CULT: HYB: LED shop lights
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: CULT: HYB: LED shop lights
  • From: L* M* <1*@rewrite.hort.net>
  • Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2016 07:07:39 -0500
Just in case there's anybody out there who's interested in talking about growing baby irises from seeds indoors over the winter....
I have been using those wretched inexpensive 48" fluorescent shop lights for seedlings from seeds stratified in the fridge until they germinate usually starting in Dec. The fixtures are junk, but the more expensive ones are too wide to fit two per the shelves I use.
I've been keeping an eye on the developing LED availability, and found good directions on line for rewiring the fluorescent type to convert them for exclusive LED use. Very simple, except for dismantling some of the brittle plastic bits on the older broken fixtures (duct tape!).
I re-wired three fixtures that were no longer working, bought a 6 pack of LED bulbs, and wow, sooo much more light from those things out on the unheated sunporch.
Some of the LED 48" tubes have labels that indicate they will work with both ends of the fixture 'hot' and the ballast in place, but they use more electricity, & since mine were broken anyway, I opted for the kind that doesn't work with ballasted fixtures.
The LED tubes are still expensive, but not as outrageously costly as they were at first. My local Lowe's still doesn't have them, so I order them online. If anybody is interested, I will hunt up where I bought them. Pretty amazing that they ship just fine via UPS. 

Linda Mann
east TN cold and dusting of snow zone 7ish
where most of us still haven't adjusted to wearing shorts, t-shirts and going barefoot at Christmas, now down in the teens. 

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