How large is the area that you wish to light? HID (metal halide and HPS) can be tricky for starting seeds because they don't evenly illuminate a wide area. Stuff in the middle may fry while stuff at the edges will lean and stretch. The area you wish to light will also determine how much power you need. A 400W HID will be good for at least ten square feet, possibly double that. Small HID lamps tend to be less efficient and it probably isn't worth using less than 250W. Also, older lamps are less efficient and you might be better with a new fluorescent or compact fluorescent. How long do you want to grow them under lights? Do you have any natural light at all? HPS light is the best as a supplemental light, simply because you get the most light for your money/electricity. As the only light, it usually needs extra blue spectrum to produce healthy growth. You could get an enhanced HPS (extra blue from an HPS bulb), add some blue-ish fluorescent tubes, or many people just use metal halides to keep it simple. Fluorescents generally need to be almost in contact with sun-loving seedlings to produce good growth. Good ventilation is also helpful to keep temperatures down and have some moving air around the seedlings. A modern four-tube setup should be well up to the task, older T12s or magnetic ballast lights just might not be intense enough. Look for 48" T8s producing around 3,000 lumens, they will grow good seedlings. Overdriven lamps or T5s will produce even more intense light.

Hi there, I am a fellow noob myself. I just started my lighting project using the same shelving you have pictured except for my personal needs I disassembled it and essentially hung it from the ceiling, with each shelf being hung from the previous unit with chain. Now, hanging it is completely unncessary in most cases, your stand up unit will work just fine as it is with the light fixtures hung underneath the shelves. However, I realized one thing in the process about the lights. I bought my light fixtures from Walmart, they are cheapo light duty T8 two-bulb fixtures. They are 4' long and about 8" wide at their base and this is probably standard for this price range. You will have no problem at all hanging one fixture per tier but you might run in to trouble if you want to hang two fixtures side by side. You'll have to measure the depth of your shelving between the support legs, not to the outside edge of the shelves. You may not be able to squeeze 2 light fixtures between those legs unless one of them is turned slightly upward and not straight down which makes it less effective. You may not even need more than one fixture per shelf for what you're doing, but if you planned to then you'll have to take the width of the ballasts into account and make sure they'll fit between those legs, perhaps you can find narrower 2-bulb ballasts or maybe there are 4-bulb units that will accomodate that measurement, whatever it is. The 4' long ballasts are certainly longer than your 45" long shelves so whatever you buy in any combination they will have to fit between those legs. I hope this is making sense? Because my shelving was hung with chain and not fixed with a rigid leg I had a little flexibility, there's some give with chain so I was able to squeeze two fixtures between them, but just barely. As to the kind of fixture/bulbs you choose I'm sure lots of folks will weigh in, there are many threads on this subject. The general advice I took after pouring over them was to go with a T8 fixture rather than T12 because they are more efficient although the bulbs can be pricier but not exorbitantly so. The bulbs will last years in most cases so that's not exactly what I consider a recurring expense. The other advice I took was not to mess with the "one cool white, one warm thing" or specialized grow lights and I just went with bulbs that were labeled "daylight". There are all kinds, "neutral", "kitchen/bath", etc....and I had a little trouble finding T8 "daylight" at my Lowes but they did have them. I paid $8 for a two-pack, don't know if that's good but that was my only option. Bulk will be cheaper but again, how often will you be replacing these bulbs? I didn't need 30 of them right now. I have read many many threads about lumens, penetration, overdriving, light spectrums, etc...until I was cross-eyed. I understand some but not all. In the end, I went with something simple that seems very effective for alot of people. Good luck with your project. My thread with pics is a recent one too, I linked it below. That chrome shelf that's hanging is identical to yours, I had just spray painted it black because it was so rusty from being outdoors. I'm going to hang the other chrome shelves below that one as it progresses. Danielle Here is a link that might be useful: Chrome shelving hung

Thanks for the input about the String of Pearls, I've never had any. Leave the Kalanchoe out on top of your DRY mix. It will grow new roots and a new plant. The old leaves will dry up and die; the new ones will root and grow. Let the jade dry up a little and get as much of the old dirt off as you can before re-planting. Not sure what you mean by "washing" but I wouldn't add any additional water to the roots before then. Succulents cannot tolerate too much water, that's the reason you are having to re-pot in the first place. Let them stay dry, resist the urge to water them and let them do their thing. In the summer it is acceptable to water once a week if they are outside getting plenty of sun.

Balancing out is always a goal. I am suggesting that the tree at the left be same species ... or similar size. Not that rigid about it as there is asymmetry to the overall house structure. ... Balance. It would be completely reasonable to interpret the 3 green mounds as possibly being boxwoods. I am not "covering the columns" ... just giving them a base. Would not want to see it taller than what is shown. I'm not picking plants; just giving you ideas of forms and sizes to help you figure out an arranging scheme. You'll be able to evaluate what might work well to create those things based on plants available for your area. You can consult with other forums on it as well. Also, look around your neighborhood and town and see what's nice that would work for you.