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In This video I show the various CFL Grow Lights that I have used the past few years and compare. They are all from local stores such as Menards and Home Depot. I mention the prices and light output for each. I also show hydroponic tomatoes that are a little over 2 weeks old. The largest bulb I show is the maximum length that the fixture can hnadle that I built in a previous video. My work in progress: www.tomorrowsgarden.net Buy your veggie seeds now guys. It’s cheap insurance. The stuff on the store shelves may not always be there.

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This is a video showing hydroponic lettuce growing under the lights that I made in my other video “How To Build a CFL Grow Light Fixture – CHEAP!”. I’ve been making a video from seed to harvest using these lights along with a hydroponic system shown in this video. I’ll post that as soon as it’s all together after my harvest. Comments and suggestions welcome. Take Care.

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Image taken on 2009-07-26 18:20:52 by marsi.

Bonsai is a style of gardening that artistically miniaturizes trees by growing them in containers. It got its start in China, but also has famous schools in both Japanese and Korean stylings. While bonsai can be grown as outdoor plants, you can also grow some bonsai indoors using artificial grow lights.

The container adds a lot to the beauty of the bonsai. Make sure your bonsai pot has a drainage hole for excess water to escape. Informally shaped plants look super in round containers, while more formal plants shine in containers in more of a square or rectangular shape. You will want to select a pot that looks nice with the foliage of your bonsai.

The soil in which your bonsai tree lives need to be free draining. You will often find items such as gravel, fired clay pellets, akadama, and kanuma yellow pumice in a bonsai soil mix. The tree will need to be repotted every two years or so, and root pruned. This helps to keep the tree small and also encourages root growth, which helps the tree take in moisture more effectively.

You will need some special hand tools to prune your bonsai properly. A concave cutter will allow you to make pruning cuts that leave no stubs on a branch. Wire pliers, shears, and branch bending jacks are all used to help shape the tree into attractive shapes. The tree is wired with anodized aluminum or copper wire to help maintain the branches in the correct placement until they are set in position.

Wiring the bonsai tree helps to shape it properly. You can perform this task in the spring or fall ideally. You wrap the trunk of your tree in wire, and then spiral the wire around each branch of the tree so you can bend the wire in order to shape the tree as you wish. You then leave this wire on for a single growing season and then remove it before it leaves marks on the bark, or even girdles the tree, which can kill it. Thicker wires are used for stronger branches, and thinner wire for the lighter ones. Be gentle when bending branches, because it is easy to split or break them inadvertently. Instead, work slowly and make small changes, let the tree adapt, and then make another small adjustment, and in this way you can shape the tree without doing damage to it.

Bonsai can be grown successfully under fluorescent grow lights. You will want to keep your grow lamps very close to the top of your tallest tree. Simple light fixtures for this type of bulb come with electronic digital ballasts already installed, so they are plug-in ready. Leave them on daily for 16 hours.

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www.sunlightsheds.com product timer system setup

Growing plants indoors can extend your growing season, especially if you live in a cold-weather climate that makes gardening outside next to impossible in the winter. You will want to get a grow light system in order to provide your plants with enough and appropriate light. If you choose HID, or high intensity discharge lights, you’ve made a great choice because the bulbs most closely imitate natural sunlight and they last a long time. In order to use these types of grow lights, you will need some type of ballasts. A ballast is used to control the flow of currency through the bulb. If you choose digital ballasts for your grow lamps, they will last longer.

There are different types of ballasts available. An electrical ballast is used to limit the current flowing into a circuit. One of its benefits is that it helps the bulb operate at a higher efficiency. Electrical ballasts also come with an instant start, rapid start, and programmed start. Some use more energy than others, and some offer more reliable starts that others depending on which you might select.

Digital ballasts offer several advantages for hydroponic gardening that other types of ballasts do not. One is that they weigh less than other types, an important consideration when you are hanging several lights above your plants. Another is that they run silently and have a greater efficiency than other ballasts, both of which save you aggravation and money. Digital versions of ballasts have start up times that are quicker than other types of ballasts, and they come in compact designs, so you can fit more lighting into a smaller space.

These digital ballasts also allow the lamps to put out more light than with other ballasts. It will save you a lot of money over time to use a digital ballast that allows the grow bulb to put out twenty to thirty percent more light, yet will run on the same amount of electricity.

Digitals ballasts are also safer to use with hydroponic grow lights than other models. Digitals come with circuitry that cuts off in dangerous situations. They also produce less heat, thereby increasing the safety. Digital ballasts can be used with metal halide lamps or with HPS, or high pressure sodium, lights.

Metal halide lamps give off blue light, and this is what you need if you are trying to get your plants to send up new growth. High pressure sodium lights produce light in the red end of the spectrum, which is useful if you are trying to get the plants to flower or produce fruits. No matter what type of light your plants require, there is a digital ballast that will both meet your needs and extend the life of your grow light bulbs.

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A good grow light is one that provides the correct amount and type of light for the plant being grown as well as its stage of development. Plants of course use light as an energy source, which it converts into chemical energy by means of photosynthesis. The amount that a plant grows and provides is directly dependent on the amount of light available to it.

Because light is so important to plant health (upon which everything else depends!), the purchase of grow lights requires a bit of thought and consideration. Fluorescent grow lights are very efficient and cool compared with incandescent bulbs, which are not a particularly good choice because of the heat generated. Fluorescent lights provide full spectrum light, which many indoor gardeners think to be a good thing. However, the fact is that plants do not use the full spectrum at all times.

