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I just picked up a 2 foot 2 bulb floro for $30 and two daylight bulbs for $4. This will be the perfect size for my veg box.
The only problem is that the light was meant to be hooked directly into the electrical though. It doesnt have a plug for the wall. So my question is can I and how do I make it so I can plug it into an electrical outlet. Here are some pics of what I picked up:
The whole thing...
As you can see, I only have a black and a white wire...
You might have been better to get a good DIY guide about Flo lights and have bought the ballast, wires connectors etc, mounted a piece of plywood that is the exact size you need for the bulbs and grow spot. It will cost less than that kit and you already have to do the more difficult part of the wiring. This is really simple stuff and have very little chance of screwing it up if you follow a guide with proper info.
The reason for this is that you can mount more bulbs into a tighter configuration. Those normal racks, unless you get a really tight one, are inefficient for spacing.
And if you are really serious about your flo setup, get T5 bulbs. They are the most efficient of the flos and you can pack a lot of them in a tight space. They cost more than t8 or t12s but well worth it. T12s are a waste. The best I ever found was about a 2350 Lumen output, but that is measured at almost the surface. It degrades so fast that even 1-2" has dropped Lumens to 500. T8s are good for a veg grow like you are doing but a custom built T5 box for your size is going to allow you to actually grow "properly" and likely double or triple your harvest compared to what you are about to do.
For example, my T8 rack has 6 T8s mounted in 3 4' racks. I bought the racks and then bent the sheet metal reflectors to fit them all as tight together as possible. it is a 4' X 1.5' area. If I custom built a board for it, I could get 8 T8s mounted in the same space. It is likely a 25% increase of precious Lumens. And still I keep the plants 1 inch away from the canopy. Lumens degrade so quickly over space, 1 inch matters.
Here is a picture of mine. I only use it for Seedlings, Clones and Veg anymore. Now think about that rack you have and two lights and how far apart they are spaced. I have 1" space between each light...it is too much, I could almost fit another light in between them. 1/3 of an inch, or the flat of my finger is how close I would like to get them and honestly, as long as they are not touching each other, you cannot get them close enough.
Return that stuff you bought, learn about how to custom outfit your flo lights (easy to learn this I swear) and build yourself a killer flo rig.
I will help you along with this is you want, but there are so many DIY flo light information out there. In fact, the Home Depot employee that specifically works in lighting will be able to explain and sell you all the parts you need. If necessary tell him you are building a grow box for bamboo cloning. He won't know the difference lol.
-------------------- "I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Azyle00, I was actually going to get a 24 inch mini t5 double strip but I couldn't find 24 inch t5 bulbs in daylight. Only cool white and warm white. Also, I called the home depots in my area and none of them carry a ballast for t5 bulbs at 24 inches. That sounds like a really good idea for the future but I think I'm going to stick to premade strips because those ballasts are pretty expensive alone anyways.
I'm just having a hard time finding T5 and T8 strips and bulbs at 24 inches. I've checked a local hydroponics store and they're asking for $200 for a 4 bulb 2ft T5 lamp. Thats way too much. I might as well get a 400W MH kit lol.
Sun Blaze® T-5 22 (2Ft - 2 Lamp): 23 1/4" L x 6 1/4" W x 2 1/2" H ^^87.95 Sun Blaze® T-5 24 (2Ft - 4 Lamp): 23 1/4" L x 10" W x 2 1/2" H ^^121.95
You can also order the fixture I wrote about in my thread from home depots website, it should come with two bulbs. RVF's lights also come with free bulbs as well so that's a pretty good deal.
Or look around your area for an electrical supply shop, there are about 30 or more places like this in my home city Toronto, they will have everything and anything related to this stuff.
Grow shops mark up items incredibly. So while they are good for certain things and if you are in a hurry, buying standard items from them really makes little sense.
And worst case, order online for the best price but have to wait for delivery. Given that we wait months for our good bud to grow, waiting a week and setting up properly from the start makes good sense.
I know what you mean about T5s for 6500K at Home Depot though, they do not seem to stock them. T8s however, they do. Atleast mine does.
-------------------- "I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Coda, that was the same fixture I was about to buy today but 24 inches instead of 48. How is it working for you? I didnt buy it because it came with two bulbs that weren't daylight and I still cant find daylight in T5 or T8. I've only been to 3 home depot/ronas though.
I could always just pick up the fixture and then search for T5 6500K bulbs. I'm on a bit of a budget with this so I was hoping to spend less than $50. In the future I can just pick up another fixture and have 4 bulbs.
If GTA is home for you then you should have no problem finding T8s in 6500. The Home Depot in Whitby has them. Oshawa does not. I know this from experience. As far as buying the custom hardware, there are lots of electrical supply companies.
I can appreciate a budget, but face it, given the price of weed in TO, regardless of what you invest into your project, will be paying back tenfold down the road.
Should have had you take my males that I killed last night and collect pollen so we could make a bunch of auto-flowering seeds lol.
Cool your in Toronto lol. Small world.
-------------------- "I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
Ya they have their pros and cons. They are very easy for SoG and even canopys when your using less than sufficient lighting. No cloning method viable really.
I got another strain going, Early Wonder Skunk, 10 plants. Might seed these.
-------------------- "I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
No making autoflowering seeds is still same problem of 50/50 per seed, but since cloning autoflowering plants really seems counterproductive and full of failure, means that seeds are required to run batches. I would love to own a ton of seeds of a decent strain so I can pop SoG autoflowering in my grow room and spawn them in my Flo room, killing males, flowering females. Since they require only 76 days from seed to sprout (20 from seed to flower, 56 from flower to harvest), I can get away with 1 or 2 gallon containers and in my flower room, squish in as many as I can, probably get 24 plants at once. Each should produce an ounce of bud. Minus failures and such, 20 ounces on a 3 month cycle would suit me just fine since I only smoke about an ounce a month. Rest I can save and give to my brothers etc.
The simplicity of auto flowering strains is enjoyable, and the fast nature of the grow is interesting as well.
I am told that the Early Wonder Skunk is a good strain and is a very squat and fat plant.
Although so far, the Auto Blue X Auto AK47 is sure a shorty, but huge leaves and FATTY.
Downside is buying seeds if you do not make a load for yourself from a strain, I choose not to try on the Blues because of worries of pregnation ruining the females...just not worth it.
-------------------- "I never post unless high. Well that does explain a lot then."
"The best part about going to sleep each night is knowing that my plants will have grown more when I wake up in the morning."
"I smoked it then I became so tired that my eyes shut down automatically without my consent" - My Chinese GF, Oct 23, 2009
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