lighting 2 questions about plants under lights

[tjg911]

my 4 fatali plants are under a shop light and about 3" tall but over 4" wide, started on 9/25.

the lower 2 sets of leaves have not grown for weeks, i assume the canopy is blocking the light. should i cut the 2 lower sets of leaves off or just leave them?

at each leaf stem coming off the main stalk i see a small bump. i assume this is new leaf buds?

thanks.

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

Light needs to be close, and if it's too cool, they really come to a halt...

 

[tjg911]

Light needs to be close, and if it's too cool, they really come to a halt...

but what about the lower 2 sets of leaves? cut or leave them? and the bumps?

 

[AlabamaJack]

the lower leaves will "self-prune" when they are ready

 

[bushwhackxj]

yeah, the bump is where the new growth and flower pods come from, and the first set of leaves usually called "seed leaves" will probably dry up and fall off when they arent needed anymore. they basically get the plant started. So i'd leave them on until they are dried up. by that time the plant should have enough new growth to be happy.

 

[Kappy]

I like to snip off those leaves after more leaves have developed on top just so that time and energy isn't used to support those little bottom leaves but more energy can be spent on developing the top leaves. The bumps are new growth, so I like to nip the leaves right after the little bump. Everyone has their own methods just gotta find one that works for you ^^

Good luck with the grow!

 

[PIC 1]

I agree with AJ, let them be.
One reason ,.. I can monitor if there's extreme watering problems...when over-watering you'll notice yellowing in the lower leaves. Or when the plants are screaming for water they'll wilt 1st.
Although most of my plants still have their "cotledon's" on when I move them outdoors. That's after 4 months of strong indoor light. I know that the watering issue isn't a big deal for most people. Between the amount I grow, staggered interval plantings, different size containers, various lighting, I need to monitor every day, usually twice. Larger containers need to be watered less often, smaller pots more often and are usually bottomed watered. So for me monitoring the lower leaves pays off ($$$) in the long run...

Greg

 

[willard3]

Find a book to read and leave the plant alone, it's doing what millions of years of evolution are telling it to do.
Obsessive fooling with it may kill it.

 

[tjg911]

typically i remove the seed leaves and then lower leaves as they are less important when new upper level leaves grow. this applies to all the various plants i start from seed. i considered removing the lower leaves as it makes it easier to water at the base without the seed leaves and the 1st 2 sets of leaves, that's a total of 6 (small) leaves. the upper leaves on the peppers are large! the lower leaves that i'm talking about can't be getting much if any light with the canopy these 4 plants have now. i'll leave them alone since in nature no one would be messing with the leaves but then in nature no one would be putting them in the windowsill when the sun's out or under shop lights!

i have watered from the top but sparingly, very sparingly. i only water on sunday and thursday. today i upped the water for each plant from 1/4 cup of water to 3/8 cup (1/4 cup + half of another 1/4 cup). plants are a very healthy green and look amazing, if it was late april i'd be all set. no fertilizer has been used and none will be until april or may.

this is an interesting experiment and frankly fun to be nurturing small plants that look almost ready for the garden in late nov/early dec! i never grow vegetables at this time of year, the last seeds were started back in early august for fall harvest of cabbages. i don't have any plants seeded until early feb when i start onions. by mid feb i them in the windowsill and by the 3rd week they are in the basement under a shop light so this is really weird to have these peppers not to mention i have never started peppers from seed. when i buy my sweet and hot peppers in mid may they are already for the garden so i don't see them growing.

i am also surprised at how different hot pepper plants look so different from sweet pepper plants. sweets are taller with leaves spread out not closely spaced on the stem whereas hots are short and squat with dense leaves closely spaced on the stem. when i bought my fatali and hab last may i thought the leaves looked evil, crinkled and wrinkled! they made me think of poison ivy even tho poison ivy leaves don't look like hot pepper leaves but there's that evil look they have!