Hello Mutineers! If you’ve followed us here on the website or on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, you know that I like to share the things we actually use around Mutiny Ranch. Since our interests are diverse these items range from animal care to gardening implements but also footwear and kitchen gadgets. No matter what the item is though if we recommend it here then we personally own and use it or have researched it enough to have it on our “wishlist”.
In honor of seed starting season (at least for us in zones 7 and colder) I’m starting off with my favorite grow lights. I’ve been using Barrina LED Lights for 3 years and have zero complaints. They were brought to my attention through a podcast and further research in various gardening forums showed just how popular they are these days.
If you’ve ever balked at starting a seedling grow area indoors because the grow lights you’ve seen cost more than your car payment then keep reading…
Barrina LED Lights are very economical and dependable. After much research, I learned that full-spectrum lights aren’t really necessary to sprout seedlings. So, my first purchase in March of 2018 was these Super Bright White Barrina LED T5 Lights. And they’ve done an exceptional job especially considering the $49 or less price point for a 6-pack of 4-foot lights.
You can read my blog post here to see exactly how I set up my Seedling Grow Rack.
I’ve since purchased 3 more sets of Barrina LED Lights. In 2020 I splurged on a 6-pack of Barrina Full-Spectrum Plant Lights to see if my plants were really missing out on anything. Since I grow mostly lettuce and greens indoors year-round I’ve found that the difference between my super brights and full-spectrum lights doesn’t necessarily justify spending double…although some of my fancy lettuces lack the coloration they would normally get from natural sunlight (things like Marvel Bibb and Red Romaine). But at $99 per set of 6 full-spectrum grow lights (in the 4-foot length) is still way cheaper than many of the grow lights I’ve priced. The only thing I don’t like about this set is that they give off that telltale pinkish/purple light….#1- My grow rack is in my yoga room/office and I find the pink light annoying and #2- You pretty much have to pull the plants out from under the pink light and into white (or natural) light to see what color they really are when checking on their health.
This past January 2021 I purchased an additional set of grow lights but opted for the Barrina Full-Spectrum LED Greenhouse Lights that appear yellow (not pink like many grow lights). These are (at the time I purchased) the same price as the pink lights ($99 for a 6 pack of 4-foot length lights). I’m currently in process of testing them out to compare how they work for both my Kratky Hydroponics lettuce and seed starting.
We also purchased an 8-pack set of the Barrina Super Bright White LED Lights to use for lighting in the barn and in Clark’s shop (we put 4 in each building). They also work great as under-counter lighting!
All of the sets can be daisy-chained so that you can potentially free up outlets. It’s a quick, easy and inexpensive way to add really bright light to any area from garages and barns to kitchens and patios. Although these links will take you to the exact sets we purchased in the 4-foot lengths, Barrina offers other lengths as well to fit your situation.
As always, we sincerely appreciate it when you use our links to make purchases through Amazon. As Amazon Affiliates we may earn a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you. This money goes toward our rescue animals’ upkeep as well as to help assist the rescues of other animals.
Leave A Reply