I can second this. Cheap two pack of 5000k 5000 lumen leds 44 inches long. $14.99 at Menards last year. Bought 4 sets. My seedlings are rockstars.

For people that want to understand "grow lights", this is what matters: *PPF* = the total amount of light the fixture produces that is available for plants. All respectable light manufacturers list the PPF for every light they make. You want at least 200 umol/sec for vegetative growth. *Spectrum* = color of light the fixture produces. Typically listed in Kalvin temperatures, like 3000K. Anything from 4000-6000k is ideal for vegetative growth. Lights with far red and infrared (630nm+) diodes will produce an elongating effect. Avoid infrared if you want to avoid stretching. *Wattage* = The cost to run the light and the amount of heat it will produce. Lower wattage with higher PPF is ideal. If you plan to run a light for more than a year, consider how quickly electricity costs will negate any savings on sticker price.

Back in the 90's we avoided the hydroponics stores for our grow lights and bulbs and went to electrical supplies stores and spent 1/4 of the price 😎

I really appreciate when someone like yourself speaks up to keep us from getting conned. I tell my kids all the time, there are people sitting in board rooms all across the country trying to figure out ways to make more money off of less service.

Thank you for giving us advice and sharing your knowledge as an electrician. AND, saving us money. As an 86 year old widow, that is important.

I have literally started a nursery out of my house using the shop light method. I'm about to run to Menards and pick up 24 more at $13.99 each for my new grow shed. The man speaks truths

I created a small indoor window garden with my daughter, who really was just into it for the strawberrys but now we have tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupe,and just about everything else you could possibly want in February. Now she says I have a problem with about 40 plants already producing fruit.

Nice to see this video up debunking expensive grow-lights for seed starting. Back when I lived in SE Michigan, I used four 4' two-bulb standard fluorescent tube lights (no LEDs back then) hung like in this video on a simple inexpensive chain (that lets you raise as your seedlings grow) over an old ping pong table and had a literal field of plants growing from seed by March in an unfinished basement. It was awesome! A small space heater helps if you need more warmth and after the seedlings have their first set of leaves, a fan is advisable for air flow to keep fungal diseases from taking hold.

Thanks for trying to help everyone cut costs (i.e. not get ripped off : ). You're a good man for that!

Found these at Sam's Club for $17.98: "Honeywell 5000 Lumen 4' LED Metal Shop Light (White Finish)". 5000 lumen, 5000k, hang by a chain, and can be connected to one another. Thanks so much, saved me a TON of money! Subscribed. :)

Took one min to sub to you; authentic people are hard to find! Keep on keeping on and thanks for this.

Thanks dude from all us plant numpties here in Blighty. Will definitely now build my own set up using your excellent guidance. Keep it up.

Man, thanks a Million for the straight shootin on lights. Saved this newbie gardener a ton of grief. Subscribed.

Thanks for the information. I use the same criteria of 5000k etc. I do have that last one you linked in the 2.5 foot version and it is very versatile. I came across a brand of lights that I am really doing well with for my application. (Barrina) I needed short, inexpensive ones as I have adapted some unused guinea pig cages to grow in. I do have some of those "expensive" grow lights, but those were given as gifts so I am not complaining. They are currently being used on my dwc tomato and pepper plants. Thanks again!

You are exactly right. 100% good to hear someone say this about grow lights.

I’ve been researching for months and this was the easiest video to follow. Really straightforward, thank you!

I've watched a LOT of videos on growlights and I keep coming back to your system. So that's what I'm gonna use! Thanks for the video!

Man. This channel really opened up my eyes. I kept seeing 'grow lights' for up to a grand. Thanks for the info and reading the comments. I'm starting my 1st grow and the equipment has been intimidating.

Your right grow lights is more expensive,I'm happy that I've stumbled on your video that gives me a very nice idea to grow aquatic plants inside the house and not too much expensive led grow lights in the market

Great info, brother... I love the fact that you are an electrician (I'm a licensed plumber) so you know what you are talking about. Checked out some of your other vid titles.. I like your content.. Just subbed, and I'll tell my gardening friends about this little channel.. lets blow it up!

good info. you have a good channel; keep the content coming as looking forward to gardening keeps me sane in the winter months.

Another great, informative video - as always!

Just what I was looking for. I really appreciate your video. Thanks from Minnesota!

I definitely feel you. When I first started quality lights were difficult to come by. You have to search for the right thing. Very informative video.

Being in Michigan as well (same frost zone even) I'm truly enjoying your channel. Great info on horticulture without spending an arm and a leg.

