Light Box

Just wanted to show you my light box, which I built at the end of last winter and never really used.



The key is getting the light level correct. It needs to be about four times stronger than a well lit office, which in turn is quite a bit more than your ordinary household light level. Three 30 watt fluorescent tubes is just right for a growbag tray inside a white box. The ceiling can be raised or lowered to ensure it is only a couple of inches above the top of the plants. The lights are on for 14 hours a day, on a time switch.

I have put my heated propagator in it, and it gets up to 28C inside the propagator and 23C in the rest of the box. The heat from the lights in the confined space, when the front doors are closed, raises the temperature. The plants love it. Each day I open the doors I can see they have grown more.

At the moment I am taking cuttings - I am not really sure what else to do with it, this early in winter. But in the spring I will start my seeds off early, and with the light they will hopefully not get leggy.

 

Very nice Peter.
Something I have always promised myself, but never got around to making.

 

I use mine all winter Peter growing Brug. seeds fuchsia seeds as well as cuttings, I use whitefire fluorescents 110watts covers 1sq meter no legginess of seeds on for 12hrs/day. the heat from the fluorescents is utilised I have pots stood on top of the unit. I am considering led's for future lighting it gets good reviews though it's a tad expensive at present.

 

Walnut - I agree, LEDs are the coming thing and I understand that some in development are moving towards the efficiency of Sodium lamps (150 + lumens per watt). But I didn't think there was anything yet on sale even as efficient as a fluorescent tube (70 lumens per watt) - irrespective of the price.

How big a plant can you get under your lights. If you start off seeds now won't they outgrow your box?

 

Peter I can get up to 15" of growth in my box when they get that big they are moved on top and are exposed to natural light through the g/house roof, the g/house is kept at 50f min, one of my cuttings has developed a bud and will most likley complete its flower over winter, they are very gradually hardened off to outside conditions may/june.