• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

overwintering Enough light to grow to fruit in winter?

DelawareDave

DelawareDave

Ok, I know these are tomatoes so you have to use your imagination a bit... :) but would a 400w MH HID light be enough supplemental light to grow 6 or 8 pepper plants to fruit in the middle of winter? That is a 9 foot glass sliding door facing directly south. I live in zone 7A so days are short in winter. Also how high above plants would I want the light since its just supplemental? Thanks
 
It could be done, but.
Light is only one necessary element that you would need to accomplish what you seek.
The first important question that you are going to be faced with is what peppers do you have in mind. That answer will determine the correct requirements needed.
 
I may be wrong but I feel like I should be able to squeeze a little more out of this set up then if I was in a NO sun light situation. That window even in December gets 3-4 hours direct sunlight, and a few more hours indirect, and I plan to run the HID light 16 hours. The tomatoes you see were started in December and just supplemented with 18 hour of light from the 3 - 24w cfl's. They grew not leggy at all (well for tomatoes) also set and ripened a few dozen tomatoes.
 
Nice tomatoes. And you would probably get as nice Jalapenos. But if you were wanting to grow 6-8 brainstrains or Butch T's, I dont think you will fare as well. Your super hot peppers are going to need heat as well as light. 400w hps is not the issue. As a matter of fact its just dandy. Temp on the other hand is.
 
Something along this line would/ should solve your heat issues and make the most of your light. You wouldn't even need to be by the window either. This one runs about 300.00. There are smaller units too.
 
20150511_182540.jpg
 
I have plants set pods in nothing but a south window at room temperature.  Not a lot, not huge, but some.  So I think the answer is yes it will work.  Thinking the real question is how well will it work.  Answers on how many lums per square foot and lighting distance are easily found by googling the term 'sea of green'.  Although usually used for growing something else, reading about it gives much knowledge of artificial lighting for maximum growth.

 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top