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2019 - The Farm

Well, it's finally time to start. Again. :)
 
Finished taking inventory of seeds today, and started the 2019 grow list. Since the 24x96' isolation high tunnel is done, I'll be growing a crazy long list this year, as we'll be growing for 2020 seed inventory. With the soil mix equipment, it should be a lot less work on my back this winter! (Even more so if I get the indoor grow areas plumbed and set up on drip irrigation, still not sure I got the budget for that yet tho)
 
Some of the seeds I'll be pulling from are damn near 10 years old now, so I expect many of these to eventually get crossed off with 0 germination. Everything I have ever saved or traded is getting planted, though. There's 203 on the list right now, many duplicates though where seeds were sourced from more than one person/vendor. 
 
The grow room at home is getting a makeover, going to be "going vertical" to get some space back. More on that in a few days...
 
This list is not complete yet, I will be adding more after I hear back from a few folks I PM'd.
 
7 Pot Chaguanas Red  (BE)
7 Pot Chaguanas Red  (PL)
7 Pot Jonah (PL)
7 Pot Long (PL)
7 Pot Original Red
7 Pot Primo Red
7-Pot Brainstrain  (LFF)
7-Pot Brainstrain Red
7-Pot Brainstrain Red (PL)
7-Pot Brainstrain Yellow (PL)
7-Pot Primo  (LFF)
7-pot Primo Red
Aji Amarillo
Aji Cereza
Aji Dulce Red
Aji Golden
Aji Golden (old)
Aji Golden  (LFF)
Aji Jobito
Aji Limo
Aji Limo  (LFF)
Aji Margaritereivo
Aji Peruvian
Aleppo (BE)
Aleppo  (LFF)
Amish Bush
Bahamian Goat
Bahamian Goat (old)
Barre Do Robiero
Bhut (Walchits)
Bhut Jolokia Brown
Bhut Jolokia Chocolate
Bhut Jolokia Indian Carbon
Bhut Jolokia Red
Bhut Jolokia Yellow
Big Sun Habanero
Big Sun Habanero  (LFF)
Big Thai Hybrid
Biker Billy (AJ Drew)
Biker Billy Jalapeno  (LFF)
Black Habanero
BOC
Bolsa De Dulce
Bonda Ma Jacques
Boyanska Kapiya
Brazilian Starfish
Brown Bhut Jolokia  (LFF)
Brown Moruga
Brown Moruga (PL)
Bulgarian Carrot
CAP 215
Carbaruga Yellow
Caribbean Red Hab
Carmia Sweet
Carolina Reaper (PL)
Carolina Reaper (BE)
Carolina Reaper  (LFF)
Carribean Red Habanero (very old)
Cayenne Long Red
CGN 19198
CGN 20812 
CGN 22091
CGN 22792
CGN 24360
Chapeu Du Frade
Chapeu Du Frade  (LFF)
Cherry Red
Chili
Chili de Abrol
Chocolate Bhutlah
Chocolate Naga Morich
Chocolate Scotch Bonnet
Criolla Sella
Criolla Sella (WHP)
Cubanelle
Datil
Dedo de Moca
Dorset Naga (BE)
Dorset Naga (PL)
Dragon Cayenne 
Dragon Cayenne (most likely crossed?)
Drying Serrano
Dulce Sol
Elephant Trunk
Espanola
Farmers Jalapeno
Farmers Jalapeno  (LFF)
Farmers Market Jalapeno
Fidalgo Roxa
Freeport Orange Scotch Bonnet
Fresno (BE)
Fresno Red
Friarello Di Napoli
Friarieilo Di Napoli
Garden Salsa
Giant Aconcagua
Giant Mexican Rocoto
Goat Pepper
Goats Weed
Habanero Antillais Caribbean
Habanero Chocolate (PL)
Habanero Cristiana
Habanero Franciscon
Habanero Giant Orange
Habanero Guadalupe 
Habanero Magnum Orange
Habanero Manzano
Habanero Niranja Picante
Habenero Red Dominica
Harbiye
Hawaiian Kona
Hot Paper Lantern
Jalapeno Biker Billy
Jigsaw
Land Race Serrano
Large Orange Thai
Large Red 7 Pot (PL)
Large Red Rocoto
Mako Akokosrade
Mako Kokoo
Matay
Matay (PL)
Mini Bell Orange
MOA Scotch Bonnet
MOA Scotch Bonnet (very old)
MOA Scotch Bonnet  (LFF)
Monster Naga
Moruga Reaper
Moruga Scorpion  (LFF)
Moruga x Reaper  (LFF)
Ms. Junie
Naga Morich
NuMex Lemon Spice Jalapeno
Numex Pinata Jalapeno
NuMex Vaquero
Orange Habanero (Wicked Mike)
Orchid PI 497974
P. Dreadie
Paper Lantern Habanero
pI 281429
Pimenta Chris Fat
Pimenta de Neyde (PL)
Pimente Espellette
Pimente Espellette (old)
Pimiento Cristal  (LFF)
Poblano (old)
Poblano BE
Poblano  (LFF)
Purple Jalapeno x Cayenne
Purple UFO
Reaper (Walchit)
Reaper Bhut
Red Fatalli  (LFF)
Safi Scotch Bonnet
Santa Fe Grande
Santa Fe Grande (PJ)
Santa Fe Grande Peppers
Scoda Brain
Scotch Bonnet x Bell Pepper 
Shattah
Star of Turkey
Stuffing Cherry
Sugar Cane
Sweet Anaheim
Sweet Anaheim (LFF)
Sweet Charleston
Sweet Charlston (LFF)
Sweet Datil (old)
Sweet French Bell
Tangerine
Tekne Dolmasi
Tekne Dolmasi (LFF)
TFM Scotch Bonnet
TFM Scotch Bonnet (LFF)
Thai
Thai (crossed?)
Thai Orange
Thai Short
Tobago Scotch Bonnet Red (PL)
Tobago Scotch Bonnet Yellow
Tobago Seasoning
Trinidad Doughlah
Trinidad Perfume
Trinidad PI 281317
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
Trinidad Scorpion Cardi
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga
Trinidad Scorpion Original
Trinidad Scorpion Smooth
Trinidad Scorpion Yellow
Trinidad X
True Cumari
Turkish Cayenne (LFF)
Turkish Sweet Ball
Urfa Biber
White Bhut Jolokia
White Bullet Habanero
White Habanero
Xalapas Large Jalapeno
Yellow Brainstrain (LFF)
Yellow Fatalli
Yellow Moruga Scorpion
Yellow Scotch Bonnet (old)
 
