems you are measuring in lux. That only tells you the total light output from the source. It tells you little about PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). PAR tells you about the wavelength of the light in nm (micro moles), which in return tells you exactly what plants need and what they get. The amount of light (lux) is pretty much meaningless if the light is the wrong spectrum.
@@YouCantEatTheGrass just starting i gardening here basically all you need high lumes and 6000 Kelvin tp work ... so you can even use the led ceiling ligth [ the one you put on room] too ???
Money saved by not generating the extra heat will save you the extra money compared to shop lights in a fairly short amount of time, particularly given the soaring cost of electricity.
This video was very helpful in explaining the difference between shop lights and LED lights for growing. But, I have a few questions. I believe you were using T5 LED lights for most of your experiment but I notice that your link for affordable LED grow lights goes to some T8 lights. Can you explain the difference between T5s and T8s?
This may be a stupid question… how would I go about and what type of equipment would I use if I started some greens this fall and wanted to keep growing them inside during the winter?
You'd want a good light - to actually get something big enough to harvest, not just limp along to planting outside. Or micro greens can get away with less light
Awesome video! How many of those cheap t5 LEDs would you hang if you set your flats longways - 4 per shelf? Is 3 lights enough or would you recommend 4?
11-27-21 Ms. Serina, many video sites grow plants how good all those, but I liked Ms.Serina's, which light does what, that is the most important information we can learn from you. seedlings are cheaper, through the packet and get a new one for $2.30, but you can't through away lights, expensive and, take it to goodwill centers. Any indoor growing video must tell light source and buying info, without that vast of time to watch youtube. You beautiful Ms.Serina, wishes to you
I only start plants inside. I'm a firm believer in, in ground growing being the best option. I'd rather eat storage crops over the cold season then try to grow some stuff inside, unless it's sprouts or something
This was a great video, thank you! Im trying to buy one of the Mars lights but im having trouble finding the specific one you have. I clicked on the link but it just goes to all the lights.
Thanks for the video! Can I ask, how long did you leave the other lights on. You mentioned leaving the cheapies on 24 hours a day. About how many hours did you leave on the nicer lights?
Hey Serina, just found your channel - thanks for the great video. Did you end up growing tomatoes and peppers throughout the winter with your full spectrum light? I'm brand new and about to start an indoor microgreen/lettuce operation in a spare room. Was wondering if things like tomatoes and cucumbers would be possible during Alberta winters and the "full spectrum light" was a great hint I hadn't found yet. Thanks so much!
Indoor tomatoes need you to pollinate their flowers, since no bees. I use the back of a battery powered cheap toothbrush to vibrate the base of the flowers. You'll see a puff of yellow...thats the pollen. Its quick and easy. Tomatoes will form. Keep temperature above 70° and below 85° they should keep producing.
What is the light meter that you used. I got the lights you suggested and I am not getting the results that you did. I have them about 3 inches above the plants
Really great video. Question: Regarding the "medium price option." Do you think it's mainly the LED lights or the nanotech reflector that is making it so much better than the flourescent? When I looked online for the nanotech reflectors, they came with non-led lights.
Have you tried any sort of hydroponic set up? I’m wondering if I could use the mid-range LEDs for the entire life cycle of the plant growing hydroponically.
Which led lights do you think are the best? There are so many varieties (t5, t8, t12, different lumens and kelvins, etc). I will be purchasing in Canada 🇨🇦
@@YouCantEatTheGrass which are the LED lights you have? Are they the ones listed from Amazon? How many lights per rack do you use (is your rack 18” or 24” deep?). I have been using regular fluorescent shop lights (4 for 4ft table) but would like to up my game to LEDs after watching this video
Hi! What kind of lights do you advise for cliantro? I tried with some leds, from aliexpress without any knowledge, what were excellent for basils, but cliantro seedlings died, became very thin and tall after that lay down and died. 😞 Which is the best for cliantro? Thank you!
This is hands down the BEST simplified video showcasing the pros and cons of growing lights I've seen thus far on UA-cam. Thank you so so much for sharing. You helped me finally make a decision on my plunge of indoor starting my seeds!
