Upgrade Your Basic Plant Shelf With A PVC Lighting DIY

Do you have a basic plant shelf in your home where you display your treasured houseplants? Why not consider upgrading this into a supercharged growing station with a very simple lighting DIY? This will allow you to use a grow light to turn your diminutive plants into a jungle of foliage. Or, you could even convert this shelf into a salad table by growing some of your favorite greens. For inspiration, take a look at the range of plants that are perfect for starting a garage garden, as these can also be grown on your plant shelf once you install a grow light. But how do you attach the light to your plant shelf in such a way that your plants get the most benefit?

The answer can be found at your local hardware or plumbing supplies store, which consists of standard PVC pipe and a few joiners like elbows, end caps, and t-sections. PVC pipe is such an easy, inexpensive product to work with, and with a little imagination, it can be turned into all sorts of useful items, including a handy stand to hang your grow light. The only other things you'll need are a pipe cutter or hacksaw, and something to hang the light with such as thin wire, garden twine or zip ties. You could even cut up an old wire coat hanger to fashion some hooks. And, if you don't already have a plant shelf, you can turn PVC pipes into a creative storage shelving unit with another simple DIY.

While you can find plans for suitable stands online or follow along with what TikToker @_lordsaint has done, the easiest way to make a stand is to grab a piece of PVC pipe and cut it up into the required lengths. You'll want a long piece for the top, two shorter pieces that will form the uprights, and four even shorter pieces to create the base. Join two of the shortest pieces using a t-piece, similar to the 3/4-Inch PVC 3-Way Tee Fittings Connector, then do the same with the other two pieces. Insert the uprights into the open part of the t-piece and use some elbows, like 3/4-Inch 90-Degree PVC Elbow Fittings, to connect the uprights to the longest section. You're basically creating a frame with a base section, providing stability for your stand as it sits on top of your shelf. Then, it's just a case of attaching the lighting, and you're ready to turn it on. If you don't already have one, you might want to explore the best grow lights for indoor plants, according to reviews.

Now, you could simply stick with this plain and functional setup, or you could get a little more creative and give your light stand a more decorative look. For example, you might prefer to spray paint the pipes a color to match your interior decor or add other embellishments. Why not raid your craft cupboard to see what you can find? Some nice wide ribbon wrapped around the pipes would look good, or maybe forest green crepe paper you can glue into place.