 
Added 1/16, ordered from Justin
7 Pot Brain Strain Chocolate AU
7 Pot Bubblegum (BBG7) Bhut Chocolate
7 Pot Bubblegum (BBG7) x Apocalypse Scorpion (No Calyx)
7 Pot Cinder F3 
7 Pot Douglah
7 Pot Jonah
7 Pot Jonah Yellow X SB
7 Pot Lucy
7 Pot Nebru
7 Pot Primo Chocolate
7 Pot SR Strain
7JPN
Aji Pineapple
Apocalypse Scorpion Chocolate
Bahamian Beast Mustard Stinger F2
Bahamian Goat
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost) Giant Chocolate
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost) Rust
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost) Solid Gold
Black Pearl
Brazilian Brain Strain Chocolate
Brown Reaper Cross
Devil's Nagabrains Chocolate
Elysium Oxide Scotch Bonnet
Fatalii Chocolate
Genghis Kahn's Brain
Habanero El Remo
Habanero Roatan Pumpkin
Jigsaw x Moruga
Jonah's Yellow Brain
Machu Picchu
Mako Akokosrade
Monkey Face Red
Nagabrains Chocolate
Negro de Valle
Pimenta Black Bhut
Sandra's Giant Orange (Long Pheno)
SB7J Yellow
Scotch Bonnet Sweet Moruga Brown
Scotch Brains (7 Pot Pheno)
Skunk Chocolate
Tepin x Lemon Drop
UBSC x SB
Vallero
WHP 027
 
 
 
Should have the first of the chinense and pube seeds in the dirt by end of week.
 
