overwintering Grow/overwintering room

looks good!    But I think I need lots more light and more area. I got 5-3' plants a couple dozen 1 gal potted plants and will need room for next seasons starts.
 
HP22BH said:
looks good!    But I think I need lots more light and more area. I got 5-3' plants a couple dozen 1 gal potted plants and will need room for next seasons starts.
T5's then.
 
I get 4 flats of seedlings up to 18" or so tall on a 6 tube T5. (18X4 3.5" pots)
I'll get 6 to 8 pots of overwinters 3' + under the ghetto CFL.
 
willard3 said:
The extra electrical cost of operating cfl's  vs  HID will eat your equipment savings in less than one crop cycle..
I have given this some thought and have reconsidered my position on CFL vs HPS or MH.
 
 
This is one of two rack systems I will be using to support the pepper plants. dimensions are 77"x72"x30".I am thinking of enclosing the rack with some form of sheet structure and mylar. With that in mind, what would my best options be for utilizing HPS or MH? 1 -1000 watt?  2 -400 watt?
 
rack%20system.jpg
 
I run a similar setup...and made a room out of silver sided insulation sheathing...I run CFLs Also here are a couple pics of my setup.
 
IMG_0655.jpg

 
IMG_0660.jpg

 
IMG_1433_zps31c50242.jpg

I ran the 4' strip down the center and sandwiched it between 2 shop lights for the top shelf...
 
gallery_5729_82_555246.jpg

This is the setup for the bottom shelf...
 
gallery_5729_82_1192302.jpg

 
Works very well, but you need to get them close to the plant tops....good luck with your setup! Looking forward to the pics once its all done!
P1020742.jpg
 
That 1000 watt light is a great idea, but overkill for your rack systems. You would be better off with a couple of 150 or 250 watt HID setups for those shelving units. Now if you changed your setup to a large open area 7'x7' then the 1000 watt light will be perfect. 
 
From another thread I wrote that MH bulbs were putting out 100 lumens/watt. and I think the magic number for plants inside is 2000 lumens /sq.ft at a minimum. Doing some math will tell you what size bulb you need for your setup. 
 
stc3248 said:
I run a similar setup...and made a room out of silver sided insulation sheathing...I run CFLs Also here are a couple pics of my setup.
 
IMG_0655.jpg

 
IMG_0660.jpg

 
IMG_1433_zps31c50242.jpg

I ran the 4' strip down the center and sandwiched it between 2 shop lights for the top shelf...
 
gallery_5729_82_555246.jpg

This is the setup for the bottom shelf...
 
gallery_5729_82_1192302.jpg

 
Works very well, but you need to get them close to the plant tops....good luck with your setup! Looking forward to the pics once its all done!
P1020742.jpg
Not entirely commited, but curious enough to ask. what did the aluminized insulation cost per sheet and how does the reflective properties hold up. I am trying to avoid as much trial and error as I can. mylar would run about $80.00 for a 100' roll (I can get smaller rolls at more $ per foot). and I would still need some form of rigid backing.
 
Incidently, I may have a rather large lighting requirement. 5- 3 gal potted plants @ about 3' tall and upwards of 3 dozen 1 gal potted plants and that doesnt include 2014 starts which could be rather heavy. Thats why getting the light right the first time is important. I would have roughly 30 sq feet of area to illuminate. I am thinking of maybe putting both racks back to back and creating a 60x72 growing area on the bottom and then placing the HPS light just below the very top shelf to provide the temps I need for a germination shelf.
Jeff H said:
That 1000 watt light is a great idea, but overkill for your rack systems. You would be better off with a couple of 150 or 250 watt HID setups for those shelving units. Now if you changed your setup to a large open area 7'x7' then the 1000 watt light will be perfect. 
 
From another thread I wrote that MH bulbs were putting out 100 lumens/watt. and I think the magic number for plants inside is 2000 lumens /sq.ft at a minimum. Doing some math will tell you what size bulb you need for your setup. 
Thats why I considered the dimmable unit. capabilities of a full 1000 watt output reducable by 50%.
 
That stuff was pretty cheap...about $6 per 4x8 sheet. Still as shiny as it was to start with. There are a couple types and different thicknesses, the styrofoam filled was cheapest and I went with 5/8".
 
