Bought a cheap grow light for my basement seedlings, total waste of $40

I picked up a $40 LED grow light off Amazon to start my tomato seeds indoors this spring. After three weeks the seedlings were all leggy and pale, and I realized the light was only putting out like 200 lumens. Anyone found a solid budget grow light that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_walker7614d ago

Exactly the same thing happened to me. Picked up a cheap Amazon light and my seedlings looked like sad little strings. @christopher_wells4 you nailed it with that shop light idea. I swapped to a basic 4-foot LED shop light from the hardware store. Cost me maybe $35 and it puts out way more light. My tomatoes actually stayed short and thick this time. The cheap grow lights are just traps for beginners honestly. Stick with something that lists real lumen numbers, not just Kelvin.

the_robin22d ago

What color temperature Kelvin rating did that cheap light have?

christopher_wells422d ago

The "color temperature" thing is key here... I bet that cheap light was like 6500K but with almost no actual output. I grabbed a similar $40 Amazon special last year and my seedlings looked like they were reaching for the sun. Ended up switching to a simple shop light with a higher lumen count and it worked way better. For tomatoes, you really need something pushing at least 2000 lumens per square foot or they'll just stretch out on you.