I didn't get the lights as I don't feel at this time I require them. Spent a small fortune with Greenhouse Sensations this week, but that makes up for spending my Covid isolation clearing out the greenhouse and shed, and tidying them up ready for the growing season
I didn't get the lights as I don't feel at this time I require them. Spent a small fortune with Greenhouse Sensations this week, but that makes up for spending my Covid isolation clearing out the greenhouse and shed, and tidying them up ready for the growing season
@LeadFarmer Do your self a favour and get this as the price GreenhouseSensation charge for replacement capillary matting is rather expensive. You wont need it the first year as your order will come with enough capillary material for each pot, but for subsequent years get it bulk online at you know where
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
@TheVanguard. If I can butt in for a moment, which LED lights do you use? The Sunblaster ones get very hot indeed! Agree too re the suckers for the lights.
@LeadFarmer I’ve used that company and find they’ve been excellent. Good customer service and promptly sending out another lid when the one that came with mine seemed to have arrived bowed.
I have been using Quadgrow for a number of years now. They are good (in spite of people looking at the pots and immediately dismissing them as too small!) I get high yields of tomatoes. They are not entirely problem-free, though, if you use them outside. The older versions, at least, have a bit of a tendency to get top heavy and fall over. There always seem to be high winds at some point in the growing season (usually mid August, when I am holiday and cat sitters, who are not experienced gardeners, are keeping an eye on my plants), and they tend to get blown over - the pots are blown off the tanks, or if you are due to refill the tanks (I tend to let them almost run out of water to make measuring the food easier) the whole lot go over. It's not disastrous but a pain and a bit stressful (and really is a two person job to set it right). The old ones have a single long thin tank, so maybe the newer version are more stable. I have resorted to tying the plants to bushes and putting cast iron garden chairs in front of the tanks and plants to try to stabilize them. I would rather not have to do this. A square tank would be more stable but not terribly suitable for the space I have to grow them in. They do this, but I wonder how much light the plants in themiddle would get...https://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/patio-allotment-planters-with-propagator-lid.html/ I find I have to refill the tanks every other day in the height of summer, when the plants are large and if it's very hot. (I live in south London.) But maybe I let the plants get too big... (Which of course exacerbates the toppling issue.) I have not used the extra water tank. I plan to get a new one or two this year, in the hope that the new design does help with the toppling over problem. (I will use some of the old ones in my new greenhouse and/or with smaller plants such as sweet peppers and aubergines. I have, in the past, also created my own homemade self watering set up, using plastic under the bed lidded storage boxes. I have used them to grow aubergines and peppers and they worked really well, but they don't last as long and there is the room issue. I used something like this: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/sockerbit-storage-box-with-lid-white-20411524/ I cut holes in the lid and used wooden blocks to give the lid extra support. This actually looks more sturdy than the ones I made, but narrower and a bit deeper. I have also made single-pot ones using a large empty lidded, plastic fat ball tub like this only bigger https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-wild-bird-high-energy-fat-balls-50-tub (I had to make an extra hole to add water). But that was a bit on the top-heavy side of things. It's tempting to have another go at the square one this year... I am sure I could make room somehow...
p.s I also have a very large Vitpod... Greenhouse Sensation does well out of me!
I also have a Vitopod, for me it’s invaluable this time of year. Not sure if you got the lights? I swapped out the Florescent lights in favour of LED
The light stand uses suckers and is a bit useless, but if using the fluorescent tubes they will melt through the lid if left in contact.
I’ve only ordered a few times from greenhouse sensation, but I’ve always found them to be very good.
Yes I had terrible trouble with the suckers on the light stands. I was considering ordering new ones, assuming that I had a duff one (one was ok. The other was not.) But perhaps this would be a waste of money. I got by with lots of Gorilla tape, just about... I thought I was ordering LED and was disappointed with what I got. They are very hot and it was impossible to keep the temperature below about 24C. I am also not convinced that the thermostat and/or the heated aspect of the tray works. It was hard to prove either way. I fear I might have actually just bought a very expensive grow light stand. I also really regret buying the MASSIVE one! The only place I have room (and electricity) to put it is on top of a chest of drawers in the spare bedroom. Still not convinced that this was not a huge waste of money tbh.
@LeadFarmer Do your self a favour and get this as the price GreenhouseSensation charge for replacement capillary matting is rather expensive. You wont need it the first year as your order will come with enough capillary material for each pot, but for subsequent years get it bulk online at you know where
Good advice, thanks, I'll buy some of that matting.
Can the supplied matting be reused the following year, or is it single use only?
I keep mine in the garage and it does pretty well, when it’s really cold the temperature can go down a bit and in the height of summer the air can be warmer so it can be a higher temp than I set.
