Plant Light Guide

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Grow lights for shelves and glass cabinets

A glass cabinet or a bare shelf is the job LED bars are good at. The light runs along the plants, the fitting is slim, and you can add a second bar without filling the room with lamps. People often do this in IKEA glass cabinets (Milsbo, Rudsta, Fabrikor and the like). The method is the same for any cupboard with a door and a shelf: measure, mind the heat, and do not drill a rented wall.

Measure the inside, not the catalogue photo

Ignore the name of the cabinet and measure the interior width and the gap from the shelf to the underside of the next shelf, with the pots in place. A bar has to be shorter than the width so the end cap and the lead can turn. A 60 cm shelf is a common match for a bar sold as 2 ft. If your measurement is 45 cm, a 2 ft bar will not fit, however neat it looked in the photo.

We haven't tested this kit. Specifications are as the maker states them (checked 13 November 2026).

Two listings checked on 13 November 2026, both Barrina T5 packs the maker calls full spectrum:

"Linkable up to 16" is that maker's limit for those listings. Stay inside the number printed on the model you buy. One chain, one plug, one timer. A second chain needs its own socket, not a cube of adapters.

Magnetic tape is useful on a steel shelf and useless on glass or wood. The listings also include clips and adhesive. Adhesive can mark a finish, and it fails on dusty or greasy surfaces. The maker says to avoid uncured plaster, dust, grease and rough surfaces.

Heat and humidity in a closed box

Glass holds warmth and moisture. A bar is cooler than a bulb, which is why it is the format for a cabinet, but "cooler" is not "cold". Put a cheap thermometer on the shelf for an afternoon. If the cabinet climbs well above the room, shorten the photoperiod or leave the door ajar.

Condensation on the glass and mould on the compost are the other half of a closed cabinet. Vent it. Breezewold's humidity notes explain how to read a humidity figure against temperature, and the ventilation and dehumidifier pages are there if the room, not just the cabinet, is wet. A grow light does not fix a damp flat.

Cables, renting, and not drilling

Route the lead through a gap the cabinet already has, often at the back or where the door closes, without pinching it. A pinched lead is a fire risk, not a tidy compromise.

If you rent, do not drill the cabinet, the wall or the window frame unless you have permission in writing. Clips, the supplied tape, and a free-standing shelf are the no-drill routes. Adhesive cable clips can hold a lead along a shelf edge. They can also pull a finish off when you leave. Assume you will make good any mark.

Do not daisy-chain extension leads to reach the cabinet. One suitable lead, then the timer, then the lamp plug. Longer runs and lead ratings are a Plankley cable-size question. This page does not describe fixed wiring.

For a single open shelf that is really a windowsill, a bulb may still be simpler. The format guide and the shelf tool both start from the measurements rather than from the cabinet's brand.