 
Non-pepper crop

Anise Hyssop
Astro Arugula (Roquette)
Esmee Arugula (Roquette)
Arugula (Standard)
Sylvetta Arugula (Roquette)
Mizuna Asian Greens
Tatsoi Asian Greens
Red Rubin Purple Basil
Sweet Thai Asian Basil
Genovese Genovese Basil
Aroma 2 Genovese Basil
Royal Burgundy Beans
EZ Pick Beans
Tongue of Fire Beans
Prime Ark® Freedom Blackberry
Blueberry Plant Collection Blueberry
De Cicco Standard Broccoli
Belstar Standard Broccoli
Chiko Burdock
Integro Fresh Market Cabbage
Red Express Fresh Market Cabbage
Farao Fresh Market Cabbage
Deadon Fresh Market Cabbage
Bilko Chinese Cabbage
Divergent Cantaloupe (Muskmelon)
Nectar Main Crop Carrots
Negovia Carrot
Nectar Main Crop Carrots
Negovia Main Crop Carrots
Napoli Early Carrots
Yaya Early Carrots
Yaya Early Carrots
Janvel Standard Cauliflower
Mardi Standard Cauliflower
Mardi Standard Cauliflower
Janvel Standard Cauliflower
Veronica Romanesco Cauliflower
Skywalker Standard Cauliflower
Skywalker Standard Cauliflower
Common Chamomile Chamomile
Staro Standard Chives
Nira Chinese Leeks (Garlic Chives)
Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea (Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea Echinacea (Coneflower)
Leisure Cilantro (Coriander)
Santo Cilantro (Coriander)
Natural Sweet Sweet Corn
Enchanted Sweet Corn
Nothstine Dent Dry Corn
Xtra-Tender 2171 Sweet Corn
Cressida Cress
Cool Customer Pickling Cucumbers
Poniente Seedless and Thin-skinned Cucumbers
Picolino Slicing Cucumbers
Hera Dill
Bouquet Dill
Totem Belgian Endive (Witloof)
Ruby Red Orach Specialty Greens
Light Green Orach Specialty Greens
Dark Green Orach Specialty Greens
Red Russian Kale
Toscano Kale
Westlandse Winter Kale
Toscano Kale
Red Russian Kale
Korist Fresh Eating Kohlrabi
Azur Star Kohlrabi
Kossak Storage Kohlrabi
Munstead-Type Lavender
Megaton Leeks
King Richard Leeks
Pandora Leeks
Lemon Balm
Celinet Summer Crisp Lettuce (Batavia)
Concept Summer Crisp Lettuce (Batavia)
Muir Summer Crisp Lettuce (Batavia)
Alkindus Butterhead Lettuce (Boston)
Mirlo Butterhead Lettuce (Boston)
Red Cross Butterhead Lettuce (Boston)
Sylvesta Butterhead Lettuce (Boston)
Annapolis Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Breen Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Coastal Star Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Defender Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Dragoon Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Ezbruke Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Flashy Trout Back Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Fusion Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Holon Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Jericho Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Outredgeous Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Parris Island Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Ridgeline Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Rouge d'Hiver Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Truchas Romaine Lettuce (Cos)
Bronze Herbs for Salad Mix
Cumin Herbs for Salad Mix
Bronze & Green Herbs for Salad Mix
Bergam's Green Lettuce
Blade Oakleaf Lettuce
Bolsachica Oakleaf Lettuce
Buttercrunch Heritage Lettuce
Clearwater Oakleaf Lettuce
Crispino Iceberg Lettuce
Dark Red Lollo Rossa Heritage Lettuce
Deer Tongue Heritage Lettuce
Garrison Oakleaf Lettuce
Green Saladbowl Oakleaf Lettuce
Ilema Lollo Lettuce
Newham Bibb Lettuce
New Red Fire Lettuce
Red Sails Heritage Lettuce
Red Saladbowl Oakleaf Lettuce
Tropicana Lettuce
Waldmann's Dark Green Heritage Lettuce
Encore Lettuce Mix Lettuce Mixes
Lovage
Zaatar Marjoram
Clemson Spineless Okra
Yankee Full-Size Onions
Cortland Full-Size Onions
Greek Oregano Oregano
Papalo
Pipicha
Leonardo Radicchio
Virtus Radicchio
Red Raspberry Plant Collection
Jewel Raspberry
Victoria Rhubarb Seeds
Common Sage
Common Sage Sage
Summer Savory
Green Shiso Shiso
Britton Shiso
Asia Ip Shiso
Red Shiso Shiso
Lemon Drops Spilanthes
Acadia Savoyed-Leaf Spinach
Corvair Smooth-Leaf Spinach
Saltwort
Stevia
Sparkle Strawberry Bare-Root Plants
Jewel Strawberry Bare-Root Plants
Elan Strawberry Seeds
Alexandria Strawberry Seeds
Ruby Red or Rhubarb Chard Swiss Chard
Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard
Oriole Swiss Chard
Milk Thistle
German Winter Thyme
Frederik Beefsteak Tomatoes
Jasper Cherry Tomatoes
Sakura Cherry Tomatoes
Blue Beech Heirloom Tomatoes
Mountain Magic Cocktail Tomatoes
Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherokee Green Heirloom Tomatoes
White Cherry Cherry Tomatoes
Wisconsin 55 Slicing Tomatoes
Green Zebra Heirloom Tomatoes
Common Valerian
Farmers Wonderful Triploid Watermelons (Seedless)
Gentility Triploid Watermelons (Seedless)
Sorbet Triploid Watermelons (Seedless)
Sweet Crimson Watermelon
 

