A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Flourescent lights

Do you know if those spiral-ie light bulbs could be used for growing? I'm being a cheapie and I have an old lamp, and was wondering if I stuck in one of those bulbs if it would give my plants some extra growing power? I don't want to have to go out and buy all the fixtures and everything for a grow light.
Thanks for your help, AM

(I hope you know what ones I mean!)--not very good at explaining and I don't know the real name for them.

Hi. I've been using them and they seem to work pretty good. However, I can't really compare them to what a grow light would do since I've never owned one. The plants/seedlings seem to like them though. The seedlings actually lean more towards the bulb light than they do the sunlight coming through the window. That tells me that they definetly like the light coming from the bulb.
I'm also a cheapo and can't stand spending more money than I have to. What I've found to work well, take up very little space and not look bad either are the outdoor light sockets. You have to use an extension for the bulbs or they won't make contact but I just wire tie them to my plant shelf. I need to pick up a couple more today so if you're interested: I'll post a couple pictures so you can see what I'm talking about.
tc

Plain old shop lights work pretty well, especially when they're lowered to an inch or so above the leaves. I grow my tomato and pepper starts under fixtures I bought for $6 or $7.

Excellent. that's about the price range I was thinking of!! And tc, I would LOVE if you could post a couple pictures... I don't have TOO much of a problem in the summer, but with these winter months in Canada, my plants need a boost.
Thanks for the replys guys

I've got the shop light/grow bulb set up, close to the plants, but I do know that the compact fluourescent(sp?) bulbs at a distance are enough to screw up a Christmas cactus flowering cycle. For what that's worth...

Here you go Amber: This light set up cost me a whopping $2.50, not including the bulb. $1.99 for the outdoor stake light with 6 ft. cord (made for flood lights) and $0.50 for the extension that was clearanced.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0901.jpg
These take a little modification to make them work, but it's easy.
There's a seal inside the socket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0902.jpg
That needs to be removed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0904.jpg
Once removed, you'll see two little pieces of plastic that were holding the seal. They need to be removed also (a pair of pliers breaks them right off)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0903.jpg
Once they are gone you can screw in the extention. (needed because the socket is made for a flood light and the curly bulbs wont make a good contact.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0904.jpg
Add your bulb.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Dec0905.jpg
This is what my plant stand(s) look like.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/dec0907.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/dec0906.jpg
I like that there's no bulky light holders to take up space, and that these look neat and tidy. I use the wire ties that hold the cord tidy in it's bag to attach the lights to the plant stand.
tc

WOW tc, that's amazing! such simple stuff and yet the plant stand looks great! I've gotta rig mine a bit because I don't have a nice stand with a bar over top...so I'm going to have to work at an idea to make something for the light to hang off of, but that's what MEN are for...have to get the boyfriend to build me something.
Thanks so much I'm going to print off your instructions and then head off Canadian Tire to get my stuff