Very much like my set-up, Kristi! Shelving with lights... does the trick every time! What you can do, is buy some reflective Mylar to optimize that lighting. Just tape pieces to the undersides of the shelves, above the lights. It will really help reflect the light down onto your plants. Tin foil would work, also.

The only difference between your set-up and mine is that my main lighting comes from larger shop style lights with the reflectors over them... however, I can only use those over the top shelves and the tables. The lower shelves have the same type of lights you have.

I think we bought the shop lights at Menard's, and they were anywhere from $10 apiece to $17 apiece, depending on when we got them... some were on sale at one point in time.

Way to grow, Kristi! I think it's unfair to not allow a few plants at work to brighten up the days, but when you're not the boss, you don't get the choice. :-(

You'll love having all those shelves and lights for extra space, though! I don't what I'd do without mine!

And way to grow on the seedlings, too! I love when things begin to grow and sprout in early spring!

Actually, (and I admit I just found them in my messy living room that was stacked with boxes from work) I bought a reflective car windshield shade. It looks like foil and I hang it down the back of the shelves. It was $2.57 on sale and is exactly the right size!! I need to "install" it tomorrow.

Yeah...they told us to take all our personal items HOME and note to bring them back until guidelines had been issued on what was acceptable. And I will now be working in a "bullpen", which is even less private than a cubicle. HEY...at least I have a job. Can't complain (but I still do)!
;-)
K

I have for several years had the shelves made of metal wire colored either black, white or chrome (mine are black.). when they first came out they were relatively expensive, I thought then, now they are very cheap, and don't look that bad either. I have 4 shelf adjustable units, 18"deep X 48" wide X 74" high. 2 sets of 48" long shoplights fit perfect on these shelves. I am not filling all my shelves with lights this year as I'm a renter with electric included so I'll wait for awhile yet. When I do fill them up I use 1 cool and 1 warm in each fixure, works nice for a low quantity home operation. I love these shelves though as they are adjustable. Then I just take them down at the end of the season (winter season).
I'm crazy amazed how much they charge for light set ups much smaller than mine in those catalogs!

is that a Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus sitting on the bottom shelve?

I do the same, Salpal... in each of my fixtures, I've got one cool and one warm bulb. The cools are T12 bulbs, and the warms are T8, I believe. They both fit in the same shop light fixtures... as long as the fixture accepts T12 bulbs, it will also fit the smaller T8 bulbs. My fixtures are the 48" long shop lights with the reflector hoods.

Kristi, those car windshield sun things also work good... I didn't think of those earlier! We usually get the mylar sheets, although I have used tinfoil in the past! If it works, it's gotta be right! :-)

Great set up and cost effective there,Kristi.You're absolutely right you need more space with light for all those babies you're creating.Good Luck there and I look forward to all the baby pix. Peace and Be well,Mark

It's a sad Christmas Cactus. Just sat it there from the office. The 2 of them need to be repotted....
K

Jodi....do you see the AVs on the shelves?? Your poor plant will have lots of happy company!!
:-)

I'm so glad it will be going to someone who can care for it properly! I've never had the greatest time with AVs, even though I like them. Once they stop blooming, I can't seem to get them to re-bloom! And though I've tried to fix the long neck on this poor guy, it's just way out of hand again! I'd rather not kill it, so I'm glad it will have a new family to keep it company!

And mine seem to never STOP blooming. I think the secret are the African violet pots (the glazed outter pot with the porous inner pots). I have lots of luck starting new plants from leaves...and have given away plenty.
Kristi

I have never gotten one single leaf cutting to grow! Every one I've ever tried has rotted and died. I give up!

I can't make Begonia cuttings grow, either... or any other leaf cutting of that plant type. I have no idea why... I've gone over and over how it's done, and I've read just about everything there is to read on the subject... I think my environment is just not hospitable to those types of plants.

This thing has two necks, so you should be able to get two very nice plants out of it! The flowers are a very nice shade of purple. I think it'll be a lot happier at your house!

oh, The Christmas cactus will get better, just don't overwater, if you need more advice about the C Cactus I would be very willing to share I am currently growing 9 Cactus's.

Kristi, how long did it take after planting to get sprouts? I'm an impatient little punkface.

Larissa, the time for Hippeastrum seeds to sprout varies considerably! As an example, I planted an entire 72 cell flat last spring with a variety of seeds. Each row had a different selfing or cross. I noticed sprouts on some within a few weeks, while others took over a month to finally begin.

Be patient! If you're floating the seeds in water, don't dump them until at least 2 or 3 months have passed without seeing any sprouts... maybe longer!

