K. W. of Easton, PA, writes in with a question. She notes that she currently has the clip-on style grow lights I mentioned in this article, and they are less than ideal. Her problem is that she doesn’t have a mini-greenhouse, and her seed-starting setup doesn’t accommodate hanging grow lights.

She writes, 

“The armed grow lights are mediocre, and I have to struggle with somewhat leggy seedlings each February. So, if there is a better way that doesn't cost a fortune, I am definitely willing to try it.” 

The first is the Barrina mini greenhouse. It’s small enough to set up on a table or dresser top. It’s a 23”x23”x23” cube that is easy to assemble and has a small hanging bank of my favorite brand of grow lights. Because you’re enclosing your seedlings, you’ll also get the benefit of a humid and warm environment inside the cube.  

The main issue I have with so many of these clip-on grow lights is that they don’t provide enough light. When choosing grow lights, you should look at their PPFD/PFD measurement. This tells you how much usable light is making it to the plant. 

Maybe the best solution is to purchase different clip-on lights with a higher PPFD or add more to your current setup to ensure all your seedlings get enough light. 

My other suggestion is to get creative and consider other ways of setting up your seedlings that would allow for hanging grow lights, such as the ones I suggested. I’ve seen some great setups using this style of laundry rack. You set baking sheets on the laundry rack to hold your seedlings and then secure the grow lights on the rack above them. If you already own a drying rack like this, that's even better.

Again, this can all be packed up once your seedlings move outside. 

And moving right along, I have to share my recent stroke of brilliance with you. 

I say that knowing full well someone is going to read this and shake their head because they stumbled upon this solution ages ago. It’s okay. I’m often the last one to the party. 

We all know that the most effective way to water seedlings is to mist them. Doing so keeps your seed starting mix from getting compacted and also prevents tiny, lightweight seedlings from being washed out of place by a stream of water. Usually, this means using a spray bottle of water, which is fine unless you have a lot of seedlings (like me) and you’re getting older (also like me). 

And that’s when I remembered those pump sprayers farmers use to apply pesticides. You pump air into them, and they emit a continuous spray of your solution. Well, I figured there’s no rule saying you couldn’t put plain old water in one, right? Right. No more pulling a trigger on a spray bottle 6,429 times.

Oh my gosh, this thing is life-changing and worth the $13ish I paid for it!

I hope you find today’s What’s Up Wednesday extra helpful. 

If you're struggling to understand what you should be looking for when choosing grow lights, this is an informative read.