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sun Cfls v a sunny window

Swampy_NZ

Swampy_NZ

I was going to start off my peppers under lights(CFLs) then shift outside to a greenhouse when things warm up(Beginning of winter here in Newzealand)
I am now thinking of starting them off in a large sunny window that gets good sun during winter,maybe a four level stadium style system.
Will the plants grow better in the window during winter or be better off under 24hr cfls.
Any advice appreciated. :) 
 
Good question, Im sure there are pro's and con's to both.
 
I do know a couple of things though from my personal experience...
 
One is my plants are doing great on the window sill (perhaps our lack of ozone helps?)
 
The second thing I know is that a couple of years back my brother decided he would try to grow some things indoors...I ended up with a $400 power bill that month, up from about $150..
Never again! 
 
nzchili said:
Good question, Im sure there are pro's and con's to both.
 
I do know a couple of things though from my personal experience...
 
One is my plants are doing great on the window sill (perhaps our lack of ozone helps?)
 
The second thing I know is that a couple of years back my brother decided he would try to grow some things indoors...I ended up with a $400 power bill that month, up from about $150..
Click to expand...
It was seeing your plants that made me do the rethink.
What date did you plant yours?
 
I have had good luck with both fluorescent and natural sunlight. The plants under the fluorescent lights grew shorter and stockier with less space between leaves. The window sill plants grew taller but they were very healthy and not lanky. 
 
Swampy_NZ said:
It was seeing your plants that made me do the rethink.
What date did you plant yours?
Click to expand...
 
Errmmm, I posted an update in my Glog on the 26/3/2014 and the two Jonah's only had their coty's. The jonah;s are the two biggest ones in the pics you saw.
 
According to my glog the butch T - (which is the smallest in the pics) was a hook on april the 2nd..
I may have taken the pics a bit before i updated the glog..not sure.
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/44968-first-year-growing-peppers/
 
At seedling stage the more light the better.
Cfls willl give you advantage for both light hours (16/8 cycle is more than enough) and constant conditions (cloudy days...).

Cya

Datil
 
I prefer to start with CFL's, starting on windowseal will lead to tall leggy seedlings in my experience.  Once you get some good growth and the seedlings are strengthened I move some to windowseal for some natural sunlight.  
 
I guess it all depends on your room and growing capabilities, I was simply running out of room so I tend to transfer some to windowseal for that reason. 
 
I also start mine off under CFL's and T5's and then move to sunlight when the seedlings are strong enough and have a few sets of leaves. New Zealand winter is giving us freezing nights, but sunny days so I reckon they will do well in the windowsill indoors once they are have few leaves.

Sorry guys,
 
I guess I should introduce myself as I have been lurking and reading for some time already.
I have been growing peppers for about 3 years now down in beautiful New Zealand and I am increasing the amount of plants I grow each year despite telling myself and my wife I will be concentrating on fewer plants this year !
After a pretty heartbreaking grow season last year I decided to get a really early start indoors this year and have a bunch of seedlings germinating. And more seeds about to be put down when they finally arrive.
I have also just completed my second sauce recipe, a BBQ sauce that really warms the heart and other areas in this chilly weather. I have had many compliments on both my sauces by those who can eventually speak again after testing it.
Got a bigger greenhouse I am building this weekend so all my babies should be safe from the nasty frosts that have started up here.
I am also finally experimenting with hydroponics on some plants this year after seeing phenomenal results from some friend's efforts with chili plants.
 
I had a lot more success with CFLs than natural (winter) light. The days are way  too short for seedlings and the light is too.
 
Also, you don't need 24h. I think 16h is fine. I tried 18h and 16h and didn't find any noticeable difference. Some people even suggest 15h. I am not saying 24h is bad, but there is just no need for it.
 
In the windowstill you can grow them for free, but they will grow MUCH slower. If this isn't an issue for you (don't know how long your winter is, or rather how long until plant out time), then go for it...
 
Ideally you would have the CFLs pointing at your plants for the desired amount of time per day WHILE the plants sit on a sunny window. The CFLs are actually supplemental light.
 
Ok,thanks for the advice.
Looks like I will start off under cfls then move on from there as its pretty gloomy here at the moment. 
 
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