AJs 2012 Season - A Pictorial Discussion

I am getting a one day jump on last season...today is my 2012 season start...

The Germinator has been cleaned, I am using new trays for seed starting and Hoffman's Seed Starting Mix as my grow media...

If any of you decide to use Hoffman's Seed Starting Mix, be patient, it takes as much as 24 hours pre-soak to get this light weight mix totally wet...I have said it before and I will say it again...this is the cleanest seed starting mix I have ever used....clean and light weight means better root growth IMO..

All circuits and systems are a go on the germinator...am stabilizing the temperature for the next 24 hours...as you can see, the upper box is about 93F and the lower box is 85F...I have to vent the top to let both chambers reach the same temperature...

something tells me this is going to be another hot summer....close to record heat again...so the season will go as mother wants it to...I am learning each year how to change my grow techniques and am adapting to North Texas...

hope you folks enjoy this thread...if anyone has any questions or comments, they are welcome...

 

[PIC 1]

Looking great A.J...........those will be ready in 30 days.
I'm starting to run out of room, as I need space under the lights for tomato starts. The weather forecasters said we were going to have the coldest winter in decades....."They were wong" said the Chinaman..........we've had 40+ days of over 40 degree weather so far this winter and the average amount is usually only a few days in the 40's. I'm hoping for an early spring to get some plants hardened off.

nice work Ronnie!

G

 

[patrick]

Running out of room in February?! Rookie ha!

Beautiful plants AJ, the leaves are huge.

 

[BakersPeppers]

Looking good boss I have to say you do "appear" to know what your doing over there, but the jury is still out on the final verdict! Ha Great lookin grow so far, keep it up!​

 

[AlabamaJack]

wow those look fantastic AJ. gives the rest of us something to aim for.

Thanks, now that I don't have that many plants, I can give more attention to things...

Wish the cold would leave now. Its raining alot here in houston and cold as usual.

***nodding head in agreement***

we got 2 1/2 yesterday and now it has "sunned up"

Looking very nice! I am tempted to take leave and drive cross country to my folks house just to take you up on the plant offer when you post them...well almost anyway.

If you are ever this way, please stop by...I probably will be at home tending peppers and scheming about what I need to do to improve...

Looking great A.J...........those will be ready in 30 days.
I'm starting to run out of room, as I need space under the lights for tomato starts. The weather forecasters said we were going to have the coldest winter in decades....."They were wong" said the Chinaman..........we've had 40+ days of over 40 degree weather so far this winter and the average amount is usually only a few days in the 40's. I'm hoping for an early spring to get some plants hardened off.

nice work Ronnie!

G

Thanks Greg...I am going to try and put these outside right at 30 days from now to start hardening them off...with plants this size already, I should get an early harvest before the summer heat hits...I predict another near-record or record year this year for heat...and dry probably, although we have gotten some measurable rain over he past 10 days or 2 weeks...our lake levels are coming up a bit, 2-3 feet and some close to 4...if we are gonna have a winter, it will have to come pretty quick...old man winter is running out of time....it's been very mild this year here too...I remember how warm it was Christmas when I was up there...

Your plants are looking very good too...I haven't started anything except peppers...I will probably buy tomato starts since I am only have about 25 tomato plants....unless...dammit, I am going to start some tomato seed right now...6 weeks ought to be just about right for tomato's...

Running out of room in February?! Rookie ha!

Beautiful plants AJ, the leaves are huge.

Yup...rookie I am (spoken in a Yoda voice) young Patrick...

thanks man...I like the leaves big too, but that usually means they need more light...but then again, they have been in the "slowgrow" area with less intense light...I probably will start seeing decrease in leaf size now that they are back in the growbox...

Looking good boss I have to say you do "appear" to know what your doing over there, but the jury is still out on the final verdict! Ha Great lookin grow so far, keep it up!​

Thanks....may not know what I am doin' Dale, but I am enjoyin' it....and you are right about the final verdict...lots of time for kaka to happen between now and December 1st....

 

[Davez Foodz]

AJ, AWESOME!!!

 

[Trippa]

Looking great aj. Quick question ....What's improved on your 7 pot/pod Jonah? ?

 

[AlabamaJack]

AJ, AWESOME!!!

ty, ty...

Looking great aj. Quick question ....What's improved on your 7 pot/pod Jonah? ?

have no idea...that was the name on the package I got from Chris...maybe he can say if he drops by this thread...

I have to put up a makeshift greenhouse thingy each year and every year, it has been different...I am making "mini" greenhouses this year...sheet of plywood on two saw horses sheet of plywood for the back 1/2 sheet plywood cut on diagonal for the ends and 6 mil visquene for the "top"...easy as pie....AND if I need to warm it...I got a couple of old markel strip heaters that will fill the bill...this will be cheap since I already have the plywood, sawhorses and visquene...probably what I will do today...temp is supposed to be up around 65F today and 70s the next three days plus the next 10 lows are in the 40s...it's time for these plants to get some sunshine...

I ordered another 100 6" "azalea" pots yesterday and am waiting on them..

 

[BakersPeppers]

was just giving you a hard time I know you know what your doing, just felt like poking u a little bit Thanks for the seeds BTW...they should be here any day im guessing

 

[Eephus Man]

.temp is supposed to be up around 65F today and 70s the next three days plus the next 10 lows are in the 40s...it's time for these plants to get some sunshine...

Hell yeah, AJ! Mine have been sunbathing nude for about a week now, minus yesterday night. They LOVE it. Maybe that vicious summer will pay us back with an extremely early start!

 

[stc3248]

Hey AJ quick question...I know you use a formula for lumens per sq ft...and I know that the height of the lights also affects the intensity and amount of lumens that actually reach the plants. Just curious what a light meter reads under your CFL's at the plant leaves??? Mine reads 1800-2000 directly under a bulb and 1500-1800 between bulbs measured at the top of the plants...

Thanks,
Shane

 

[AlabamaJack]

I don't use a meter...no sense to IMO...I just look at the lumen rating of the bulb, figure the area I need to cover, then how much light do I want the plants to get...I use three different light intensities on my inside grow...~1,000, ~2,000, and ~3,000 lumens/sq ft....as you know, light intensity decreases by the square of the distance from the source...so I try and keep my plants as close to the lights as possible, just far enough away that they don't burn...the faster I want the plants to grow, the more light I give them...this and photoperiod controls their growth significantly...

did that answer your question?

 

[stc3248]

I don't use a meter...no sense to IMO...I just look at the lumen rating of the bulb, figure the area I need to cover, then how much light do I want the plants to get...I use three different light intensities on my inside grow...~1,000, ~2,000, and ~3,000 lumens/sq ft....as you know, light intensity decreases by the square of the distance from the source...so I try and keep my plants as close to the lights as possible, just far enough away that they don't burn...the faster I want the plants to grow, the more light I give them...this and photoperiod controls their growth significantly...

did that answer your question?

So 4x2700 for the daylight T8's plus 7x1600 for my CFL's = 22000 lumens divided by roughly 6 SqFt = 3666.67 lumens per square ft at the source. At 8" that would be a drop of 11(bulbs) x 64(??? squared distance??? not sure of this one)= a drop of 704 lumens for an actual of 2962.67 which is in your upper ballpark of ~3000...
Please check my math Mr Engineer not certain if I was supposed to square the inches for distance...

Thanks for the help...

Shane

 

[AlabamaJack]

use feet...at one foot the light produces X number of lumens, at two feet, the light intensity is X/4 Lumens, at three feet, it is X/9 Lumens...

just using rough calculations is enough...for instance, I have 18 42 watt CFLs producing 2800 lumens each...total = 50,400 lumens...covering a space 4' X 4' = 16 ft sq....so 50,400/16 = 3150 lumens/ft sq....this is at one foot distance from the lights...if you increase the distance from the lights to 2 feet, you get 1/4 the lumens/ft square or 3150/4 = 787 lumens/ft Sq....remember, this is light intensity at the tops of the plants...you can see the distance from the lights is very important and why it is recommended to use the lights as close to the plants as possible...

if I am thinking wrong on this, please someone correct me...it's been a long time since my last physics class....

 

[stc3248]

Ok...got it thanks. Divide by ft squared. Then being at only 8" I am actually above the # computed. Thanks for the insight! Just trying to compare my light intensity to some folks with known results...and you're definitely one of them.

Thanks!
Shane

 

[neobepmat]

Hello AJ and welcome greetings from Italy
First things first, I would like to thank you for all these useful information about growing peppers starting from the seeds.
I've seen your soaking techniques and I' very curious to try them.
Actually, I pre-soak my seeds in a salt solution (21% per lt.) for 3 days.
After that, I put them on a very moist paper providing medium Ts° of 25-26 C° waiting for the small roots to get alive (in a small enclosed box, a Germbox)..
Indeed, my germination %s are not very high, that's why I would like to test your germination technique.
So I've found the Hoffman Seed starter on a online website (can't find it in Italy ) and I'll have some test.
Do you have any advice for a pepper-newbie?

 

[AlabamaJack]

welcome neo...and thanks...

are you sure it was me soaking?...I don't soak seeds before planting...there may be a language thingy going on here...

hoffmans works fine for me, but there are other alternatives you can use such as Jiffy and Light Warrior which you may not be able to get in Italy either...anyway...

the best advice I can give you as a newbie is patience...the plants will grow in their own time...

other than that, temperature and moisture is the key to germination...

you want right at 30C but not over for best germination...I usually keep my thermostat in my germinator set at 28C...once you approach 33-34C, your germination percentages show a marked decrease...and if you let the temp get to 40C...you might as well plant more seeds 'cause these probably are dead...I have posted this graph a pretty good but, but it is fitting here...the only thing I see about this graph for annuums is it shows some of them germinate well at 20C but IMO that is not true for chinense...

Now, I realize the graph is for annuums, but I am "assuming" it would be close for chinense...I have been using this for 4 years...it is from a study by the University of Florida (Immokalee Ag Extension Center)...was a masters thesis I think...it is no longer available and the original document is on 2 hard drives ago and that hard drive has been recycled....

moisture...peppers do not like wet feet...you want your grow medium to be moist/damp but not wet...I bottom water then the containers are "light"...weight of the containers tells you when they want water...

light...no light is needed for germination, but when the hooks emerge, give them plenty of light or else they will get "leggy" (stretching for the light)...

after the hooks have emerged and the seedlings are standing up...use a fan on them as high as it will go but not damage the plants for 10 minutes several times a day...strengthening your stems at this point is the best thing you can do to make a sturdy plant...

 

[PepperJam]

Good advice AJ, maybe you should have a website or blog to share your knowlege. These gems of info get lost in the pages of grow logs and other posts. Whenever someone asks a similar question you can refer them to your website. You can even have fellow pro pepper growers post their tips too.

 

[neobepmat]

are you sure it was me soaking?...I don't soak seeds before planting...there may be a language thingy going on here...

tks for your fast reply and advices
my question wasn't very clear, in fact I meant "soaking the soil" (literally, put a seed tray filled with soil in a case and fill in with water)
sorry for my explanation, due to an italian translation maybe it's not well comprehensible

 

[Sawyer]

if I am thinking wrong on this, please someone correct me...it's been a long time since my last physics class....

Very, very cool and informative thread AJ. Thanks for posting all this.

I'm a physicist by training and can't help myself , so please forgive me...

Strictly speaking, the inverse-square law is only applicable for a point source, which CFLs come closer to approximating than do T12s, T8s, or T5s. Long, straight bulbs are better approximated as a line source, for which the intensity falls of as the inverse of the distance, not distance squared. But again, strictly speaking, that's only correct for a cylindrical source that is long compared to the distance from it that you are considering (a reasonably fair assumption for most light-to-plant distances). And in both cases, the presence of reflectors will keep the intensity from falling off as rapidly as expected.

If you want to get really technical about it, placing several T-bulbs in parallel begins to approximate a planar source, for which the intensity remains constant as a function of distance from the source, for distances small compared to the width and length of the source.

So the inverse-square law sort of gives you a worst-case scenario and the actual light intensity at your plants should usually be somewhere between what you would expect from using that and the rated value of the bulbs, depending on bulb type and placement. Until the bulbs' performance begins to degrade...

 

[AlabamaJack]

Good advice AJ, maybe you should have a website or blog to share your knowlege. These gems of info get lost in the pages of grow logs and other posts. Whenever someone asks a similar question you can refer them to your website. You can even have fellow pro pepper growers post their tips too.

I don't have time for a website or blog...this and a little FB is all I really have time for...thank you for the compliment...

tks for your fast reply and advices
my question wasn't very clear, in fact I meant "soaking the soil" (literally, put a seed tray filled with soil in a case and fill in with water)
sorry for my explanation, due to an italian translation maybe it's not well comprehensible

no problem...we will communicate what ever way it takes...I apologize up front for maybe misunderstanding you to begin with...

yes, exactly as you say, literally put the seed tray filled with soil in water...the deeper the water and the warmer (~40C) will make the pre-soak faster...you have to be patient with Hoffmans, it takes a long time to presoak and you may end up spraying the top of the soil several times to get a good soak...after your initial soaking of the soil, it is easy from then on out...

Very, very cool and informative thread AJ. Thanks for posting all this.

I'm a physicist by training and can't help myself , so please forgive me...

Strictly speaking, the inverse-square law is only applicable for a point source, which CFLs come closer to approximating than do T12s, T8s, or T5s. Long, straight bulbs are better approximated as a line source, for which the intensity falls of as the inverse of the distance, not distance squared. But again, strictly speaking, that's only correct for a cylindrical source that is long compared to the distance from it that you are considering (a reasonably fair assumption for most light-to-plant distances). And in both cases, the presence of reflectors will keep the intensity from falling off as rapidly as expected.

If you want to get really technical about it, placing several T-bulbs in parallel begins to approximate a planar source, for which the intensity remains constant as a function of distance from the source, for distances small compared to the width and length of the source.

So the inverse-square law sort of gives you a worst-case scenario and the actual light intensity at your plants should usually be somewhere between what you would expect from using that and the rated value of the bulbs, depending on bulb type and placement. Until the bulbs' performance begins to degrade...

thank you...what I am doing is kinda breaking the area down into 18 "sections" and considering each "section" to have a point source...(I have 18 CFLs in my 4' X 4' growbox...that's close enough isn't it? the CFLS are almost equidistant from the sides and each other....