Opinion on this lighted plant stand?

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I've been looking for a while now and without spending thousands of dollars I don't really see any that fit the bill. Compared to the finished wood & bamboo ones this one is ugly AF, but it has everything I need. My big question is are the lights any good ? I could always buy a shelving unit & lights to make my own, but I'm not really mechanically inclined. Also I'm planning on using this for my tropicals when they come in the house. LINK

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09812TXR7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

[Srt8madness]

A link would be more helpful, 180w t8 doesn't mean too much

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

A link would be more helpful, 180w t8 doesn't mean too much

Link added. Thanks.

 

[penumbra]

I think they look like a decent product at a good price. Its hard to make sense of the lights but 30watts per light, 60 per shelf should be enough light. They are LED yet they refer to them as T8, which is a fluorescent light designation. Certainly the reviews from buyers are very good. The asking price is less than my units that are 4 foot long that I put together myself.
I would go with the white rather than the yellow lights.

 

[ShadyStump]

This kit is LITERALLY the exact same thing you'd wind up with if you made your own.
Scroll to the bottom and a 6 pack of the same lights is $99, letting you spend $100 on shelves you actually like to wind up paying the same price. If you decide to do it yourself, you can customize it with the lights and shelving you want.

As far as being mechanically inclined, if you can build this kit, you can build any wire rack type shelving, and affix any lights that fit in it.

Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[penumbra]

This kit is LITERALLY the exact same thing you'd wind up with if you made your own.
Scroll to the bottom and a 6 pack of the same lights is $99, letting you spend $100 on shelves you actually like to wind up paying the same price. If you decide to do it yourself, you can customize it with the lights and shelving you want.

As far as being mechanically inclined, if you can build this kit, you can build any wire rack type shelving, and affix any lights that fit in it.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Still my friend, there is something to be said for having it all together, and for that it seems both price and quality are in line. Certainly building one's own offers more opportunities. I am forever upgrading my lights and changing my systems, and for that reason it is better for me to put my own together.
But I think the referenced plug and play unit is the very ticket for many folks.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I think they look like a decent product at a good price. Its hard to make sense of the lights but 30watts per light, 60 per shelf should be enough light. They are LED yet they refer to them as T8, which is a fluorescent light designation. Certainly the reviews from buyers are very good. The asking price is less than my units that are 4 foot long that I put together myself.
I would go with the white rather than the yellow lights.

I didn't realize that, thank you. And yes on the white lights. Thanks for helping.

This kit is LITERALLY the exact same thing you'd wind up with if you made your own.
Scroll to the bottom and a 6 pack of the same lights is $99, letting you spend $100 on shelves you actually like to wind up paying the same price. If you decide to do it yourself, you can customize it with the lights and shelving you want.

As far as being mechanically inclined, if you can build this kit, you can build any wire rack type shelving, and affix any lights that fit in it.

Just thought I'd mention it.

I was thinking that also about the lights, I've been eyeballing those as well. I could definitely, build a wire rack with lights, I was referring to building a nice wooden shelf , that I don't have the skills or tools for. Thanks all good points.

 

[ShadyStump]

I was referring to building a nice wooden shelf , that I don't have the skills or tools for.

Definitely a factor to consider.
Like @penumbra said, price point relative to having everything in one place for with instructions, you can't go wrong.

If you won't have it near a window you may consider upgrading the lights, but these ones should be plenty to keep your trees alive through winter. I've been quite successful with less.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Definitely a factor to consider.
Like @penumbra said, price point relative to having everything in one place for with instructions, you can't go wrong.

If you won't have it near a window you may consider upgrading the lights, but these ones should be plenty to keep your trees alive through winter. I've been quite successful with less.

That's another thing that's confusing to me in the winter. Most, if not all of my windows are near heating vents, so I try to stay as far away from those that I can with the forced hot/dry air blowing on the plants. So how far away from a window is "near a window" with the furnace on? Maybe my house is weird for more than the I live here reason.

 

[Carol 83]

I would go with the white rather than the yellow lights.

Absolutely!

 

[Carol 83]

If I only needed one shelving unit, I would get it. I started with one and have progressed to 4 but not all at once. I use them outside for the summer then have to put the lights on them when the trees come in, super pain in the butt. And I know not to ask my husband to help, since he is not the biggest fan of having them in the house.

