How to Build Home Grow Light Systems

Many of the seedlings purchased at your local gardening warehouse were started in greenhouses or under specially designed grow lights. This is how you are able to purchase seedlings that are more developed than your local climate would permit if seeds were sown directly into the ground after the danger of frost had passed. While gardening stores might have access to complicated watering and light systems to start their seeds, it is not complicated to build a grow light system for use in your own home, saving you time and money that would otherwise be spent on purchasing seedlings at the start of every growing season.

Things You'll Need

• Grocery store shelving
• Cinder blocks
• Grow lights
• 18-inch 120-lb cable ties
• Light timer
• Seed starter trays
• Soil-free potting mix
• Seeds
• Watering can

Instructions

1. Position the grocery store shelving unit along a wall that is near an electrical outlet so you can easily plug in the grow lights once they are installed.

2. Stack cinder blocks on the bottom shelf until you cannot fit any more between the last block and the top of the next shelf. Because grocery store shelves are so tall, cinder blocks are needed to maintain stability of the grow light system.

3. Remove the grow lights from their packages, clean thoroughly and attach them to their mounting brackets. Secure the lights to the bottom of each shelf on the shelving unit, except for the shelf above the cinder blocks. Use cable ties to reinforce the grow lights, ensuring they are stable and tightly fixed to the shelving unit.

4. Plug the grow lights into the light timer, setting it so the grow lights will be on roughly 14 hours every day.

5. Fill the seed starter trays with soil-free potting mix. Avoiding soil-containing mixes makes the seedlings establish roots while they are under your grow lights.

6. Plant the seeds according to the directions and water them liberally. Keep them very moist until the seedlings are roughly two inches high, then follow normal watering recommendations.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to use enough cinder blocks on the shelving unit. Otherwise, the shelving unit will become top heavy and pose a safety hazard.

References

• Growing Crops Under Lights
• Growing Plants Indoors
• Grow Light Frame Plans