I’m no expert but I’d guess the lights kick out a few degrees of heat. If the room temp is just below 20 then maybe that’s why it’s so warm? Also don’t forget it’s a bit like a greenhouse so it will trap heat and be warmer than the room it’s in, a bit like a greenhouse is warmer inside the garden!
if not perhaps there’s a fault with the thermostat, and I’d give greenhouse sensation a call?
@TheVanguard. If I can butt in for a moment, which LED lights do you use? The Sunblaster ones get very hot indeed! Agree too re the suckers for the lights.
@LeadFarmer I’ve used that company and find they’ve been excellent. Good customer service and promptly sending out another lid when the one that came with mine seemed to have arrived bowed.
Don't know if you've got dodgy bulbs in your Sunblasters, but mine are so cool I can put my finger on them and hold it there with no problem.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
Posts
Spent a small fortune with Greenhouse Sensations this week, but that makes up for spending my Covid isolation clearing out the greenhouse and shed, and tidying them up ready for the growing season
@LeadFarmer
Do your self a favour and get this as the price GreenhouseSensation charge for replacement capillary matting is rather expensive.
You wont need it the first year as your order will come with enough capillary material for each pot, but for subsequent years get it bulk online at you know where
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
I’ve had good success with the street light led brand. I think they are marketed specifically as grow lights.
There are a few on eBay…
Here is a link to the first one’s I found…probably worth seeing if you could get cheaper from another supplier
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Street-Light-LED-T5-Strip-Lighting-Propagation-Grow-Flower-Dual-Spec-Hydroponics-/264399965519?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0
They are not entirely problem-free, though, if you use them outside. The older versions, at least, have a bit of a tendency to get top heavy and fall over. There always seem to be high winds at some point in the growing season (usually mid August, when I am holiday and cat sitters, who are not experienced gardeners, are keeping an eye on my plants), and they tend to get blown over - the pots are blown off the tanks, or if you are due to refill the tanks (I tend to let them almost run out of water to make measuring the food easier) the whole lot go over. It's not disastrous but a pain and a bit stressful (and really is a two person job to set it right). The old ones have a single long thin tank, so maybe the newer version are more stable. I have resorted to tying the plants to bushes and putting cast iron garden chairs in front of the tanks and plants to try to stabilize them. I would rather not have to do this. A square tank would be more stable but not terribly suitable for the space I have to grow them in.
They do this, but I wonder how much light the plants in themiddle would get...https://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/patio-allotment-planters-with-propagator-lid.html/
I find I have to refill the tanks every other day in the height of summer, when the plants are large and if it's very hot. (I live in south London.) But maybe I let the plants get too big... (Which of course exacerbates the toppling issue.)
I have not used the extra water tank.
I plan to get a new one or two this year, in the hope that the new design does help with the toppling over problem. (I will use some of the old ones in my new greenhouse and/or with smaller plants such as sweet peppers and aubergines.
I have, in the past, also created my own homemade self watering set up, using plastic under the bed lidded storage boxes. I have used them to grow aubergines and peppers and they worked really well, but they don't last as long and there is the room issue. I used something like this: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/sockerbit-storage-box-with-lid-white-20411524/
I cut holes in the lid and used wooden blocks to give the lid extra support. This actually looks more sturdy than the ones I made, but narrower and a bit deeper. I have also made single-pot ones using a large empty lidded, plastic fat ball tub like this only bigger https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-wild-bird-high-energy-fat-balls-50-tub (I had to make an extra hole to add water). But that was a bit on the top-heavy side of things. It's tempting to have another go at the square one this year... I am sure I could make room somehow...
p.s
I also have a very large Vitpod...
Greenhouse Sensation does well out of me!
I thought I was ordering LED and was disappointed with what I got. They are very hot and it was impossible to keep the temperature below about 24C. I am also not convinced that the thermostat and/or the heated aspect of the tray works. It was hard to prove either way. I fear I might have actually just bought a very expensive grow light stand. I also really regret buying the MASSIVE one! The only place I have room (and electricity) to put it is on top of a chest of drawers in the spare bedroom. Still not convinced that this was not a huge waste of money tbh.
Can the supplied matting be reused the following year, or is it single use only?
I’m no expert but I’d guess the lights kick out a few degrees of heat. If the room temp is just below 20 then maybe that’s why it’s so warm? Also don’t forget it’s a bit like a greenhouse so it will trap heat and be warmer than the room it’s in, a bit like a greenhouse is warmer inside the garden!
if not perhaps there’s a fault with the thermostat, and I’d give greenhouse sensation a call?
Don't know if you've got dodgy bulbs in your Sunblasters, but mine are so cool I can put my finger on them and hold it there with no problem.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'