LED grow box gets an upgrade
Feb 6, 2010 LEDs, cheap, indoor grow box, indoor seed starting, seeds
In our family we are not just cheap in the garden we also keep our house pretty cool to save on heating costs. Unfortunately since the LEDs in my grow box do not put out very much heat the inside is only about 68 F degrees even placing it on top of my refrigerator. For most seeds 77 F degrees is a great ball bark number to shoot for to get the best germination percentage as well as quicker germination times. This was the number I was shooting for, so I decided to add a string of mini incandescent bulbs to help bring up the temperature.
To do this I did exactly what I did for the LEDs just drill a hundred or so holes into the side of the box just slightly smaller than the bulb. Then had the fun job of pushing them all through.
I first tried having all the lights on but that brought the temperature up to 85 degrees, next I tried only half the lights on…70 F degrees. Then I got the idea of adding the blinker bulbs and tada 77 F degrees on the nose (ok technically 77.1 F).
So far everything is looking good have some onions, peppers, basil, and Swiss chard already sprouted and expecting more shortly.
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February 6th, 2010 at 11:37 PM
This sounds interesting.
February 7th, 2010 at 4:53 AM
Do these stretch at all? Have you ever considered a compact fluorescent for filling in missing color spectrums and heat?
February 7th, 2010 at 8:34 AM
Depends on plant type. I have noticed lettuce and broccoli do stretch a little more in there so I normally move them to the larger grow box shortly after sprouting. Though tomatoes/peppers/cucumbers do well until they begin to outgrow the box. As for color spectrum given I have a variety of white leds and mini incandescent the only thing I am worried about is the intensity, though I do find it strange that the lettuce/broccoli seem to be lacking something…
I may have to think about maybe adding a small CFL, at least the holes I made for the mini incandescent could work for ventilation
February 7th, 2010 at 6:52 PM
Very interesting…thank you for posting this! I’m always looking for new diabolical fun/experiments/helpful ideas!
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:55 AM
Sounds like a lite-brite for plants…and something the kids would enjoy helping out with. Mark Garso
February 23rd, 2010 at 6:04 PM
Funny way of looking at it. Is also a nice conversation piece on top of the fridge