Thanks
@@YouCantEatTheGrass which did you chose?
@@marygossett145 Clearly you asked the wrong person 😂
Agreed. 🎉
The big, nice MarsHydro lamp is suppose to hang at 30cm distance for flowering, 45cm for veggiation and even higher for seedlings (I think it was 60cm), the Mars you got is made to even fruit tomatos and chillis with these lamps, so now you have an idea how much usable light that lamp is emitting.
I don't know if the same is true in Canada, but in the US, there's a frugal way to buy grow lights: buy them used in areas where cannabis has been legalized. When Cannabis was legalized in Colorado, lots of people tried to get into the business, and lots of them failed. You can now buy barely used grow lights for next to nothing here: HPS lights are nearly free and LED's are far less expensive than new.
Where can I buy these lamps? I'm in Noco
In uk where what kind led .
Also a variety of chillis can u use same led light makes? Someone said ebay? Others say amazon its for indonesian vegetable growing
You do not have any problems! You have just learned more about great lighting versus okay lighting, and I thank you for teaching me and the world about lighting plants and use the information on other growing areas in and out of water.
Just an FYI, T8 and T12 bi-pin lamps use the same lamp sockets. You can put new T8 LED lamps in the shop light fixtures as long as you make the necessary wire corrections within the fixture (takes five minutes). Thanks for the vid.
That's exactly what we did! Cheapest option for me.
There are also T8 led bulbs that do not need to be rewired. Just switch out the bulbs.
@@TheBzybees true! But if you take out the ballast, it saves on evergy!
@@TheBzybees do you have a link to those?
Any links to those. In the past I saw some of the LEDs did not work with some ballasts. Thanks!
I ended up getting the mats hydro and got impatient and started peppers and eggplant too soon and they grew so fast I gave them away in March and started new seeds only 4 weeks from my last frost instead of 8 weeks. Amazing light!
This video was so well done. It wasn't overproduced and it got straight to the point without a bunch of BS fluff. Subscribed and look forward to checking out the rest of your stuff. Thanks for using your time to help others out. This is the reason I love YT. You deserve all the subs you can get your hands on.
I feel like I've watched this video twice a year now since it came out. After last spring, I realized I needed more growing space for my seedling. Even though this is just a hobby for me (I'm not selling anything, I just enjoy growing flowers), I'm looking forward to getting a little more out of my growing season. I just ordered the 4ft lights from Amazon and I can't wait to get them set up so they are ready to go for next Spring!
Excellent Video! I am just starting my indoor garden adventure and having a ton of confusion wondering what to do. Now, I know! Thank you!
Your measure of success seems to be predicated on the top growth. I want my plants to grow roots faster than tops. Short, stubby seedlings with huge root balls give me strong transplants for planting to my garden beds. I have 40 years experience using lights to grow my seedlings. Those old cool white fluorescents gave good service for many years in a completely uninsulated basement room.
My tomatoes germinate on about Day 6-8. I repot my tomatoes to 4 inch pots on Day 17 and then into tall pots, burying the roots, about Day 28. One month later the pots are filled with root and they are ready to go outside. Although I use the (expensive) Sunblaster tubes, I don't like them as much as my very cheap plastic LED tubes that cost about $10 and use 7W of power each.
Now that my basement is finished, my biggest challenge is providing a cool enough grow room. Plants will grow better roots at 16C but my grow room rarely goes lower than 20C. This encourages top growth which I counter by placing the lights as close as possible to the seedling tops.
Good luck with your future experiments.
I can't thank you enough. The links you posted are so affordable. Trying to find a low-cost energy efficient lighting system has prevented me from getting started. Problem solved!
Wow, i never expected such a difference. Thank you!!
Great video. Because light isn’t the limiting factor under the good quality lights you are seeing nutrient deficiencies. If you adjust the duration it might not be a big deal but otherwise you’ll have to up fertilizing the plants under the Mars lights. I’m trying to decide what to get for my hydroponic system and for starting my seeds. Thanks!
This is the best video I've seen on grow lights. There are so many options on the market, but it really helped to see the difference in your plants. Thanks!