What do you know, an honest, helpful utuber!! I only grow tomatoes anymore,& wanted to be adventurous & try some nearly seedless, massive heirlooms. So last yr I bought the seeds but didn't use grow lights. It was a dismal failure. I even tried sprouting outside when it warmed up and a lot of seeds still didn't sprout. Thanks for your honesty and looking out for our wallets

Concise, to the point and taken from experience. This video for the win. 😊

great info! thanks for keeping it short and simple.

Remember just like fluorescent lights LED lights dim over time and their usefulness to your plants ends long before the light burns out. A bummer yes but that's the way it goes. One tip is to use your older lights for shade loving plants and your new lights for your high light plants. I enjoy your channel and when ever I stop in I learn something. Thanks.

I hope millions of people watch this video. These "grow light" gurus need a dose of Karma for scamming home gardeners. I've used shop lights for years, first it was fluorescent lights and later I switched over to LEDs. I've always had good success with my seed starting and indoor growing. I almost fell for the whole "grow light" scam when I first got started but a good friend showed me his setup of shop lights and cheap shelving. He always had a bumper crop of vegetables every season. Thanks for this video and I hope lots of folks take heed.

Great info!! And thanks for the links-very helpful!

I love the low cost alternatives to the expensive gear.

Yes sir you're right on point! I'll put my garden results up against anyone who started their seeds with a high dollar light setup. My shop lights from Sam's club grew the seedlings that fed us all last summer.

I appreciate your honesty! Thank you, new sub

NW Indiana here, glad I found someone in my grow zones. I just started hot peppers and some tomatoes indoors, and have some sprouts. subbed

Excellent! Plug and play (grow)! No wiring. Adjustable for plant growth! Size perfect for shelving. Very efficient and low cost set up.

This has been the most helpful video on lights for starting seeds. Last year I bought some cheap ones from Amazon but they were terrible because I didn’t know what to look for. I’ve only been gardening for 2 years and I have so much still to learn. When I see other people’s starts and mine NEVER look like theirs I feel disappointed and want to give up. But each year I’m learning something thanks to wonderful people such as yourself who share knowledge. TFS

Great info! I've been searching like crazy to try and figure out this grow light thing! I just want to be able to start seeds without them getting leggy before transplanting them into the garden! I always thought there must be a simpler more affordable option. You, my friend, delivered exactly what I was looking for and gained a subscriber! Keep the content coming - this space needs more common sense solutions without all the 'sponsored' hype!

This guy made every bit of lighting indoor plant way way way easier and simpler - TYVM! more power!

First time watching your video. Very nice! Right to the point and no stupid 20sec intro. Keep up the good work, thanks for not wasting my time. I just subscribed!

Thank you so much for this! I'm starting seeds for my first garden this year and this has been a huge hurdle for me!

Harbor freight sells full spectrum led grow lights for 20 bucks. My lettuce, Tiny Tom maters, carrots and cucumbers are doing great.

Great info man! Loving this channel so far🙏🏾

Okay -- two videos watched. Had to subscribe! Amazing info ty, love the straight to the point.

So many great CHEAP lighting options have shown up in the comments. Take some time to read through them to hear everyone's experience. Great to see fellow gardeners helping eachother out!

I use the 4 bulb LED Shoplight from Harbor Freight, and it works great. And can’t beat the price. They also have. A 2 bulb version. I found that 4 bulbs is just right to cover the shelf i use. With the 2 bulbs, in the center of the shelf, the outside seedlings of the tray, were leaning inwards a bit. With 4, they all grow straight up.

Thank you very much for doing this video. It explains the lighting procedure for plants very in detailed any help me out greatly.

Thank you for the great tip. As a massage therapist I found the same thing. So we would take a jig saw fit it with a PVC cap and rubber cat toy ball for percussion.

I've been using basic Walmart LED shop lights. They're standard 4' shop lights, costing only about $20.00 a pop, and their output is 5k lumens and 5k kelvin. They come with their own chains, so height adjustment is not an issue, and two per level on 4' x 18" wire shelving is perfect. The only drawback is they don't have an outlet, so they can't be daisy chained. But a two-outlet timer, or a timer and a cheap power strip, is an easy and economical solution. As you noted, a setup like that is far less expensive than anything with the words "grow light" in the description. Three of them served me just fine last year. I just added a 4th one, as I've enlarged my garden so I'm starting more seedlings. But again, this a far less expensive solution than buying "grow lights," and has been more than adequate for my seed-starting needs.

Walmart sells Hyper Tough LED shop lights with 5000 Kelvin and 6500 Lumens and they cost $20 +/- a pop. I have been using them for 3 years for growing seedlings and they work great. The ones I use don't daisy chain, but I have them all on a power strip that plugs into a 3 prong timer. I noticed Walmart stocks them up this time of year, so it's pretty popular in my area of farm country. (The closest Menards is 2 hours away... I see several posts mentioning their less expensive lights.)

Thank you for sharing this! I just put together a set up to house my starters but looking for ideas for lights. I’ll try this, in appreciation of you 😊

Finally, a no nonsense video! Thanks dude

Solution for the height issue is a wire frame adjustable shelf set which gives more height adjustment options. Great tios and I will definitely set up my indoor nursery using this.

i super glue magnets to my light strips and attach them to my metal shelving. I move the plants up and down with risers (i use my jigsaw puzzle collection for this).

Right on, mate. Thanks for sharing. All the best.

Be still my heart! I've been shopping for several months now and was frustrated that I could find high lumen/kelvin numbers in a 4 ft light for less than $70. Enjoyed your video - clear descriptions, not a lot of rambling - I'm subscribing :) THANK YOUUUUUUU !

Great video and you are absolutely correct. I bought a Braun 5k lumens from Harbor freight 4 footer with chains and hooks/chord included once for 15 each now they are 20 unless you get the sale or coupon. They work perfectly. Subbed Like your style I am in Colorado so short grow season like you.

Thanks, man. Quick to the point, highly informative, and evidence of personal use. All videos on the Tube should be this way. Subbed...and using a link to purchase.

Right on been looking for an alternative because yes grow lights are expensive, Thank you, good video.

A 7500k florescent light tube is the ticket to veg all plants the best. They give off true sun spectrum. But this guy is 100% correct about cheap lights can do better 😉

Spectrum only matters most during later stage growth. Basic lights to start things is the move

Just found this guy for the first time. Subscribed. I like it.

This is awesome 👌. Thank you for the information.

I have both cheap and expensive grow lights, they both work great for growing plants. I also have a light meter for measuring PAR. ( Photosynthetically active radiation - light that plants can use to grow) My other more expensive lights have controls for UV and Far IR for changing growth response. Most people wont need or even consider taking advantage of this, but if your a person who wants to play with variables on plant behavior then it is not a bad option. You could play around with some IR led for extra growth performance, I have personally observed with my plants that IR does make noticeable speed increase. For my use case, growing year round that extra efficiency and lifespan is better in a grow light. If you can find a cheap light that last long and makes usable photons for growing then your fine. You may even consider buying a mix - cheap white lights then some extra IR diodes. UV in my opinion is something to use with caution. Plants can use it to grow, but it can bleach the leaves and it can for smaller plants make them grow slower if not stunt them. People typically use the UV on plants like peppers when they start fruiting. One thing that I value in my grow lights is life span. If the bulb is cheap and then replacing it is not to much a problem unless it ends up costing more than the more expensive ones in the long run. Point is do your research. For me, I did the math on the produce and factored in how much of the lights cost + electric + supplies are in each bit of lettuce on the shelf. For my family we spend a lot on produce already at the store. Now I grow hydroponically, and the flavor and quality is a lot better than store bought so factor in how much of the store lettuce you waste and don't eat while it gets slimy in the fridge. Just find what works for you - it doesn't hurt to know if you want to use qualitative or quantitative with your grow lights.

❤❤❤😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉 BEST VIDEO 📸📷 EVER!!! BEEN SEARCHING AND THIS POPPED Up 😄 🙏🙏👍, U R THE BEST SIR!

Thank you so much. You're an electrician so I trust your experience. I've been going out of my mind over this. I live in a small apt., and I wanted to grow a few things. Lettuce and such. But all I could find was spectrums spectrums and more spectrums, and lots and lots of money. lol. You saved me. Thank you.

Short and sweet. Thanks for the video.

I agree brother I just learned that this year my walmart shop lights actually work just as good

You're spot-on mate. Thanks for sharing. We've found the same results at our farm. Light spectrum is never even perfect in nature, given dirt factors like weather, clouds fog, smog and other atmospheric conditions. The lights you suggest are perfectly good. Thanks for shedding the light 🕯️

This is really good information. I get customers asking me about grow lights and but don't want to spend the money on the set up. I can now direct them to light set up with those specifications.

Great video man. Fantastic info

I used to use fluorescent lights, led shop lights, etc. The thing that I hated about them was constantly having to move lights. Raise lights to water, to check out the seedlings, etc. I finally bit the bullet and bought actual grow lights with dimmer switches. I did some research and found some highly regarded lights that were being discontinued and snatched them up for less than $100 a piece. They stay 18-24 inches above the seedlings and you can control the light output with the dimmers. I love being able to just glance at my trays and see what's going on with them. As I get older I value keeping things easier and more convenient.

Totally agreed on this. And if you really feel the need for red or blue light to add, you can compliment it with an led strip, which won't put off as much light, but will add the spectrum you're after. Honestly I don't really see a reason to min/max when the 5000K does great.

great info, especially for seed starting, lights like those are great. Lots of LEDs and low power with low heat output is the way to go for sure.