Most of the lettuce is for taste and local adaptability trials, small little plots. We'll be succession planting out most crops, small qty for market, so "big list, not so big qty."
 
Some of the stock (various herbs, seedless watermelons) is non-organic seed stock and will either be grown either in the north transitional field or in pots. 
 
570 fruit trees are also coming sometime early spring, those will go in to the dirt as soon as it can be worked after freeze. We'll plant those and forget about them for a few years.. just mow around them. All the big work starts in a few years with those.  Shouldn't need to irrigate them unless we get a big dry spell, and/or until they start producing.
 
PtMD989 said:
Looking good [emoji106] Did the wheat field dry up ,eh
Layers or meat?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well, mostly. I've got about 4 maybe 5 acres of wheat that will be a total loss. Not sure what I'll do with it yet. Maybe roll the dice and put some beans in again?
 
 
 
Hawkins said:
For me I'm just wanting to turn a small profit this year and see if it's scalable. I would love to be able to have employees, but I'm still a ways away from that. I'll get help from friends and family if I need it. It really depends on what you like to do, I've been growing things here and there for years. I learned from my grand father when they used the farm to feed the family. I remember when I was a kid the front porch was full of watermelons, front yard planted with corn, back yard other vegetables. Sitting with my grandmother stringing green beans. For me growing vegetables just feels like home. Being able to plow, plant, and feel the same dirt my grandfather, and great grandfather planted for years is something that can't be replaced. I moved to the family farm last year and planted a small test, this year it will be more like what they used to plant a few decades ago. I can't wait.
 
 
 
Scalable takes time and constant, every-day, everpresent attention to "how can I make this {whatever} faster / easier / more efficient". From everything from potting up plants, to mixing soil, to transplanting, harvesting, washing, whatever.. it's all about "how can I get this crappy hot messy job done easier / faster"
 
Go diverse, do succession planting everywhere on everything you can, so you don't get big whopper harvests but rather, nice small manageable ones each week over a longer duration.
 
It takes money to scale, build a client base first, unless you feel like blowing away several hundred thousand dollars of your retirement fund like I did.. on the hope that it actually works. :)
 
I have faith, some days it flags a LOT, but I have faith. Not just in our pepper specialty, but in the overall organic thing. Everything tasted better. Everything grew better. That was awesome, all around.
 
Hell I may not succeed in business at this, I'm stubborn as hell, but I can only absorb so much over the next couple years. We've got another year or two to start turning a profit before I'm in serious trouble, but still, that clock is ticking, and it's always in the back of my mind, just ticking away. Keeps a man motivated.
 
Honestly I don't know if I'd have the same level of motivation if I wasn't staking so much at the table. It'd be a lot easier to walk away after a major setback (take your pick of any number of them from last year), if you weren't balls deep in infrastructure and equipment costs. Getting out would hurt more than staying in, at this point.
 
Ruid said:
Another reason I don't grow is that I'd go overboard. I'd end up with way too many pods and nothing to do with them other than learn how to dehydrate them and make powders. Powder is okay but I prefer fresh or frozen pods.

I wouldn't even be able to give the excess away since almost everyone I know is the "If it's hotter than a jalapeno, I don't want it." type.

I hate food going to waste.
 
I honestly thought I'd have no chance of selling any ultrahots but hell, we were selling out of them each week; on the internet website.  Aside from the reaper theft, the rest of the stuff (primo, brainstrain, etc) we were shipping 30+ pounds a week of; 3, 4 bushels. Thin skinned ultrahots don't weigh much, more air than anything, so it takes a lot to make weight.
 
Meanwhile stuff I thought we'd sell a ton of, jalapeno, etc, I couldn't move AT ALL. 
 
And oddball stuff, like aleppo, jeez we sold a hell of a lot of that. At market, at grocers, online.
 
I've still got a deep freeze stuffed, I'll get around to dehydrating it at some point, if we start moving enough flake & powder at market.
 
As far as throwing stuff away.. it hurts, at first. Eventually you get numb to it. 
 
Kind of like those monks that harden their testicles by letting someone kick them in them over and over again.
 
It's something like that.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js_3bIni52I
 
I think this one will be named Kung Pao.
 
CNyrW5Z.jpg

 
They eat outta my hand...
 
kOEEI9i.jpg

 
Got the gravel done in the isolation tunnel, and all the tabletops are built (stacked elsewhere for now)
 
eTSealA.jpg

 
 
The Duke still doing good
 
nmW3UUo.jpg

 
In fact.. he's BUDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
uYWGTSj.jpg

 
Food for thought
 
G4sO5GA.jpg

 
 
 
Not doubting your lux numbers but I always thought the consensus was that the sun was putting out 100k+ lux on a full sun day. 30k is just outside of full shade.

For someone like me in Florida would it be smart for me to start plants in partial shade?

Just trying to learn as much as possible.
 
PtMD989 said:
Are the chicks layers or meat? Either way you have a source for renewable fertilizer and a spoiled fruit/vegetable disposal machine there [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yeah from what I've been reading 40 birds will produce ~3,800 lbs (minimum) per year.
 
Kennylay said:
Not doubting your lux numbers but I always thought the consensus was that the sun was putting out 100k+ lux on a full sun day. 30k is just outside of full shade.

For someone like me in Florida would it be smart for me to start plants in partial shade?

Just trying to learn as much as possible.
 
100+K on a full sun, noon day, yes. But averages over the entirety of a day will be much less than that. A cloudy day, at noon, you might only see 2,000 or less. Remember it starts at about 5 lux at sunrise and peaks, then declines. So total light deliver isn't 100k over 12 hours or whatever, it's 100k for a half hour or whatever, and less than that during the rest of the day. 
 
Our lights don't vary, they're always what they are, so at 30k you might be more towards afternoon, or mid morning light levels on a sunny day. 
 
Here's a graph of light levels plotted out over a 14 year period for Ithica New York (part of this study: http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/structures/factsheets/Greenhouse%20Lighting.pdf)
 
inAzLGK.png

 
mol/m2/day is the measurement of daily light integral; sum of the light for a day.
 
One lux = 0.092903 foot candles; 30,000 lux = 2787.0912 foot candles.
 
If you are giving plants 24 hours of light, like I do, your foot candles per hour are 2787 (we don't have to add up hour by hour and divide by 24, as you would with natural light measurements)
 
Flourescents have a calibration factor of 0.146 (https://www.apogeeinstruments.com/conversion-ppfd-to-foot-candles/)
 
So we are putting out PAR of (at 30,000 lux from flourescent) 2787 * 0.146 = 406.9 µmol.m-2.s-1.
 
Calibrating to DLI = PAR (µmol. m-2.s-1) x 0.0864 = 35.15 mol. m-2.d-1
 
Per perdue;
 
DLI Recommendations Plants grown under light-limiting conditions (a low DLI), typically have delayed growth and development. Research conducted at Michigan State University indicated that maintaining a DLI between 4 to 11 mol·m-2·d-1 during stage 2 (callusing) and stage 3 (root development) accelerates propagation of petunia and New Guinea impatiens cuttings (Figure 4). Experiments with these petunias and New Guinea impatiens have shown that, as propagation DLI increases, rooting, biomass accumulation (root and shoot growth), and quality (reduced stem elongation) generally increase, while subsequent time to flower generally decreases. Similarly, experiments with seedlings of celosia, impatiens, salvia, marigold, and 6 to 12 mol·m-2·d-1 are medium-light crops, 12 to 18 mol·m-2·d-1 are high-light crops, and those requiring more than 18 mol·m-2·d-1 are considered very highlight crops.
 
source; https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-238-W.pdf
 
 
So we are still (at 30,000 lux from T5 flourescent bulbs run 24 hours per day) giving these plants *double* (35.15 / 18) the lower threshold light for very-high-light crops (those demanding the most light of any plant species on the planet) and triple that of high-light crops, 6x that of medium light crops, etc.
 
So yeah, man 30,000 lux is plenty, in fact, if you run it 24 hours per day you are giving even very high light requirement plants *double* what nature does in the best scenario. 
 
However, we have plants on the border of tables, which only receive 12,000 lux (give or take) which (if you run the conversions again) results in 14.06 mol·m-2·d-1, which is still with the range of high-light crops.
 
So yeah even at 12,000 lux, given continuously over 24 hours, you're doing fine. I will still have to rotate out plants with a peak of 30k and a low of 12k lux, but not as often as I would with 40k+ max (which is counterintuitive, it stunts plants, simply too much light)
 
Anywho.. there's the science behind it.
 
Ruid said:
I wouldn't even be able to give the excess away since almost everyone I know is the "If it's hotter than a jalapeno, I don't want it." type.
 
 
There are plenty of great tasting milder peppers that you could grow as a gateway drug starter pepper to lure interest your non-chilehead friends and family. Bishop's Crown and Brazilian Starfish come to mind immediately. And Tekne Dolmasi makes a damn fine stuffing pepper. Worst case scenario is, you end up "stuck" with a lot of extremely tasty mild peppers. And that is not such a bad thing.  :D
 
TrentL said:
 
Yeah from what I've been reading 40 birds will produce ~3,800 lbs (minimum) per year.
 
 
100+K on a full sun, noon day, yes. But averages over the entirety of a day will be much less than that. A cloudy day, at noon, you might only see 2,000 or less. Remember it starts at about 5 lux at sunrise and peaks, then declines. So total light deliver isn't 100k over 12 hours or whatever, it's 100k for a half hour or whatever, and less than that during the rest of the day. 
 
Our lights don't vary, they're always what they are, so at 30k you might be more towards afternoon, or mid morning light levels on a sunny day. 
 
Here's a graph of light levels plotted out over a 14 year period for Ithica New York (part of this study: http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/structures/factsheets/Greenhouse%20Lighting.pdf)
 
inAzLGK.png

 
mol/m2/day is the measurement of daily light integral; sum of the light for a day.
 
One lux = 0.092903 foot candles; 30,000 lux = 2787.0912 foot candles.
 
If you are giving plants 24 hours of light, like I do, your foot candles per hour are 2787 (we don't have to add up hour by hour and divide by 24, as you would with natural light measurements)
 
Flourescents have a calibration factor of 0.146 (https://www.apogeeinstruments.com/conversion-ppfd-to-foot-candles/)
 
So we are putting out PAR of (at 30,000 lux from flourescent) 2787 * 0.146 = 406.9 µmol.m-2.s-1.
 
Calibrating to DLI = PAR (µmol. m-2.s-1) x 0.0864 = 35.15 mol. m-2.d-1
 
Per perdue;
 
DLI Recommendations Plants grown under light-limiting conditions (a low DLI), typically have delayed growth and development. Research conducted at Michigan State University indicated that maintaining a DLI between 4 to 11 mol·m-2·d-1 during stage 2 (callusing) and stage 3 (root development) accelerates propagation of petunia and New Guinea impatiens cuttings (Figure 4). Experiments with these petunias and New Guinea impatiens have shown that, as propagation DLI increases, rooting, biomass accumulation (root and shoot growth), and quality (reduced stem elongation) generally increase, while subsequent time to flower generally decreases. Similarly, experiments with seedlings of celosia, impatiens, salvia, marigold, and 6 to 12 mol·m-2·d-1 are medium-light crops, 12 to 18 mol·m-2·d-1 are high-light crops, and those requiring more than 18 mol·m-2·d-1 are considered very highlight crops.
 
source; https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-238-W.pdf
 
 
So we are still (at 30,000 lux from T5 flourescent bulbs run 24 hours per day) giving these plants *double* (35.15 / 18) the lower threshold light for very-high-light crops (those demanding the most light of any plant species on the planet) and triple that of high-light crops, 6x that of medium light crops, etc.
 
So yeah, man 30,000 lux is plenty, in fact, if you run it 24 hours per day you are giving even very high light requirement plants *double* what nature does in the best scenario. 
 
However, we have plants on the border of tables, which only receive 12,000 lux (give or take) which (if you run the conversions again) results in 14.06 mol·m-2·d-1, which is still with the range of high-light crops.
 
So yeah even at 12,000 lux, given continuously over 24 hours, you're doing fine. I will still have to rotate out plants with a peak of 30k and a low of 12k lux, but not as often as I would with 40k+ max (which is counterintuitive, it stunts plants, simply too much light)
 
Anywho.. there's the science behind it.
 
Some very good food for thought
 
So Trent, those of us who run say 16 to 18 hours a day would one aim for a tad higher lux then the 30k or so??
 
No matter if it was the heat or light intensity both have been adjusted now so if things can turn around I likely won't know which was the cause. But there was certainly a difference from the middle shelf to the top which was both cooler and not as bright, in fact more of a blueish light if anything.
 

 
 
BlackFatalii said:
 
There is a US version of this:
 
 
Heh yeah I have his book... I've been in martial arts since I was 8, and I'm a gray old man now. Love his youtube channel. ;)
 
 
Wermland said:
So glad I found this thread, truly inspirational!

Good luck with the grow, I will be following this one closely!
 
Thanks! So far I've got 3200 vibrantly healthy chinense going and another 3,000-ish annuum sprouts in the basement, this year is off to a great start.
 
BlackFatalii said:
 
There are plenty of great tasting milder peppers that you could grow as a gateway drug starter pepper to lure interest your non-chilehead friends and family. Bishop's Crown and Brazilian Starfish come to mind immediately. And Tekne Dolmasi makes a damn fine stuffing pepper. Worst case scenario is, you end up "stuck" with a lot of extremely tasty mild peppers. And that is not such a bad thing.  :D
 
Tekne, we sold out of them every market. Once word spread that they were really sweet stuffing peppers, instead of those bitter green bells, we just couldn't get enough of them. I'll be planting out about 500 of those this year.
 
CDNmatt said:
 
Some very good food for thought
 
So Trent, those of us who run say 16 to 18 hours a day would one aim for a tad higher lux then the 30k or so??
 
No matter if it was the heat or light intensity both have been adjusted now so if things can turn around I likely won't know which was the cause. But there was certainly a difference from the middle shelf to the top which was both cooler and not as bright, in fact more of a blueish light if anything.
 