I think it,s the most confusing video I ever watched. All she says is : Shop light , and Led light . So, what , s the difference between both ? No clue 🙄🤔👎👎
I was getting a little stressed out with the options. I have a small garden. i just wanted a small garage setup for max 72 seedlings. And omg, so many options. So i really appreciated this. I'll just get some LED shop lights.
I am excited now… I have been trying to understand all of these lights. You have explained them for a complete noob like me. Subscribed.
Thanks for the tip on the cellphone light meter!! Did not know about them. I grabbed that same light meter app and checked on my garden starter setup---whoa!!! 75,000 lumens!! I have two 200 watt LED arrays about 1.5 feet above the top of the plants. They seem to like it. But it's like 100 times brighter than what these people are using....hmmmm
I've watched a lot of videos on this topic and this is one of the best.
I live not far from you in the North Thompson. I used shop lights with Grow light bulbs in them for years. My seedlings would stretch for that light and end up touching the tubes but still seemed to need more light. Fans helped to build stronger stems but they were sill leggy. I was a bit clueless though and had my timers set for a bit more than the outside daylight hours were. I should have had them on longer.
I am replacing them all with the Sunblaster T5HO tubes this year. The led was a bit too pricey for me when buying 9 lights, 3 per shelf on my grow rack. A study I read didn't show a huge difference with the led vs T5HO so I went with the T5HO.
The type of light in the colour spectrum affects the results depending on the use. Seedlings vs microgreens vs cannabis vs house plants, etc. The Sunblaster lights were good for seedlings from what I read.
Thanks for making me feel better about upgrading my lights.
Hope the fires this year leave us alone to grow our gardens.
Wow. You did a fantastic job. Super helpful and practical. Thank you sooo much. Are your shelves adjustable?
Bigger doesn't mean better in my experience. I grew tomato plants in a cold basement, 55 -60 F, under shop lights suspended 2-3 inches above the seedlings. After 2 months the plants were just 4 inches high with stems nearly an half inch thick and had already produced sets of blossoms. I preferred this seedling to any 7-10 inches tall. these days I grow in a cool three season sunroom with sun exposure of 5-7 hours daily. Ready to plant out, they are 7-10 inches tall with very thick stems and usually 3 different clusters of blossoms starting at 4 inches up the stem. One week in the garden and they grow about a foot and fruit has set. Likewise frugal, I would again use shop lights. Thank you for the very informative video and I enjoyed viewing your seedling room.
Can you tell me about the tubes in your shop lights? I know there are some differences in the tubes. Thanks.
@@ralphb4012 Hi Ralph: the flourescent lights used were the cheapest ones available at home Depot or a hardware store. No idea about light spectrum or lumens. If I would use them again I'd probably use the cheapest Led variety. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Kind regards and best wishes for successful gardening and a bumper crop.
Thanks for such useful information. Just wondering whether you let all the different lights on for 24 hrs/day or just shop light and how many hours you keep the other lights on per day?
Man the enthusiasm. So informative AND funny… lol “It Burns!!”
Killed it on there review Serina. New sub
OHh i went through all the same stuff you mention. I changed my lighting, built an insulated 5x2' cabinet. I can grow 400 plants in it but the first year was amazing to see how fast it all happened and I definitely wasn't ready for them to do that. They were ready weeks ahead of May long.
Thanks so much for the "right to it" info - awesome. 2-QUESTIONS:1) Are you saying that the old fluorescent shop lights you used - that these were NOT a full spectrum bulb but just regular, like cool white??? 2) What size shelves are you using that line up with what length bulbs??? - Many Thanks for your help here and ... Great Share!
You should also look into making a solar generator to power your lights if possible that would be even more money saved. Love your light idea. I’m looking at what I may have to do to off set things here in states now
This is a wonderfully informative video! I'm in the process of replacing my SunBlaster T5's with the SunBlaster T5 LED, which looks like the lights you're using. I'm wondering what distance you keep these lights above your peppers and tomatoes?
Cheers and thanks for the video.
Very good video
I am trying to grow for the first time in Canada under the grow lights for the upcoming season
You could, and maybe should, raise the full spectrum LED light to about a meter above and put more seedlings under it, in a bigger area, since it seems to provide more coverage. I understand a MarsHydro 150 watt LED light will cover the whole lifecycle, per square meter of fruiting plants.
I enjoyed this video. I recently bought 2ft LED lights from alibaba. 4000k, 72ct epistar 2835 diodes. I see an average of 600 μmol/m²/s PPFD. Really nice. Couldn't find a vendor that had that with samsung diodes.
This was such an interesting watch, thank you! So cool to see the results of this experiment. I was a bit concerned what was causing the browning on some seedling trays but pleasantly surprised at the why. Great video :)
Nice👍🏼💡! Question: can I use natural light (East and West facing windows) in my apartment☀️, then use those lights at night💡?
greener doesnt mean healthier : it only means that the plants adapted their photosynthesis apparatus to the spectrum of the light to optimize photons capture. The ratio Chl a/Chl b varies with the light quality hence the difference in color of the foliage. ( of course provided there isnt too much light)
Thank you. Excellent video. Well presented. Worth a hundred dollars...Canadian. I needed the info and liked how quick you got to what I clicked on to find out. Thank you again...American.
That’s a lot of seedlings, oh my, can’t even imagine it.
This was fantastic, thank you for the realistic and practical information. Best video I've seen on grow lights for seedlings. Thank you!
thanks that was what i really needed to know. i am putting to t-5 4 footers in my apt dinning room about 6 foot off the floor. im in a wheelchair it will be so coolplus there is a heater in the wall so i con dial it all in
yep i grow all my greens in my closet its a 1 shop closet for fresh veggs then i have a tent for my medicine i grow i got no bugs no mold mildew issues its cheap really to get started tents are cheap lights are cheap nutrients you dont need a lot depending on soil you can get potting soil that you only feed every few months or hardly at all but thats stuff expensive Sohum is the best soil IMO, yep great video breaks it down.
very informative video! planning to start some veggies indoors as a first time gardener! :)
Thanks for the video. Mars Hydro is a popular brand in the cannabis community. Definitely need a strong light for flowering phase but veg phase can be cheap lights. Happy growing 🪴
You really don't need much for seedlings
best video on lights ive found thank you.
it's all about lumens folks. a 1000 watt metal halide produces 140,000 lumens 1 foot away from the bulb. Obviously you don't need that for growing vegetables but the same principle applies. You want the light as close to the plants as possible. Static shelving doesn't work as the plants grow. The best set up is to have hanging lights where you can constantly adjust/raise the lights as the plants develop. if you are using a flood and drain system, have your liquid food mixture bang on, you can average 2- 4" of growth/day. on certain plants wink wink. apply that same principle with garden plants. Also you have to shut the lights down. during seedling and veg stage, 18 hours lights on, 6 hours lights off. flower or bloom stage switch to 12 on 12 off. 12 hours light, 12 hours sleep. Just like bodybuilding, you weightlift putting stress, little micro tears on the muscles, muscles healing at their new size while you are sleeping. Your plants are leggy because they are screaming for light. The light is too far away from the plants. Another thing if they are too leggy is to have a fan lightly blowing on them. oscillating. This will replicate mother nature's wind and stiffen the plant stock up. Making it stiffer, shorter, and more solid. Pay attention to your NPK count. go higher on nitrogen and potassium during veg stage. if these two minerals are low, you will get a leggy plant, lighter colored. A flimsy, weak standing plant has low potassium. Potassium to a plant is like a banana to people. phosphorus heavy during flower stage. If your plants are leggy and light coloured, you have too much phosphorus. NPK n= nitrogen, p = phosphorus k =potassium . liquid food monster grow, flower bloom... too many to list. google...
Me!!! I love love love my grow lights!! And my heat mats!! And my dedicated shelving in my livingroom.....much smaller operation here! But our upgrades last year were a game changer!!
We bought our lights last year and on a smaller scale, I had the same difficulty. Seedlings were ready to be potted up or planted out 3 weeks earlier that I had Ever seen ( we got our lights from Canadian Tire. A season end sale came up and we found the last 2 lights! It was very exciting!
