Wishlist: Grow Light Upgrade

Now that winter temperatures have finally arrived in North Texas, the plants that I intend to shelter indoors have settled into their new home in the garage and on my window sill.

I’ve had a combination of LED shop lights made by Lights of America and iPower red-white-blue LED tube with stand to start seeds and grow plants indoor.

On my potting bench, doubling as my seed starting rack, I also have a total of 4 heat mats, to keep my seedlings and starter plants cozy. I recently had to re-purchase an Inkbird temperature controller, and threw in a humidity controller.

Two-for-one deal at Amazon

I went ahead and also splurged on a 4ft 10-outlet power strip that I attached to the back of the potting bench, and some wifi-enabled Wyze smart plugs to which the lights are connected.

Sooo many mouths to feed

I’m debating if new-tech LED panels versus T5 fluorescents are the way to go for starting and sustaining plants indoors. In the cold conditions of a garage in winter, a fluorescent light fixture might emit enough warmth to keep temperatures tolerable for mature plants, but cook young seedlings. On the other hand, LEDs remain cool enough to be useful in seed starting and can emit full spectrum light, but tend to be higher in starting costs. Longevity and efficiency are also considerations, since fluorescent will use up more electricity and need bulb replacement more frequently.

I have a 77″ tall rolling wire rack ordered which I plan to outfit with lights and store the remainder of my potted plants in order to reclaim some floor space. But finding a grow light to suit the space, budget and light requirements is daunting. I’ve spent days scrolling through the internet reading articles and watching videos on the subject of grow lights; a search that often boils down to which camp you belong to: commercial horticultural operations or cannabis grower. Anything that caters to an indoor plant hobbyist or small scale/home gardener almost always tends to be of low or budget quality.

Can I get by with $15 Walmart lights? I have successfully germinated seeds with the existing light setup I have, but I’m wondering if I can start them faster, stronger, better? Stay tuned!

Afflicted Lavender

I fear I’ve lost my best, most floriferous lavender this year. Despite that I’ve potted up all of my specimens, my fernleaf lavender which I started from a 4″ starter plant thrived in potted conditions and more than quadrupled in size.

Unfortunately, I’ve been rotating the lavenders in and out of the house as temperatures permit. But lately, they’ve been residing in low light conditions in my kitchen.

I didn’t keep a close eye on the fernleaf lavender. I soon discovered that it was swathed in cobwebs, and the tips began to show browning/greying. After some research, I determined that the plant was likely infested with spider mites. While it was suggested to spray the plant off, the cold temperatures turned me off  the idea.

I took the drastic step of hard pruning the plant down to the surface, then placed it–along with the rest of the potted lavenders–in the garage under grow lights.

Off with your head!

I watered the plant with a light nitrogen solution (i.e. Clonex) and am crossing my fingers that the lavender will spring back from this shock.

Growing Fenugreek

Fenugreek is an annual herb used for its seeds and leaves in Indian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. I came across this herb in my attempts to perfect a butter chicken recipe. Its seeds are a base spice in garam masala, a complex spice blend used in curries and marinades.

Fenugreek has been used throughout antiquity as a spice and in medicine. It is so ubiquitous in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, that the only thing I haven’t seen it used in is dessert.

In my kitchen I tend to add the dried leaves and toasted ground seeds to rubs and curries. However most kitchens will have difficulty accessing this spice unless they have a local Asian market that sells it. It’s not something you find readily at your local grocery store.

I learned of an easy way to produce my own fenugreek. Turns out fenugreek can be easily sprouted from fresh seeds sold in the spice trade.

I picked up a packet of seeds from Amazon in 2016, broadcasted the seeds in a pot, watered, and waited for the sprouts. The seeds remain viable for a long time as long they are stored in optimal condition.

I plan on using the sprouts as a garnish in salads. As soon as weather turns warmer, I may try to grow it in the garden and see how well it does in Texas summers. Hopefully I’ll be able to produce my own seeds to fill up my spice rack.

More Stone Please

Just as winter brought a chill to the air, our pandemic water feature project gained another ton of rocks. It seems we won’t be finished with this yard crash this year.

We had the finish line in sight when a flow test revealed that the waterfall just didn’t produce a significant amount of noise. At least not enough to drown out some road noise. Now while the slow flow was part of the original design, I convinced the DH that we needed a bigger waterfall.

So the plan is to erect a taller falls behind the original, which necessitated removal of the newly planted lorapetalum tree.

Spillway, pump and PVC tubing are on order from Amazon; now it’s just a matter of agreeing on the placement of the falls and the actual construction work. However, with this winter weather, we feel less inclined to work outside.