 

[Srt8madness]

That's another thing that's confusing to me in the winter. Most, if not all of my windows are near heating vents, so I try to stay as far away from those that I can with the forced hot/dry air blowing on the plants. So how far away from a window is "near a window" with the furnace on? Maybe my house is weird for more than the I live here reason.

Sunlight drops dramatically the further away from a window the plant is. Like, exponentially. So 1' or more is what I would consider "away" from a window. If you have a lighting system it will be sufficient, you won't need to be right next to a window.

 

[ShadyStump]

That's another thing that's confusing to me in the winter. Most, if not all of my windows are near heating vents, so I try to stay as far away from those that I can with the forced hot/dry air blowing on the plants. So how far away from a window is "near a window" with the furnace on? Maybe my house is weird for more than the I live here reason.

I have the same issue with the heater vents. It's very common for them to be right under windows. Not sure if that's because under the window is a good place, or if the middle of the wall is just a good place for both.
I put a deflector over the vent so the air blows out into the center of the room in stead of up toward the plants. I would also recommend nothing on the bottom shelf if you have them directly over the vent.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

To be honest, there is no real way to evaluate these light shelves. They are simply wire shelves with 6 LED tube lights. (T8 is a measure of the diameter of the tube - and has nothing to do with the light generated).

There is one very general spectral chart... but nothing about the strength of the light. "30 watts" just means how much electricity is used - NOT how much light is generated. 3000 lumens? 10,000 lumens? Who knows? Additionally, I am very skeptical about an LED strip that is photographed looking yellow... but the spectral chart shows it generating mostly red and blue light. Isn't that supposed to look purple?

"Featuring with special ratio of red,blue,this supplied sunlight replacement is rich in blue and red light,perfect for healthy growth of indoor plants in different stages."

I would skip it and find very specific grow lights where you know what you are getting.

 

[MSU JBoots]

I bought a similar shelving unit for under $100 and an LED lamp for roughly $75. Granted I only have one light but it was simple to set up and kept my ficus alive all winter. It’s not pretty to look at but it’s functional.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Though I haven't finished this article, you might find this helpful...

Plant lighting for beginners

I am going to start this thread with this post, add to it as I have time, and eventually compile it into an article. There have been a lot of requests for information on artificial lighting for bonsai (particularly at this time of year). I wanted to write a reference piece that was both...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[penumbra]

Those

If you have a lighting system it will be sufficient, you won't need to be right next to a window.

I think your lighting is plenty sufficient.

 

[penumbra]

There is one very general spectral chart... but nothing about the strength of the light. "30 watts" just means how much electricity is used - NOT how much light is generated. 3000 lumens? 10,000 lumens? Who knows?

Actually I have a pretty good idea having used many, many different LED lights since they were first introduced for plant lighting. The lights on these units are actually brighter than many of mine and they will do fine.
Though I am a do it yourself kinda guy, if you want it all in one package, I would go for it. The more people balk at it, the more convinced I am that its a good unit at a decent price. The OP is welcome to send me a PM if further discussion is warranted. I can give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from 60 watts of 5,000 k lighting with a 84% cri.
And yes T-8 is a term recently used for some LED lights that was borrowed from the fluorescent light offering. It is smaller in diameter than a T12 but more than a T5. It is really irrelevant when discussing LED lighting but significant in fluorescent.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The lights on these units are actually brighter than many of mine and they will do fine.

Did I miss some technical information somewhere?

"what to expect from 60 watts of 5,000 k lighting with a 84% cri"

Without trying to sound critical - that information is irrelevant when it comes to plant lighting. 60 watts? So what? Color temp? Doesn't matter. Color rendering? Irrelevant. Just keeping it real. Plants only care about photosynthesis. Light bands absorbed by chlorophyll are well-known, and in fact, the closer you get to 100% CRI, the worse of a plant light it will be. Might be great for studio lighting for a professional lighting studio - but plants don't care.

 

[zero]

I have a similar brand to Monios called Barrina. Both of these are used in the indoor plant community a lot and these are about as strong as people go with T style lights indoors. I’ve had my ficus and Ports and Chinese Elm and others do very well under two Barrina T8’s for the cold season. I bring them in and have a closet with a plastic greenhouse with these lights in them. T5’s will not be strong enough.

Edit: sorry I can’t give you a par reading, but if I find one I’ll update. I believe I saw a YouTube video when I was researching them that had the readings. Either way they definitely can produce good growth and even grow micro greens very effectively