This year I found Brother Nature Seeds and I have a shipment coming already and I'm excited to start planting next week! Trying some new plants too, here in snow covered Malakwa BC! 😆
Brightest Blessings.
Hello, what light did you end up getting from Canadian Tire? Thank you!
I have retinal thinning, maybe permanently distortion for reading, from my growlight. Surprised it is hard to find info on this.
Love the comparison, thank you for showing the different lights.
Great video. I appreciate all the knowledge you share and explaining each type of lighting.
Just found you, awesome informative video. One thing you didn't mention was how long the bulbs last on each type of light. Most of the regular bulbs I find are good for something like 3000 hours which would not be good for the expensive bulbs. I have been reluctant to get real grow lights because of this unknown. Subbed and liked.
I haven't had any bulbs burn out on the mars hydro light yet. But I also only use it for a few months of the year, not year round. You are correct, that when the leds burn out, there is no replacing them, like the other fixtures, that can get replacement bulbs. But I believe they are also a higher quality led then what you would find in a home lightbulb, and therefore I would hope they would last longer. I guess I'll find out next year when I start to get into the 3000 hour range
It seems you are measuring in lux. That only tells you the total light output from the source. It tells you little about PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). PAR tells you about the wavelength of the light in nm (micro moles), which in return tells you exactly what plants need and what they get. The amount of light (lux) is pretty much meaningless if the light is the wrong spectrum.
Thank you so much for this explanation - fellow science nerd here
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! You answered some of my questions about grow lights!
Thanks
@@YouCantEatTheGrass just starting i gardening here basically all you need high lumes and 6000 Kelvin tp work ... so you can even use the led ceiling ligth [ the one you put on room] too ???
Please put the song in the description! It's really great and I can't find it
Are these full spectrum lights good for growing spinach indoors 🤔... Just starting my garden journey 😀
Can you address the topic of retina damage with LED lights?
Thank you so much for the great info. It really helped me out with the grow lights as I will be growing throught the year
Thank you so much. Going to experiment w/hydrophonics.
Which t5 led lights did you use ?
Would be interesting if you would compared different priced lamps that have same brightness.
Money saved by not generating the extra heat will save you the extra money compared to shop lights in a fairly short amount of time, particularly given the soaring cost of electricity.
This video was very helpful in explaining the difference between shop lights and LED lights for growing. But, I have a few questions. I believe you were using T5 LED lights for most of your experiment but I notice that your link for affordable LED grow lights goes to some T8 lights. Can you explain the difference between T5s and T8s?
This may be a stupid question… how would I go about and what type of equipment would I use if I started some greens this fall and wanted to keep growing them inside during the winter?
You'd want a good light - to actually get something big enough to harvest, not just limp along to planting outside. Or micro greens can get away with less light
Awesome video! How many of those cheap t5 LEDs would you hang if you set your flats longways - 4 per shelf? Is 3 lights enough or would you recommend 4?
Hi. Just wondering if you run your hand on the bottom of your Mars Hydro when it's plugged in, do you get an electrical shock?
11-27-21 Ms. Serina, many video sites grow plants how good all those, but I liked Ms.Serina's, which light does what, that is the most important information we can learn from you. seedlings are cheaper, through the packet and get a new one for $2.30, but you can't through away lights, expensive and, take it to goodwill centers. Any indoor growing video must tell light source and buying info, without that vast of time to watch youtube. You beautiful Ms.Serina, wishes to you
Thanks
PLEASE do a video on the nutrient content of your veggies, if you grow indoors 100% of the time, underneath artificial lights, that is
I only start plants inside. I'm a firm believer in, in ground growing being the best option. I'd rather eat storage crops over the cold season then try to grow some stuff inside, unless it's sprouts or something
This was a great video, thank you! Im trying to buy one of the Mars lights but im having trouble finding the specific one you have. I clicked on the link but it just goes to all the lights.
THIS is the video I needed to see. Thank you!
Great video! 👍🏿
What light meter app are you using?
