I am looking to do my first indoor grow. I plan on growing 4-5 plants in 5 gallon grow bags. What is the recommended lighting for this? 400w, 600w? MH or HPS?
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lighting Lighting for indoor grow
- Thread starter Hucklebuck
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more is better
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/59972-light-math-questions/
1 chilli plant can get big enough take up all the room under 400w. 1000w for 2-5.. but that starts getting pretty expensive if you aren't growing a cash crop
of course you can trim them to whatever size you want to fit em all in there if that's what you want to do, probably don't need to go with 5 gallon bags if you will be trimming them a lot though.
see big plant:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/59972-light-math-questions/
1 chilli plant can get big enough take up all the room under 400w. 1000w for 2-5.. but that starts getting pretty expensive if you aren't growing a cash crop
of course you can trim them to whatever size you want to fit em all in there if that's what you want to do, probably don't need to go with 5 gallon bags if you will be trimming them a lot though.
see big plant:
Id do 2 4ft 8 bulb T5s.
I agree, that way their not all crowded under just one light and trying to fight for the lightjuanitos said:more is better
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/59972-light-math-questions/
1 chilli plant can get big enough take up all the room under 400w. 1000w for 2-5.. but that starts getting pretty expensive if you aren't growing a cash crop
of course you can trim them to whatever size you want to fit em all in there if that's what you want to do, probably don't need to go with 5 gallon bags if you will be trimming them a lot though.
see big plant:
if you use t5 it's much better to go with HO ballasts.
HPS are great but are somewhat expensive as far as upkeep and bulb replacement. T5HO bulbs last about a year each and do fine for peppers as long as you have enough of them. There's a pinned thread in this (Grow Tech) forum explaining lighting.
HPS are great but are somewhat expensive as far as upkeep and bulb replacement. T5HO bulbs last about a year each and do fine for peppers as long as you have enough of them. There's a pinned thread in this (Grow Tech) forum explaining lighting.
A 400w HPS lamp should be fine for an indoor grow if you keep it at 2 to 3 plants in such big rootsacks. Provide decent airflow and make sure it does not get to dry or moist indoors nor too hot and you're good to go
If I could do it over again, I would have started with a digital 1000w ballast that fires both MH and HPS. A big light is going to give you lots of pods, space to work, and room to expand your hobby later.
I also would have budgeted 2-3 times what I thought I was going to spend when I switched from tubes to HID. As Fertilizer mentioned, light is only one small part of the equation. If you get a big light, you will need a big fan to keep it cool and dry. All of the light in the world isn't going to help if your setup isn't balanced.
Happy growing! Lots of good info and great people on THP.
I also would have budgeted 2-3 times what I thought I was going to spend when I switched from tubes to HID. As Fertilizer mentioned, light is only one small part of the equation. If you get a big light, you will need a big fan to keep it cool and dry. All of the light in the world isn't going to help if your setup isn't balanced.
Happy growing! Lots of good info and great people on THP.
The cost per month of running an mh or hps just isn't justifiable to me for growing peppers. I've never used one, but heard that even a 600w can cost $100 to $150 per month. Is that true?
My 8 bulb T8 setup only costs me $19 per month to run 18hrs per day. And an 8 bulb T5HO would only cost me $36 per month at my local 15.2 cents per kWh.
My 8 bulb T8 setup only costs me $19 per month to run 18hrs per day. And an 8 bulb T5HO would only cost me $36 per month at my local 15.2 cents per kWh.
U)<now said:
I pay ~$0.11 per kw/hr which puts a 16 hour cycle of a 1000w/hr light around ~$1.76, or about $53 a month. If you factor in fans and other equipment, $75/month wouldn't be unreasonable. I run my light at night to keep the cooling cost down. It heats the adjacent space which keeps other plants alive through the winter. I try to justify it... but you are correct, you do have to pay to play.
Edit: But I don't have cable television
.6 * 15.2*18*30 = 50$ per month for a 600w hidU)<now said:
i have both setups and like the simplicity and raw power of the hid light vs t5. replacing 1 bulb vs 8 is much easier.. and a cheap replacement bulb is only 16$. and the light is smaller easier to hang.
if you want to go for efficiency you get a double ended 1000w hps.
Just an update.... I found that pic of the T5 growing to fruit. It was in this thread by Frogger -http://thehotpepper.com/topic/28857-quantum-badboy-t5ho/
Even so, I would still prefer to go LED for a few reasons, mainly being not replacing bulbs yearly at $40 to $80 per set and also the electricity savings.
Even so, I would still prefer to go LED for a few reasons, mainly being not replacing bulbs yearly at $40 to $80 per set and also the electricity savings.
I stumbled across the video of this plant... it's in a 160 liter (42 gallon) container and they harvested over 2400 pods off of it in one harvest... pretty crazy!juanitos said:more is better
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/59972-light-math-questions/
1 chilli plant can get big enough take up all the room under 400w. 1000w for 2-5.. but that starts getting pretty expensive if you aren't growing a cash crop
of course you can trim them to whatever size you want to fit em all in there if that's what you want to do, probably don't need to go with 5 gallon bags if you will be trimming them a lot though.
see big plant:
I would consider an indoor grow as plants started indoors and grown to maturity under artificial light or sunlight from a window. That's just my opinion if someone asked me what an indoor grow is.
Overwintering would be plants grown outdoors for the summer or grow season, then brought indoors and kept alive (might not see much growth indoors from outdoor plants for the first few months while they adjust to the different environment, ie: less light, different air temperature, etc.. some plants even drop leaves when brought indoors) Most people trim them back to almost nothing when they bring them in for the winter, and the plants go into a dormant stage and don't require much water either. I think some people only water once per month depending on any growth when overwintering. With strong enough lights, you can get them to continue to grow indoors through the winter though. Then the next spring or grow season, they go back outdoors for the season.
That's just my 2 cents. Other people may have more info.
Overwintering would be plants grown outdoors for the summer or grow season, then brought indoors and kept alive (might not see much growth indoors from outdoor plants for the first few months while they adjust to the different environment, ie: less light, different air temperature, etc.. some plants even drop leaves when brought indoors) Most people trim them back to almost nothing when they bring them in for the winter, and the plants go into a dormant stage and don't require much water either. I think some people only water once per month depending on any growth when overwintering. With strong enough lights, you can get them to continue to grow indoors through the winter though. Then the next spring or grow season, they go back outdoors for the season.
That's just my 2 cents. Other people may have more info.