I just bought LED tube lights. Got 3 different sets and it's cost me $100 total. I have a red/blue 2 and 5 tube set and I just got a sunlight tube stand that has 5 tubes. They're great!!!

The high-dollar, HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights are often created for, and marketed to, those growing pot. Although other plants thrive on as much light as you can give them also, and with lower-power lights the amount of light decreases so rapidly the further from the plants that you get, it renders them very ineffective for some situations. Also, if you're growing seed-to-table indoors, perhaps in a hydroponic setup, a single, higher-powered light that can be some distance above the plants in order to cover a broader area may be desirable. Having said all that, for what he's doing here, a lower-powered and cheap LED is the perfect choice. Especially for something he's just going to transplant. When I use to grow other _'stuff'_ besides food many years (decades) ago, we used Metal Hallide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs, both running much hotter, (obviously) at greatly reduced efficiency (hence the heat), and lasting usually less than half the time of what LED lights do today. LED lights, at least entire panels used as "grow lights" weren't really a thing back thing, although it wouldn't be long before they exploded on the scene. LED lights are definitely the way to go. However, just don't think you'll always get the best results with a low(er) power LED light if you're growing plants that thrive on a lot of light. Unless maybe, you buy a lot of the cheap, low-power LED lights and keep them right on top of your plants, and your plants won't be getting very tall. Even then, you'll probably be operating with a deficit.

Great info brother. I myself have used both cheap brand lights and spiderfarmer lights. The difference in growth with a light made properly is astounding. Both lights were 100w but one is a brand with just letters and numbers for a name while the other is a known company. The spectrum is drastically different on the properly made one as well as light penetration. Things I wish I had known before trying to save money on the wrong products lol.

Many thanks to you, Your video precise, well made and informative. Also very concise. All of the best to you.

Nice to see a fellow Michigander . I'm a subscriber now .

Thanks for the video! That looks like a great product, although shipping will probably eat into the value (i.e. a $25 light, and $20 for shipping...for those of us who don't live near a Rural King). I was wondering two things. First, although I see you don't use a timer, I wonder if they'd work with a timer (i.e. they don't "reset" requiring the chain to be pulled again)? Second, what is that modular rack you have. That looks like it might be reasonably price, even if a bit small for the lights. Although I see a lot of people do a DIY PVC set up to hang their lights.

As a person that started out using less than ideal lights, then moved to cfls then to hid....I have a pretty good idea of the range of quality of lighting available. The new LED lights with added far red and UltraViolet in the Spectrum are far superior to anything I have used in the past. My only advice would be to go with an American company, you will pay a little bit more money but the money won't go to China. Instead it will go to your corporate overlords here in America so somehow that's better.

I finally found it! Quality content

Great information. thanks!

I 100% agree with led daylight average white lights. The narrow range purple ones give you a rotten headache when you have to enter the grow room after a period of time as well. The various sunglasses you can buy are not only another expense but don’t work for long work times.

30 years ago I used cool and warm white fluorescent worked great ,start to finish.

Appreciate the video and the time and energy you invested making it! 👏🎖️Thank you sir from Northern MI! 🙂👍

I’m really happy to have found this. Thanks!

Best looking drain pipe I've ever seen!

Your right the led set ups are awesome. You can get those shop lights at canadian tire in Canada. Ive used the screw in led bulbs as well. U can get double socket screw ins and do an array on a power strip. I think mine ran me about $30 in 2017....still using it. Works great.

Thank you for sharing!! It's exactly what I had suspected (with the upcharge for "grow" lights). I figured there was just a couple of critical specs needed.

I won't comment what's going on behind you, I try to focus on the topic, sooo I'm very thankful for this video, especially since most people tell ya like " This is a low budget video for grow lights" and then they put stuff in the description for like 800Eur , yeah in which universe is this cheap low budget?:D So you brought up some really good information, advice and links, thank you very much ♥

Hey thanks. I needed this badly!

Thank you so much for sharing this very informative and helpful video.

Bought shop lights 4ft at Walmart last year recommended by Gary on the Rusted Garden channel. Absolutely love them!!

Expensive grow lights are awesome especially when they have advanced features like simulating clouds to increase efficiency without losing vigour.

Thanks for the helpful tip and the links to purchase. Sure appreciate it!

Nice you just hit on something. Giving the viewer just a taste but asking them to subscribe to see the rest That’s genius

Thankyou!!! We all can benefit from this advice!!😘✌️

Thanks for sharing, your info is handy.

Thats a good cheap way of doing things and i like the fact of been able to daisy chain several lights together