The first thing I did was to buy some real humidity trays. I didn't mind having the homemade tray with the stones, but it made the weekly cleaning a sheer nuisance. The other disadvantage was that the tray I had previously was about 13" L x 10.5" W. It barely fit the 3 pots I have now. The stones also made the pots wobbly, which was also rather annoying. The new trays with the plastic grids will hold much more water and keep the plants level.
I ended up purchasing 2 Humidi-Grow Humidity Trays from Repotme.com:
I know many growers do not believe that humidity trays help much. I cannot make a strong case to oppose or promote the trays based on my own experience just yet. I did measure humidity with a hygrometer during a sunny and warm day, and found that the RH (Relative Humidity) had gone up by about 4.5%. This isn't a huge increase, but I do feel that every little bit helps. The main draw for me this time was since one of my end tables also doubles up as my growing area, the trays help protect the furniture from water damage. These new trays are also 2.5" deep and raise the plants a bit higher so the sun from the window is more evenly spread over the foliage.
Right now, things are ok, but I worry about the Winter. Already, I am starting to notice that the exposure to the sun is decreasing gradually in my growing area. I am surmising that by the time Fall rolls around, the sunlight would practically disappear, particular behind a veil of thick clouds. So, of course, this made me realize that a good grow light would supplement whatever natural light comes in from the window. I am also hoping that this will aid in Marilyn's recovery. I think part of the problem now is that she's not receiving enough light to thrive.
I researched various options. I wanted something that would not be a big hassle to install, and that would not be a horrible eyesore since this setup is going in my living room. I was also looking for something affordable and that would not be a fire hazzard. I had to ensure whatever choice I made that it would not be dangerous to the cats either. The best solution to fulfill all my criteria was a regular clamp light with an aluminum reflector. For obvious reasons I chose one that had the on/off switch away from top of the lamp itself:
The next item was the bulb. There are quite a few choices. I chose the Feit 40W 120V 6500K Daylight CFL:
Not only is this a full spectrum bulb so it eliminates the needs to have various light hues on at the same time, but the bulbs never reach dangerously high heat levels. I eventually would like to automate my lighting solution so I purchased a timer. I selected an outdoor one because they are more compact and won't take up more than one outlet at a time:
The last item I ordered was a humidifier for the plants as well as for us humans. I had an awful time last year with my allergies, and the dry heat during the winter time was wreaking havoc on my sinuses. I have one at work just like this, so I stuck to a model I had experience with:
This is the new revamped growing area with the new humidity trays before I received all the stuff above:
And here is the reworked growing area after everything came in:
I will keep experimenting with light until I can get it down pat.
Update
I had adhered the lamp fixture wtih a large 3M Command hook. I am not sure if it was due to the weight of the lamp and bulb although both things combined should come in under 2 lbs and the hook is certified at a 5 lbs limit or maybe the humidity from the humidifier so close by, but I found it had collapsed onto the table hook and all. To be honest, it did not look like the adhesive had given out as much as the multiple layers of paint that had not adhered correctly onto the wall and made the wall unstable for this type of setup.
I went ahead and scraped all the remaining paint off of the small piece of wall which the adhesive strip would cling to and thoroughly cleaned it with alcohol as per the instructions that come with the hook. I also adhered the strip to the back of the plastic that will hold the hook and clamped it down with binder clips to ensure there were no air pockets that could compromise this new install. After 2 hours or so, I went ahead and stuck the plastic holder to the wall itself and manually held it down for a good 60 seconds or so. I then let it sit overnight without bearing any weight at all.
This morning, I placed the hook onto it and will leave it another 24 hrs to set to ensure it bonds well to the wall. So, tomorrow morning, I will hook the lamp back on and this time, I also plan to secure the clamp to the hook with some zip ties just to ensure the weight is more evenly distributed. I am hoping that after all this, the darned lamp will stay on the wall :)
I ended up purchasing 2 Humidi-Grow Humidity Trays from Repotme.com:
I know many growers do not believe that humidity trays help much. I cannot make a strong case to oppose or promote the trays based on my own experience just yet. I did measure humidity with a hygrometer during a sunny and warm day, and found that the RH (Relative Humidity) had gone up by about 4.5%. This isn't a huge increase, but I do feel that every little bit helps. The main draw for me this time was since one of my end tables also doubles up as my growing area, the trays help protect the furniture from water damage. These new trays are also 2.5" deep and raise the plants a bit higher so the sun from the window is more evenly spread over the foliage.
Right now, things are ok, but I worry about the Winter. Already, I am starting to notice that the exposure to the sun is decreasing gradually in my growing area. I am surmising that by the time Fall rolls around, the sunlight would practically disappear, particular behind a veil of thick clouds. So, of course, this made me realize that a good grow light would supplement whatever natural light comes in from the window. I am also hoping that this will aid in Marilyn's recovery. I think part of the problem now is that she's not receiving enough light to thrive.
I researched various options. I wanted something that would not be a big hassle to install, and that would not be a horrible eyesore since this setup is going in my living room. I was also looking for something affordable and that would not be a fire hazzard. I had to ensure whatever choice I made that it would not be dangerous to the cats either. The best solution to fulfill all my criteria was a regular clamp light with an aluminum reflector. For obvious reasons I chose one that had the on/off switch away from top of the lamp itself:
The next item was the bulb. There are quite a few choices. I chose the Feit 40W 120V 6500K Daylight CFL:
Not only is this a full spectrum bulb so it eliminates the needs to have various light hues on at the same time, but the bulbs never reach dangerously high heat levels. I eventually would like to automate my lighting solution so I purchased a timer. I selected an outdoor one because they are more compact and won't take up more than one outlet at a time:
The last item I ordered was a humidifier for the plants as well as for us humans. I had an awful time last year with my allergies, and the dry heat during the winter time was wreaking havoc on my sinuses. I have one at work just like this, so I stuck to a model I had experience with:
This is the new revamped growing area with the new humidity trays before I received all the stuff above:
And here is the reworked growing area after everything came in:
 |
| I had to turn off all the lights in order to take the pictures |
I will keep experimenting with light until I can get it down pat.
______________________________________________
Update
I had adhered the lamp fixture wtih a large 3M Command hook. I am not sure if it was due to the weight of the lamp and bulb although both things combined should come in under 2 lbs and the hook is certified at a 5 lbs limit or maybe the humidity from the humidifier so close by, but I found it had collapsed onto the table hook and all. To be honest, it did not look like the adhesive had given out as much as the multiple layers of paint that had not adhered correctly onto the wall and made the wall unstable for this type of setup.
I went ahead and scraped all the remaining paint off of the small piece of wall which the adhesive strip would cling to and thoroughly cleaned it with alcohol as per the instructions that come with the hook. I also adhered the strip to the back of the plastic that will hold the hook and clamped it down with binder clips to ensure there were no air pockets that could compromise this new install. After 2 hours or so, I went ahead and stuck the plastic holder to the wall itself and manually held it down for a good 60 seconds or so. I then let it sit overnight without bearing any weight at all.
This morning, I placed the hook onto it and will leave it another 24 hrs to set to ensure it bonds well to the wall. So, tomorrow morning, I will hook the lamp back on and this time, I also plan to secure the clamp to the hook with some zip ties just to ensure the weight is more evenly distributed. I am hoping that after all this, the darned lamp will stay on the wall :)
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