 
 
Well, another way to look at it is base the amount of time per day off of your lux rating. You'll still run in to some issues with some plants growing faster than others (too much light slows them down, not enough makes them spindly). The goal is to try to get as even coverage as you can on the plants, and if you can't due to space constraints or whatever, rotate them around regularly so they stay as even as possible. 
 
Based on casual observations peppers really do best when they are continously given around 15,000-20,000 - which on my tables is the first row "in" from the outside edges. The outer plants tend to grow a little too tall, so I rotate them in to the center (as the plants getting too much light grow appreciably slower). 
 
After each big bottom watering (about once a week) I give them a break, for 12-16 hours, then they go back on continous light for a week or so. I just kind of play it by feel, more than anything. Sometimes a plant looks like it needs a rest, so I rotate it out to the edge. Sometimes a plant looks like it's getting a little too spindly, so it gets dead center in the table to slow it down. (This also causes each node which now gets light to send out shoots, which slows upwards growth a LOT).
 
With 3200 plants it just becomes a routine, I walk by a table of 216 plants, glance it over, and hands start moving stuff around, not really much thought in to it at this point, just go by feel, but there's science behind it. But there's also gut feel, which I'm finally starting to develop. 
 
I went around and pruned some of them today which had gotten too crispy before raising the lights to the optimal point. Probably a couple dozen had gotten "sunburned" pretty good.
 
Since raising the lights the plants are growing much more evenly. So ~30k lux at the center looks to be my sweet spot. 
 
Rotating plants around also helps as light hits them in a different way; whenever it gets on to a node good, the plant sends out shoots, which will help get nice bushy plants this year. Last year some were better than others, at production, this year I want (more or less) as even production as possible. 
 
It sounds like a lot of work but I can rotate plants on all 15 tables (360 "columns" of plants, 9 deep by 24 wide per table) in about an hour. It doesn't take long grabbing two pots at a time, I rotate 4 with each pickup, so can do a row (plus a shuffle of the 9th) in a few seconds. 
 
I spent more time getting optimum light levels this year for even production, than last year, because once they fully canopy grabbing pot edges to rotate stuff around becomes a major pain in the ass, and much slower.
 
 
Another day at the office
 
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The dude at Tractor Supply sold me 13 chickens for $1.10 :)
 
I sexed them today, 9 roosters and 4 hens. 
 
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Got 61 in there now. If they hop out of their bins pretty sure the lower sprouts are toast, peppers are up a shelf :)
 
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About $1300 in wet wiring pieces, conduits, panels, breakers, etc required to get lights, fans, and receptacles wired in to this high tunnel, not counting wire, which I already had on hand.
 
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Will have overhead lights, door entry lights, 8 receptacles, and 12000 cfm 30" fans soon.
 
(The excavator pics above are me trenching for buried conduit, going to pull thhn 6 gauge, will have 60 amps of service to the high tunnel)
 
 
 
Also the electrical conduit is 1/2" and will also serve as mount points for shade cloth, I have 40" clips for shade cloth for 1/2 EMT. That'll help during hardening off, put them out there under 50% shade cloth for a couple weeks then open it up
 
 
Kennylay said:
Not doubting your lux numbers but I always thought the consensus was that the sun was putting out 100k+ lux on a full sun day. 30k is just outside of full shade.

For someone like me in Florida would it be smart for me to start plants in partial shade?
:fire: :cheers: Yes for May on, until then they can handle our sunshine. :metal: :fire:

Just trying to learn as much as possible.
 
I also did a photo dump of 30 pics to the farm page the other day, plants are growing really well. 
 
https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceProduce/posts/1673466282951936
 
Since I took those the plants have just about canopied over the pots.
 
These are from Wednesday;
 
Big Sun Habanero
 
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Fatalli, some misc, and some MOA
 
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MOA scotch bonnet
 
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Misc aji's, some butch t
 
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Carolina reaper
 
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Moruga x reaper, brown bhuts
 
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Misc ultras
 
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