Thanks for the video! Can I ask, how long did you leave the other lights on. You mentioned leaving the cheapies on 24 hours a day. About how many hours did you leave on the nicer lights?
sometimes 24, sometimes 16
Hey Serina, just found your channel - thanks for the great video. Did you end up growing tomatoes and peppers throughout the winter with your full spectrum light? I'm brand new and about to start an indoor microgreen/lettuce operation in a spare room. Was wondering if things like tomatoes and cucumbers would be possible during Alberta winters and the "full spectrum light" was a great hint I hadn't found yet. Thanks so much!
Indoor tomatoes need you to pollinate their flowers, since no bees. I use the back of a battery powered cheap toothbrush to vibrate the base of the flowers. You'll see a puff of yellow...thats the pollen. Its quick and easy. Tomatoes will form. Keep temperature above 70° and below 85° they should keep producing.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge well appreciated I'll give it a try peace 🙋🇺🇸☮️❤️
How long are you running these lights? 24/7? Did you mention in the video ?
Great video! How did you hang them?
Best grow light out there is called THE ☀️☀️☀️☀️ SUN
Did you lower/raise the t5 lights at any point based on height of seedlings?
Thanks for the great informative video. I can't afford the higher lights. Can you tell me about the tubes in the fluorescent shop lights?
I didn't buy the tubes, but I think 1 is warm and 1 is cool to get a colour balance
Wow I want that set up!!!
Did I miss something or did you not compare wattage? Obviously the „grow“ light is gonna be WAY brighter when it has like 4 times the power draw.
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
Interesting video. Which light meter app are you using?
What is the light meter that you used. I got the lights you suggested and I am not getting the results that you did. I have them about 3 inches above the plants
tomatoes indoor lights. What would you recommend? From start to finish...
And the " light - app" as you say, is reading LUX not the "light".
Oh wow! I'm glad I checked this out. I was just looking at buying the barrina lights!
Really great video. Question: Regarding the "medium price option." Do you think it's mainly the LED lights or the nanotech reflector that is making it so much better than the flourescent? When I looked online for the nanotech reflectors, they came with non-led lights.
Thank you for the content and the links!
Have you ever looked in to FOHSE led grow lights?
Have you tried any sort of hydroponic set up?
I’m wondering if I could use the mid-range LEDs for the entire life cycle of the plant growing hydroponically.
I'm curious about this too
Nice video! How far was the mars hydro from the seedlings and at what percentage of the light were you running?
This one doesn't have the % adjustment. I would most likely run it at 75% with my new one with adjustments though. It's about a foot above
How do I get that light app for my phone hon. That would be so beneficial to have 🙏✌👌
Since the Mars Hydro SP250 was replaced with the Mars Hydro SP3000 do you recommend it as well?
When I follow your link to Mars light bar, I don't see them...they u use..?
Thanks Serena!
That was very helpful! Thanks I needed that.
Which led lights do you think are the best? There are so many varieties (t5, t8, t12, different lumens and kelvins, etc). I will be purchasing in Canada 🇨🇦
You can use them all. The more light you're getting, the less overlap you need
@@YouCantEatTheGrass which are the LED lights you have? Are they the ones listed from Amazon? How many lights per rack do you use (is your rack 18” or 24” deep?). I have been using regular fluorescent shop lights (4 for 4ft table) but would like to up my game to LEDs after watching this video
What types of led bulbs with the nanotech T5’s?
Hi! What kind of lights do you advise for cliantro? I tried with some leds, from aliexpress without any knowledge, what were excellent for basils, but cliantro seedlings died, became very thin and tall after that lay down and died. 😞
Which is the best for cliantro? Thank you!
Hi there. Nice video. What app are you using please
Do u know what color of light should we use to grow rosemary ??
This video helps me a lot!! Thanks!
Do you have a video showing how to convert those chrome racks from bathroom into growing stand?
We literally just used a little bit of wire to attach the lights to the above rack - very simple
Quick question… when you said it got sunburned, is it because of the actual heat? Does LED produce heat? Can you not dim the light?
i was running the light for too many hours
@@YouCantEatTheGrass so even though LEDs don’t really produce heat. They still get sunburned from just the brightness?
@@seanham1699 U produces UV light when using LED aka why its White