Due to the delicate nature of the tiny sprouts, and the necessary transition from water to soil, I've abandoned the flotation method of sprouting Hippeastrum seeds. I find it much easier to start them in a regular peat based potting mix, and then move them into a more porous medium after they've outgrown their cell packs and require a bump in container size.

For me, this just works better and is easier. In spring, I've got a ton of seeds to start and plants to move around and bump to larger pots... so, for me, starting a flat of Hippeastrum seeds along with all the other flats of seeds I start just makes more sense.

For those who have the time and space, the flotation method might be easier. It is a good way to test for viable seeds, though.

Looks like you got it going on there,with the shelves and lights. Nice space utilizing setup. Unfortunately,the people who have been in power since the eighties,Have been all about virtual slavery and dehumanizing those producing their wealth. If it produces a profit they'll do it. If it costs them anything,they won't do it.If there is any remote possibility that they may be sued,they won't do it. When the treaties were signed for trade between major world governments,without any consideration for labor,health or morality the working people of the entire world became secondary in their own countries. There is no limit to what your nice neighbors,who treat you well, and seem to be "christian" people,will do for a corporation,just to keep their money and power.
Del

For those who are thinking about getting or expanding thier current light setups, the way to go now is with Compact Fluorescents [the twisty screw-in kind] @ 6500K white light for most plants. I'm using them on my aquariums in the old-fashioned incandescent fixtures [very cheap when you can find them]. For house plant racks, I'd just use a $3 incandescent closet fixture with a tin pie plate reflector behind it. They come from as little as 10W [= 40W incand.] to greenhouse agricultural 400W [= 1600W incand., uses 150W mogul fixture]. They last longer and are cheaper to run than T8 or T12 bulbs; AND when one of them burns out, they don't take the others in the fixture with them. I'm gradually replacing EVERY LIGHT in my house with them. I'm happy to report that you can get several wattages from 10W-70W at WalMart; you don't have to mail order them from a specialty store. Don

Don, thanks so much for bumping this thread and for the info on the CFs. I'm just now planning what to do with all the seedlings I have this year that I didn't have last year - and the cuttings from friends plants too ;-) Perfect timing! Do you still get a warm and cool bulb with them? Alana

Earlier this year I bought a rolling Metro cart that I rigged up for growing shelves to house some late season banana purchases (and the Maguires hippi's). I needed something to keep things alive until fall when I could finally put them out in the garden without them baking.

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I bought two fixtures for each shelf (four foot long) and used one cool and one warm bulb in each fixture. I've read alot that you need to change the bulbs with each season, as the light output will diminish with age, even though the bulb still works. All the parts and pieces came from Home Depot. The fixtures were all pre-wired for direct plug in. I bought the cart on eBay, and it came with plastic shelf liners that prevent drips from going through to the lights below.

Sorry for the messy appearance, the bananas are quickly outgrowing the shelves! Not bad considering they started out about two inches tall in May.

Ryan, that's perfect. I love the shelf liners too. I've got my seedlings in those under-the-bed plastic boxes which make moving them a lot easier, but the shelf liners are perfect. I'm not looking forward to summer ending and bringing them inside, but at least when I have to I know what to do now. Alana

Hmmmm...I wonder if my Mcguires bulbs would do better under lights than where they are now. Am tempted to move them from kitchen to the lights. Currently getting a few hours of light, all natural....not hot afternoon....

THOUGHTS?
K

Natural sunlight is always going to be better than any fluorescent fixture. I just can't put plants out in June to acclimate to the summer sun. They need to go out in November and then they usually can handle the summer sun ok.

Now if you wanted to spend some bucks on a Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium (MP/HPS) convertible system, you'd probably get better growth than sunlight, but its PRICEY! Metal Halide will give better/stronger plant growth, but HPS will promote flowering better, hence the need for an convertible system. Someday I'll get one for my hippi's. Maybe after I win the lottery ;-)

Attached is a link to a similar shelf liner to what came with my shelves. If you're going to do multiple shelves with lights, go with the clear liner so the light can get through.

Here is a link that might be useful: Liners

No one mentioned that once the plants are done with the light shelf and outside, they make awesome go-carts.

Just sayin'...

be sure to do your research though on any of the lights you choose. I personally went with the cheap option-- 4 foot T12 lights. Not as efficient but they're cheap and I don't plan on using them for many years to come. Although I do think I'll lay down some cash for some four foot T5 lamps which are quite efficient and yield a better output for the actual plant growth. these are great for plants that enjoy high light but no direct sun-- ie Phalaenopsis, African Violets and some succulents. In fact, i believe my orchids have done better under the lights than under the sunlight as the lights are predictable and reliable and the plants won't grow to the sun and become a bit malformed!

Lots to consider but a grow shelf is perfect for growing young plants.

Ryan

good job youre plants are doind extraodinairy!