Grow lights

[Molerj]

We would like to try to save some of our flower plants ie; ferns, habiscus etc. over the winter. I have an 10X30 unfinished, unheated area that we use for storage under the front porch. It has block walls, plywood floor (decided to use the space after the house was built) & is accesible from the basement. . Altho it gets cold, it doesn't freeze. We are only interested in keeping the plants alive through the winter. Suggestions?

 

[arrabil]

A heat source and standard four foot fluorescents will be the cheapest option.

 

[Molerj]

Thanks for taking the time to respond;
would heat be necesary, we just want to keep them alive, dormant.
Would standard flourescents be ok or should we buy the special flourescents?

 

[Bird]

Would standard flourescents be ok or should we buy the special flourescents?

You do want the special grow lights; not the standard florescent. I got mine at Walmart. I'm not sure about your temperatures though. Where my wife has her plants, it's not likely to get below about 50 degrees.

 

[RobertBrown]

Thanks for taking the time to respond;
would heat be necesary, we just want to keep them alive, dormant.
Would standard flourescents be ok or should we buy the special flourescents?

I live in Florida and we lost plants last year that were in the garage, I would say that if don't have heat than you might get by if you if try and trap the heat from the lamps with insulation.

 

[arrabil]

You do want the special grow lights; not the standard florescent.

I found a study on the Internet, ten years ago at this point, that showed the color output of the special grow lights had less of the spectrum you wanted than the standard lights. I forget all the details but after that I didn't waste anymore money on the special ones. And haven't noticed any loss from it.

 

[flowerfarmer]

Thanks for taking the time to respond;
would heat be necesary, we just want to keep them alive, dormant.
Would standard flourescents be ok or should we buy the special flourescents?

Use a double 4 foot fixture with one cool white tube and one warm white tube. This will give you full spectrum. The light intensity will be too low so keep the fixture within a few inches of the plants. Tropical Hibiscus (H. rosa-sinensis) can be maintained over winter at about 40F. be careful not to water much as you will rot them.

 

[/pine]

something that may be being overlooked is proper ventilation...plants need a steady flow of fresh carbon dioxide...at the very least a circulation fan would be needed in an inclosed structure and some venting if the room is tightly sealed...

 

[Molerj]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a bunch of shop lights that I replaced with 8' cold weather flourescents in my big garage so I can rig up something. Ceiling height is only about 6', so maybe enclose an area with a few sheets of plastic with the lights overhead. I'll check out the flourescents at Walmart, Bird.

 

[jimmyj]

We use fluorescent plant gro lights like some of the others. Make sure the plants get watered properly. Just because they are dormant people forget about water which is a big boo boo.

Good luck, I hope they do well and you can save your plants and some money!