Not too bad a price if you can keep the grow area relatively small. however, looks like all my plans have changed. I may scrap using the racks and go to the floor and increase grow area to 100sq ft. I may just use the racks for seedlings under t5s.
 
Browning said:
Maybe it's just me but that setup above just screams fire waiting to happen
 
millworkman said:
Individual powerstrips are generally rated at 1500watts or higher and the splitters are 660 or higher. Each strip is really only pushing 200 max with that setup. No issues.
 
There is some heat generated...but it really isn't bad. You can touch a 23w CFL with your hand and not get burned. They're cool enough that even when a plant grows up into the lights...they don't really get damaged...maybe a slight discoloration if I let them stay there for a day or two. I run the top and bottom shelf on alternating 11.5 hr light cycles with half hour breaks in between. I run clip on fans on each shelf and there is an oscillating tower fan running constant. They're run off a 15A GFI outlet which offers some extra protection if there is a watering accident (which is the biggest hazard). Each power strip also functions as a breaker in this setup also...
 
With one shelf going and no fan the temp inside stays about 90 degrees at night and 95 degrees by day with the fan and vent holes open...around 80 to 85. The setup works very well...and grows plants very quickly.
 
Back to your solution HP22...probably two HPS systems in a room that size for good coverage, but one would keep them going and the ones centered under it would do very well. You could put your OW plants around the perimeter to just keep them alive with your new ones underneath to get them up and running. Good luck can't wait to see the finished room!!! Wish I could move inside out of the garage!
 
Thx stc, 
 
2 HPS systems? Man that would really be pushing it. I was lucky to get my wife to agree to one and at $400.00 a pop, I really dont think two is going to get any blessings anytime soon. Besides that I was told to expect $80.00 a month increase in electric bill from just 1- 1000watt unit. I still thik that is high but time will tell. The reflector I am considering is supposed to be good for 10x10 area which is 90% of the room.
 
OK,
Got my light Monday night, assembled the reflector and hung it temporarily from a cross beam on one of my shelving units. I fired it up to get an ides of the footprint from the height it was at and to get an idea what the levels of intensity at each adjustable setting.
 
Still clearing floor space and watching the weather report to stay ahead of a frost. Concerned about white flies. They are here, but not an epidemic. I don't want to bring them in the house. Maybe I should place an order for some lady bugs.
 
  I think upgrading to a 4' reflector was a good idea. I don't have a light meter to get an accurate read on the coverage, but it looks really good.
 
Hey man! I grow my peppers exclusively indoors. I would love to see a picture of your set up! I run 1x1000 watt MH in my veg chamber. I have 2x600 watt HPS in my flower room. I think youll be very happy with your investment in a HID light! :D
 
HydroFyre said:
Hey man! I grow my peppers exclusively indoors. I would love to see a picture of your set up! I run 1x1000 watt MH in my veg chamber. I have 2x600 watt HPS in my flower room. I think youll be very happy with your investment in a HID light! :D
 
 
You sir, have a high electric bill. :D
 
HydroFyre said:
Hey man! I grow my peppers exclusively indoors. I would love to see a picture of your set up! I run 1x1000 watt MH in my veg chamber. I have 2x600 watt HPS in my flower room. I think youll be very happy with your investment in a HID light! :D
Dayum. I'm growing two plants under a 400W HPS. Jealous of your equipment, not of your electric bill. Also, I don't know how much experience you have growing cannabis, but peppers don't need a veg/flower room or any change at all in spectra. Peppers tend to veg and flower continuously if they're happy.
 
Yeah the electric bill isn't something that the casual grower wants. However I own a Hydro store here in ABQ. So all these plants are just being prepped to become displays in our stores functional grow rooms. The grows bring a inflated electric bill, however having a bunch of beautiful plants for my customers to come in and look at is worth the few hundred dollars.
 
Cheers!
 
HydroFyre said:
Hey man! I grow my peppers exclusively indoors. I would love to see a picture of your set up! I run 1x1000 watt MH in my veg chamber. I have 2x600 watt HPS in my flower room. I think youll be very happy with your investment in a HID light! :D
I will post a pic as soon as I get things set up. I have an 8' t8 light strip that I have to move tonight to make room for the HPS light.
Regarding electric consumption, when I built the room I brought 2 legs in from the main breaker. I could convert the ballast to 220 and reduce my usage dramatically.
 
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