With the changing season, my Poblano plants are now getting less sun due to the shade of my neighbor's house. Reasoning that demolishing my neighbor's house was not likely to promote neighborhood unity, I was wondering if a grow light could replace some of the photons needed by the plants.
So, I purchased a GE grow light bulb (the one for flowering and fruiting), put it in a clamp-on light, and clamped it on the fence above the plants (~24" away). At first, I ran it for about 7 hours from about 9 am to 4 pm (mind you, the instructions for the light advise the user to run it for 12 hours at a distance of 18" from indoor plants). After a couple of days, the leaves on the upper branches of the plants displayed what I call "shrink-wrap syndrome" (SWS). Not dry, brown, and crispy, but withered, dark green, and pliable. The fruits displayed no adverse effects.
Applying my advanced powers of deduction, I came to suspect that the grow light contributed to SWS. I decided to cut back. I went to 4 hours total "on" time at 30 minute on/off cycles during the day. After a couple of days of that, there was more SWS. Standing back and looking at the plants from a couple yards away, one can see the "zone of withering" corresponding to distance from the light bulb. I discontinued photon therapy on the plants.
After a week of no therapy, the affected leaves look better, but not back to full volume. I'm back to looking for the most efficient way to raze my neighbor's house.
My ultimate goal is red Poblanos. Any ideas for achieving increased ripening are appreciated. Cheers!
So, I purchased a GE grow light bulb (the one for flowering and fruiting), put it in a clamp-on light, and clamped it on the fence above the plants (~24" away). At first, I ran it for about 7 hours from about 9 am to 4 pm (mind you, the instructions for the light advise the user to run it for 12 hours at a distance of 18" from indoor plants). After a couple of days, the leaves on the upper branches of the plants displayed what I call "shrink-wrap syndrome" (SWS). Not dry, brown, and crispy, but withered, dark green, and pliable. The fruits displayed no adverse effects.
Applying my advanced powers of deduction, I came to suspect that the grow light contributed to SWS. I decided to cut back. I went to 4 hours total "on" time at 30 minute on/off cycles during the day. After a couple of days of that, there was more SWS. Standing back and looking at the plants from a couple yards away, one can see the "zone of withering" corresponding to distance from the light bulb. I discontinued photon therapy on the plants.
After a week of no therapy, the affected leaves look better, but not back to full volume. I'm back to looking for the most efficient way to raze my neighbor's house.
My ultimate goal is red Poblanos. Any ideas for achieving increased ripening are appreciated. Cheers!
