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AJs 2010 Season Start

Mjdtexan said:
So, if I am reading you right, you have 69 lamp fixtures in a 4x4 box? I am assuming that you have all that wired up to its own little gang box and on a heavy switch and breaker? That would be to much for a regular light on/off switch that we are familiar with in the wall? I know I ask a lot of questions, sorry about that, I am just trying to wrap my brain around your box. To be honest, I think I could start a BUNCH of tomato plants like you do and sell everyone of them right here in my neighborhood
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Now youve done it. Now he is going o post up his electrician work.
 
cool...nope, I have three, six light, light bars from home depot that I payed $20 each for, so three bars times 6 bulbs = 18 bulbs @ ~ 2800 lumens each = 50,400 total lumens...

not gonna post the ragtag electrical work but I did use nomex to be sure it would handle the load...

you're welcome pappy...what you thinkin' about?
 
AlabamaJack said:
cool...nope, I have three, six light, light bars from home depot that I payed $20 each for, so three bars times 6 bulbs = 18 bulbs @ ~ 2800 lumens each = 50,400 total lumens...

not gonna post the ragtag electrical work but I did use nomex to be sure it would handle the load...

you're welcome pappy...what you thinkin' about?
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Now I am confused. I will work it out though. Going to Home Depot's site to see those light bars
 
picture is eaier

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if you notice there are 10 small bulbs and 8 large bulbs in these three fixtures...
 
Oh, ok. That splains it. I expect all those bulbs could raise the bill a bit. How come you chose those over HID? Cooler to run?
 
AlabamaJack said:
in this box, there are ten 27 watt Compact Fluorescents (100 Watt equivalent) and eight 42 watt Compact Fluorescents (150 Watt Equivalent)...

I am trying to balance the light between 5500K and 2700K color temperature...you need to learn about the color spectrum and what light from the spectrum the plants use...just google it...

the 27 watt bulb put outs 1400 Lumens of 5500K light (blue part of spectrum)

the 42 watt bulb puts out 2300 lumens if memory serves me correct at 2700K color temp (red part of spectrum)

so doing the math that gives me 14,000 lumens of blue light and 18,400 lumens of red light for a total of 32,400 lumens...there are 16 square feet in the box and it is lined with mylar so that is about 2000 lumens a square foot...from what I have heard, you need about 3000 lumens per square foot to sustain a full grown plant to pods...I can reach that if I put the 4 shop light fixtures back in there I took out....I had 4 standard shop lights in the box also...had 8 40 watt standard fluorescents in the 6500K color range....2325 lumens each...so that was another 18,600 lumens I took out...

IMO the 2000 Lumens per square foot is fine for seedlings...light is about 18" above...

in the event, I have a favorite plant that is not too tall....say 4', I can put the shop lights back in and get to 32,600 lumens of blue and 18,400 red total = 51,000 divided by 16 gets me to 3500 lumens/square foot....but I will be providing more blue than red and that ain't good for mature fruiting/flowering plants...you need more red....soooo....what I am going to have to do is one or two things...change the 6500K bulbs in the shop lights to a more red color...say 3000K....and each bulb will give me 3300 lumens so doin' the math, thats 26,400 lumens 3000K added to the 18,400 lumens 2700K (44,800 red light and 32,600 blue)....hmmmm 77,400 lumens in a 16 square foot box oughta be way more than needed...I can mix and match until I find the right combination...would really like about twice the red as blue for mature plants IMO...

I want some 42 watt CFLs that are blue but haven't been able to find them...dangit...just ordered 8 of them...so now I can bring my balance where I want it...cool...

dang, can I ramble or what....
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Boy, I love it when you ramble AJ. This is the first explanation of lighting I've read that actually makes sense - to me anyway. Now I'm off to look at lumens:lol:.

Thanks for the enlightenment!
 
DownRiver said:
Boy, I love it when you ramble AJ. This is the first explanation of lighting I've read that actually makes sense - to me anyway. Now I'm off to look at lumens:lol:.

Thanks for the enlightenment!
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lol...there are a lot of people on here that know a lot more about it than I do...I just' splained the part the I think I understand...but you are welcome.....

pappywith4 said:
I am going with the germination box and the first stage grow area I love it!!
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the grow box I built was originally (and still is) a place to get plants big before plantout...I can start plants in this thing in December and by the end of March, the plants look like....these Red Savina seeds were planted December 15th 2007 and this picture was taken on March 17th...so 3 months from seed planting...I didn't use it much last year since I had the greenhouse (2009) but am using it a lot this year...the second pc is 10 days later when I put them outside...I was only using standard shop lights for these plants - eight 40 watt T-12 daylight bulbs (6500K) @ 2325 lumens each (total lumens = 16,600 or a little more than 1000 lumens per square foot)...those fixtures are no longer in the box and only provided about (were the ones I took out)...I definitely expect to have better/bushier/large growth this year with the light being much stronger...

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Mjdtexan said:
AJ, did each piece that is hanging down from that track come as a seperate charge? Did that make sense?
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each of the light bars were 20 each...they are cheap...where they get you is the cost of the 42 watt CFLs...10 bucks each is a good price....

as far as raising the bill...dang right it raises it...right now I am running 606 watts 24/7, so that is 14.5 Kw/$1.90 per day...when I get the new 42 watt 6500s, it will increase to about $2.20 a day...

I include the cost of electricity in the cost of the seedlings I sell each spring...
 
like them better than the fluoros because they put out more lumens per watt than the T12 fluoros...plus I can "pack them tight" in a small space...haven't looked at the T8s or T5s and the up front cost was too much for HPS or MH...especially if you got a ballast that could be used for both...
 
Thank You for answering all of my questions. I think I could sell the heck out of Tomato plants if I keep them Heirloom. The little old ladies around here like to hear that "Heirloom" word when they are talkng about maters.
 
words of wisdom...if you do start to sell tomato plants, you will probably have to have a permit...I don't know about Houston, but they watch that stuff up here pretty close...AND start small...you don't want to do like I did...start and grow a bunch then end up throwing 200 away...
 
you got it....tax...I don't know what the allowable limit (if there is one) is that you can sell before having to have it, but I figured, why worry, get the state license...

as far as useful purposes...all the places I sell require you to have a tax number...

forgot to add...

I have been working in the growrage this morning getting ready for my transplanting...

here is a shot of the area...

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on the right, there are eight hundred 3.5 inch containers (green) and enough trays on the left to put them in...the container in the middle of the table has a very good grade potting soil I get from my local nursery...the solution made up in the 2.5 gallon container is a "recommended dosage" of Botanicare ProGrow and Liquid Karma (shown on the right along with measuring utensils and a couple of watering bottles)

once i get started transplanting it will take me a week to ten days to get done...figuring 40-60 a day...may get done quicker if I kick it up a notch...I like starting this early 'cause I really don't have to hurry to get things done...

one of the things I noticed was the trays I got for putting the pots in are too long for my shelving in my grow area so some modification is going to have to take place (wicked evil grin...the wife is going to freak)...

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I am going to have to make the grow area larger and since I am going to enlarge it, I am going to completely close it in with mylar on all surfaces...front will be hinged for access somehow...haven't got that far in the figurin' yet....will also have to add lighting...may just go with another 6 shop lights....

on a postive note...the size of the grow area right now will only support 360 seedlings and this expansion will allow me to seat 486 comfortably...
 
Yes, I've thought about the tax number thingy. I will probably skip that on the first year so that I can see what its going to be like. If I go a second year then I will get one of them there permit thingamabobs.
 
AJ, in your last set of pictures I see your germination station. What kind of material are your see-through windows made out of¿
 
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