Metal halide bulbs are a type of grow light that is useful for a plant during its growth stage – when the stem, branches and leaves are developing. During this stage, the plant uses primarily blue spectrum light. On the other hand, a plant which is producing flowers and/or fruit needs light on the red end of the spectrum. High pressure sodium, or HPS are generally a better choice when the plant reaches this stage.

The problem with both MH and LPS lighting is that both produce considerable heat, requiring the use of fans to keep the plant and/or the soil from overheating.

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have been around since the early 1920s, but have only recently been used in hydroponic gardening as grow lights. This type of grow light has many advantages over fluorescent and metal vapor lights, and no real downsides other than the initial expense. While they do cost more in the beginning, LEDs are considerably cheaper in the long run because of their long life span (average life is about 100,000 hours, compared to an average 15,000 hours for other types) and energy efficiency (energy consumption is about 10 to 20% of comparable fluorescents and metal vapor lamps). In addition, LEDs are cooler, thus eliminating the need for fans and elaborate ventilation systems.

Regardless of the type of grow light used, certain accessories may be necessary in order to maximize plant growth and production. For example, a reflector increases light intensity, maximizing available light while at the same time eliminating any “hot spots.”

Ballasts are devices that provide power to the grow lights. A fluorescent light fixture has a built-in ballast, but other types – including metal vapor and LED types – require an external, or “remote” ballast. Again, its worthwhile to spend some extra money here; new digital ballasts produced domestically are superior to imports from China or old-fashioned magnetic coil types. Although they are more expensive, they will extend bulb life. Better quality digital ballasts also have numerous built-in safety features as well, such as the ability to detect short circuits and defective bulbs.

400 watt HPS Digital Ballast Drip system hydroponics day 60 flowering strains: sour bubble, boggle gum, 2 mystery (one might be strawberry cough) the spinning light is made from an old ceiling fan (had to rewire it, don’t try this unless you know what you are doing). the spinning motion helps prevent heat pockets from forming and allows better light penetration for the plants

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Hydroponic gardening main benefit is its independence from the environmental conditions. Indoor gardens are a perfect place for the plants to grow in, as hydroponic gardening systems create there all the necessary conditions. Here belong the optimal grow medium, lighting, air ventilation, humidity, temperature, pH level, oxygen and CO2 supply. 

Light and Photosynthesis

Plants feed on the water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients and use them to create energy and essential sugars through the process of photosynthesis, triggered by light of the peculiar spectrum. Therefore, lighting is one of the crucial elements in the indoor gardening. Improved lighting is known to lead to the increased production of sugars in the plants.

In the natural environment a plant enjoys about 8-12 hours of sunlight a day with some variations depending on the season. Indoor gardening should offer not less than this amount of light as well. Besides, it is always recommended to significantly increase the amount of light to improve plants efficiency. Keep in mind that the crowded plants or those placed too far from the lamps may receive less light; thus, spacing also plays an important role in the process of photosynthesis and the successful growth of the plants.

Lack of proper lighting leads to the development of the elongated, spindly, and thin stems with small discolored leaves, and these effects are irreversible. Moreover, such plants tend not to bloom and fruit. 

Providing good lighting do not forget to pay attention to the presence of carbon dioxide in the indoor hydroponic garden system, as this element is also very important for the successful photosynthesis. Special CO2 systems are designed to increase the amount of it in your garden.  

Air circulation, ventilation, and constant supply of the fresh air to the indoor garden are of not lesser importance, as they all always provide oxygen and CO2 for the plants. There are various types of fans available to do this job in your garden. They can be purchased in various sizes and connected to the same timer as the light system

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Injectors

Most gardeners find it very convenient and cost-effective to add CO2 to the hydroponic system by means of CO2 injectors. They consist of a gauge, valve, and regulator to control the level of CO2 released into the air. Besides, more sophisticated CO2 injectors are available for the same purpose. CO2 tanks can be purchased at the restaurant supply stores and medical supply outlets.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Generators

The use of CO2 generators is another way of supplying carbon dioxide to the plants. This equipment is designed to produce CO2 by burning natural gas, propane, or some other carbon-based fuel. Though it is more expensive, it is said to be more convenient. Moreover, they last longer and may be used for obtaining several yields.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitors and Controllers

Such serious and professional equipment is expensive, but it ensures automatic control and maintenance of CO2 level in the indoor hydroponic garden systems. CO2 monitors and controllers minimize the work of a gardener. They consist of an electronic CO2 monitor and CO2 controller. By the way, monitors are available for purchase separately and are convenient, because it is possible to connect them to different types of controllers. As a result, a gardener is free to design his hydroponic garden according to his preferences.

Water

Different indoor hydroponic garden systems require various quantity of water. Nonetheless, it is necessary to maintain its adequate amount in order to avoid the irreversible harm to the plants and the possible permanent reduction of the expected crops.  

Water quality is also important for the plants, their normal growth, and for the whole system of the indoor hydroponic garden. Tap water, which is commonly used for plants watering, is usually called “hard”. It contains salts and minerals, which presence can change the amount and balance of nutrients in hydroponic solutions. Such water often has to be adjusted to the necessary pH level and the amount of salts should not exceed 325 ppm.

Temperature

The amount of crops a grower expects to get from an indoor garden depends on the temperature constantly kept inside. The latter, actually, depends on the plants growing in the garden. Some of them prefer cooler temperatures (like lettuces, which require 10o C to 18o C), others give better and richer crops if grown in the conditions of 18o C to 260 C.

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8 weeks and a early xmas for a very happy medicator,,,2 400watt hps lights above some stocky skunky knee high choppers

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