Cheap 600 Watt HPS for fruiting peppers

[Bigmark]

Hello. I have 8 super hot plants in 3 gallon pots that I would like to cross and create a lot of seeds to grow out this summer. Would a cheap Amazon 600 watt HPS setup be sufficient for this purpose? I have used a 4 bulb T5 light to get them to where they are now, about 16" tall and nice and bushy. They all have numerous flowers forming, and I would like to start giving them more light. The space is a porch with some real light coming in about 6' x 6' total area. Any information would be much appreciated.

 

[Masher]

In a word yes, 1 600W HPS will work
 
lots of variables like plant sizes, hood size..vented vs open (get the largest possible)
 
room ventilation if enclosed (creates a ton of heat)
 
airflow around the plants
 
 
 
 

 

[NeedsWork]

In a word yes, 1 600W HPS will work
 
lots of variables like plant sizes, hood size..vented vs open (get the largest possible)
 
room ventilation if enclosed (creates a ton of heat)
 
airflow around the plants

 
+1
 
I made the switch last year.  The light was probably 50% of the cost. 
 
Temperature sensor for heating / cooling 
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Pre-Wired-Temperature-Controller-Homebrewing/dp/B01FTNL4DE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1485472204&sr=8-15&keywords=temp+controller
 
Inline fan to extract humidity from the room (plan your ducting)
https://www.amazon.com/Active-Air-400-Inline-6-Inch/dp/B00KWYJQYA/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1485472255&sr=8-9&keywords=inline+fan
 
Fan controller so you don't have a turbine spooling at night.
https://www.amazon.com/Active-Air-ACSC-Speed-Adjuster/dp/B007TFTITS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485472274&sr=8-1&keywords=inline+fan+controller
 
Large fan to move air around
 
Flexible ducting
 
Timers / extension cords / zip ties to organize everything
 
Do you want any light proofing?  A tent might be the easiest option.
 
After all of that, I would go 1000W because you will want to expand.

 

[eternalsoil]

Are you wanting the current plants to produce pods that you can harvest seeds to grow out this year?
Or trying to cross them this year and grow out the seeds next year?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[Bigmark]

Thanks Guys! Great tips! Eternalsoil, I want to cross my current plants and produce pods with seeds to plant by the end of April. I started some seeds last year in the middle of May and still had some mature pods by the end of September.

 

[Biggy]

If do plan on expanding I would recommend the dual 600 watt ballast. I have some from Lumatek and Nanolux. They both run off of 120 or 240v. 600w will do 5'-6' square

 

[millworkman]

You dont NEED HID lights for fruit.  They help because they are the most efficient outside of LED.  But your plants will fruit just fine under fluoros.

 

[Bigmark]

I went ahead and bought a Vivosun 600w HPS/MH through Amazon. I love Amazons free 2 day shipping. Should arrive tomorrow. Only cost $139, and is both HPS and MH and comes with both bulbs. I can use the MH in the spring when I start up the next generation of plants. I was going to put pics on here but can't figure out how. lol

 

[Driel]

I use a 400w for starting plants before taking them outdoors but have used a flowering bulb to continue harvesting when fall comes early around here. The bigger the better (600w,1000w) if you have the indoor space. Also depending on where you live and what power consumption costs, a more expensive LED light may actually save you money in the long run but you can't go wrong with HID lights.