Craig Cronquist

A few thoughts about what NOT to do. My first couple years I used a shoplight fixture with two Sylvania GroLux tubes suspended over my tropicals on a table in a west-facing window (only window available to me). It was not very bright and the trees barely made it through the winter.

In January 2016, I purchased a Sun System Grow Light system using a high pressure sodium 150 watt bulb (16,000 lumens) from Brew & Grow in Roselle. I was referred to Brew & Grow by Jim & Kay Erlenborn. Brew & Grow has a variety of products which may be useful to anyone growing plants inside. B&G also has locations in Bolingbrook and on the north side of Chicago on Kedzie. You can review their available products at https://www.brewandgrow.com/. I used this light for trees on a table in my basement. It throws off a fair amount of heat and worked well for about five years when the bulb started to cycle on and off due to age. When I tried to buy a replacement this year I was told they no longer carry that product, but I could buy LED bulbs with a converter for the mogul base bulbs on Amazon. The original cost was about $80- A replacement bulb now costs almost that much and I decided to focus on other, less energy hungry alternatives.

Last year I purchased some square LED lights with 100 diodes with various colors on eBay. Look for the vendor Boris-Garden. I have three and just purchased two more, although as is usual with eBay, the price may vary (from $28 to $50 each). Look for “5000W LED Grow Light Hydroponic Full Spectrum Indoor Plant Flower Growing Bloom”, but they have other versions as well. They have a plastic body and are very light and easy to hang. The unit includes a cooling fan.

This year I also purchased a Smart Electrician LED Grow Light at Menards for $39.99 before rebate. It is 42 inches long, only 36 watts, but not as bright as hoped. I use it to supplement some of my other lights.

All lights are on timers with the ones in the upstairs window on for 7-8 hours and the one in the basement on for about 16 hours per day.

Another issue which may help the new club member trying to keep some trees alive for the winter is what to put under them. I have some trees in the large flat plastic boxes you can buy at Target, Menards, or elsewhere to store stuff under a bed. I use a piece of white plastic PLASKOLITE 2′ x 4′ Egg Crate Louver Light Panel (2’ x 4’ for $11.82 at Menards) cut to fit the box, to keep the trees out of the water.

I also use boot trays from Bed, Bath & Beyond (14” x 28” for $5.99 each) to hold the trees and any water which drips through. They are very sturdy and will not leak on the table or floor.

Dean Cooper

I have successfully used fluorescent fixtures by Durolux for several years now. They take T5 tubes and are very bright. They are not expensive for what they are. They are designed for hydroponic use. They can be bought on eBay and Amazon. When buying a new unit, get one that comes with the new LED tubes. They directly replace the T5 fluorescents, are in the daylight light range, and produce a lot of lux/lumens for the size and wattage.

A 4 ft x 2 ft unit with 8 tubes will keep 6-8 shohin trees very happy over winter. Here is the information from Amazon:

Durolux T5 HO Grow Light – 4 FT 6 Lamps – DL846S Fluorescent Hydroponic Fixture Bloom Veg Daisy Chain with Bulbs for $79.99.

Also, many other versions of grow lights from Durolux on Amazon, ranging in price from

$35.99 to $163.99, depending upon the number of bulbs and size.

Rick Manning

I bought a 600W LED grow light from Amazon in September of 2019. I like the low power usage and the fact that it can grow with my hobby because you can daisy chain units

together. When I purchase another one, I plan to get a 1200W or 1500W to see if that improves the winter growth.

Here is the information from Amazon:

Roleadro 600W LED Grow Light 3rd Generation Series Full Spectrum Plant Light with ON/Off Switch and Daisy Chain for Indoor, Greenhouse, Hydroponics Veg and Bloom for $69.99. Other wattages also available for $55.99 and $99.99. Aluminum body with cooling fan.

Jim Keith

Jim Keith solves a different problem which some of us may experience.

I overwinter my tropicals in a large wire dog kennel that has a plastic floor tray. The top of the kennel is open so I can water and reach in to pull a tree out or put one in. I attach an Aluminum Incandescent Light Fixture with a grow light in each corner of the kennel pointed facing into the kennel. I turn the lights on first thing in the morning along with an oscillating fan which helps to ensure pests don’t infest the trees. This works very well. Before I turn in for the night, I turn the lights and fan off.

Why use a dog kennel? Because we have two cats that love to chew on my tropicals and then regurgitate what they consumed on the floor. This way all they can do is look longingly at the trees, although occasionally they have been able to reach in to pull leaves off a tree.

Badar Zulqarni

Until two years ago I used standard daylight 3 sets of LED tube lights (3’ long each). My Brazilian Rain Tree and Serissas did ok. Ficus and Fukien Tea did poorly. Last year I replaced one tube light with a Spider Farmer SF-600 LED – see details below. All tropicals did well.

Maintaining decent temperature and humidity level is also important. This year I am thinking about creating a greenhouse by making a tent around the table with visqueen and putting a radiant heater to maintain decent temp.

Here is the information from Amazon:

SPIDER FARMER SF-600 LED Grow Light 2×4 ft Coverage Sunlike Full Spectrum Plant Growing Lamp for Indoor Plants Hydroponics Seeding Veg Flower Energy Saving & High Efficiency Grow Lights 384 Diodes for $129.99.

Spider Farmer has a wide range of products listed on Amazon.

Badar shared a picture: