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CFL Temperatures

Crusher

Crusher

I have been trying to research which bulbs to purchase to get the best indoor growth from my indoor plants this winter. Unfortunately, all of the lighting information I can find online is for a sticky green plant. I have found that in this case it is best to mix a combination of 6500k and 2700k for growth and flowering. Is it the same for pepper plants? I am assuming so, but the high output bulbs that I am looking at are expensive, so I do not want to buy them and find out I wou.d have been better with two 6500k bulbs instead of one 6500 and one 2700. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Nick
 
I'm no expert on it, but I recall reading in one of the threads that unlike MJ plants pepper plants do not require specific light for different stages. Instead a "full spectrum" is the best/cheapest way to go. Someone please correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe that was basically the conclusion.
 
Are these going to be indoor the whole time or just until spring? If you are taking them out in the sun later, I would stick with the cool 6500K.
 
They are still outdoor right now, but I am preparing to take them indoors over the winter. I was hoping to get peppers off of them over the winter though instead of just overwintering.
 
Even here not much happens from December - May, but it's nice to leave the jacket in the closet.

You should be fine with either temp, but you will need a lot of juice. Warm, cool and daylight spectrum have a lot of overlap and I like the higher Kelvin for seedlings because it is supposed to keep the plants compact. The warmer may be better for fruiting, but I've never seen data for peppers.

2700K is a lot easier on the eyes and more like incandescent, so that's what I'd use if these were out in the open. They're also the easiest to find and tend to be cheaper.
 
Thanks for the input. I went with some 125w CFL's got one 2700 (red) and one 6400 (blue). I originally planned on smaller bulbs, 85max, so now I need to buy some mogul base sockets to run these, but as you said I will "need a lot of juice". I was going to go with the 200w but at $65 a bulb I'd rather buy two of the 125w bulbs and have a wider area covered for more plants.

I am guessing that these bulbs are going to be insanely bright as a 42w is equivalent to 150 incandescent and these bulbs are three times that. I might need some shades as I walk through my garage!!!

Thanks for your input guys, I hope it all goes well.

Edit: I read that these bulbs, Feliz 125w, put out an equivalent of greater than 1000w with over 8000 lumens!!! I do not know if it is true, but that's what I'm finding. Here is the site I got this info from... http://www.sunflowersupplies.com/products/FELIZ-125W-WATT-FLUORESCENT-CFL-GROW-LIGHT-6500K-.html
 
Hi Nick,

I just bought some 125w CFL 6400K blue also, pretty similair too yours. I had the same issue as you, but since I read on the forum from a couple users that it didnt make a different to have a red one, I went for 2 blue lamps. At the moment I got 2 plants that are flowering and I'm very curious if they will develop some pods!
 
meatfreak said:
Hi Nick,

I just bought some 125w CFL 6400K blue also, pretty similair too yours. I had the same issue as you, but since I read on the forum from a couple users that it didnt make a different to have a red one, I went for 2 blue lamps. At the moment I got 2 plants that are flowering and I'm very curious if they will develop some pods!
Click to expand...
What made me decide on the two colors was two fold. First, I found a post here on THP where a guy explained that 2700k (red) lights help the plant to grow taller and the 6400-6500 (blue) help it to grow bushier. Second, I went down to my local hydroponics store and he had way more information than I was looking for, but he concluded I should have both as well. From everything that I can gather two 64-6500k bulbs will do great, one of each is just a little better. On the other hand, I read one post where a guy was growing and in his case "budding" just fine with 5000k.

I am going with the experts that I found on this one and mixing it up. I will do a follow up at some point with my results. I would love to hear how well you do with pod production though.
 
I think it's good to have both. 2700 is more like the rising and setting sun and 6400 more like high noon. So you could do something crazy with a timer and switch them on-off like this:

6AM 2700K ON
8AM 6400K ON - Both ON
11AM 2700K OFF - Save power, keep it cool inside
3PM 2700K ON - Both ON
6PM 6400 K OFF
8PM 2700K OFF

Total light time 14hrs, but each bulb only for 10. You might want to tweak it to get to 16 hours of light.

I've never done it like that, but a cool thing you could do with 2. 3 would be even cooler if you set a 2700 left and right and a 6400 overhead to really simulate the sunrise/sunset and hit them from all angles. The farthest I've gone was use cool bulbs for the youngest seedlings then switch to warm a few weeks before I put them outside.
 
nmorris279 said:
What made me decide on the two colors was two fold. First, I found a post here on THP where a guy explained that 2700k (red) lights help the plant to grow taller and the 6400-6500 (blue) help it to grow bushier. Second, I went down to my local hydroponics store and he had way more information than I was looking for, but he concluded I should have both as well. From everything that I can gather two 64-6500k bulbs will do great, one of each is just a little better. On the other hand, I read one post where a guy was growing and in his case "budding" just fine with 5000k.

I am going with the experts that I found on this one and mixing it up. I will do a follow up at some point with my results. I would love to hear how well you do with pod production though.
Click to expand...

Keep me updated on yours also ;) I don't want my plants to get very tall, wanna keep them compact so I guess I made the right choice for now. Maybe I buy an extra cfl, they sell one that has both spectrums wich is purple (25000K). For now I experiment with the 2 blue ones :) as soon as I have my setup ready I'll make a topic on the forum.

ZanderSpice said:
I think it's good to have both. 2700 is more like the rising and setting sun and 6400 more like high noon. So you could do something crazy with a timer and switch them on-off like this:

6AM 2700K ON
8AM 6400K ON - Both ON
11AM 2700K OFF - Save power, keep it cool inside
3PM 2700K ON - Both ON
6PM 6400 K OFF
8PM 2700K OFF

Total light time 14hrs, but each bulb only for 10. You might want to tweak it to get to 16 hours of light.

I've never done it like that, but a cool thing you could do with 2. 3 would be even cooler if you set a 2700 left and right and a 6400 overhead to really simulate the sunrise/sunset and hit them from all angles. The farthest I've gone was use cool bulbs for the youngest seedlings then switch to warm a few weeks before I put them outside.
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound so crazy at all, sounds damn interessting! But for now I got enough on my hands too keep me busy ;)
 
I might look for a couple of those and make a trashcan reflector. I saw some YouTube videos for making one. I'm running close to max now on my plant size for my 4 foot dual daylight bulbs. They have done a good job though. What's the coverage area for them.
 
JesterJoker said:
I might look for a couple of those and make a trashcan reflector. I saw some YouTube videos for making one. I'm running close to max now on my plant size for my 4 foot dual daylight bulbs. They have done a good job though. What's the coverage area for them.
Click to expand...
I actually am making a dual reflector from dryer ducting. I found it on youtube as well. The red will face one direction and the blue the other. I am also going to use two corner walls and aluminum foil them to maximize light reflection. I am keeping it cheap as possible and trying not to expect too much.
If worst comes to worst I will have some plants that survive and can be planted again next year. Not too bad a deal, but if I get some pods thats just a bonus!
 
A small update here, 2 of my plants under the light are blossoming the rest are forming alot of buds as well. They are growing hard! You can notice the difference in growth every day and the box is quickly getting to small for some of the plants.

My Tinkerbell peper, flower, pod and overview
IMAG0677.jpg

IMAG0689.jpg

IMAG0679.jpg


Numex Twilight, with cayenne purple & naga morich
IMAG0684.jpg


Unknown variety, supposed to be a Habanero but if you look at the leaves, its an Annuum variety.
IMAG0682.jpg
IMAG0685.jpg
 
Not sure where the "red light for short/fat plants" and "blue light for tall and skinny plants" came from.

From what I've read the "blue" wavelength is for overall plant growth. The "red" wavelength is for flowering and fruiting.

Here's a good read:


<h1>How Do Grow Lights Work?</h1>
By <a href="http://www.greenthumbarticles.com/author/Patricia-Wainwright-a176.html">Patricia Wainwright</a><br><br>

Sunlight is not as simple to replace as a person might think. Windows let sunlight in but block much of what plants need from it. So when addressing the question of <b>how do grow lights work</b> three key elements to discuss are light spectrums, heat and time frames.

How do grow lights work in a household setting? If a room can be dedicated to growing seedlings and plants grow lights work very well. But, in most homes only a certain area is made available for a grow light and the plants they benefit. While this limits what you grow it can still be a rewarding endeavor.

Natural sunlight provides a complete spectrum of colors. Windows deflect a lot of the sunlight and the range of color. Plants need a lot of light to grow well and two particular spectrums of light are a necessity. To use an ordinary household incandescent bulb will not get the desired results. Plants need two spectrums of color to grow well. Blue spectrum light promotes foliage growth in a plant. Red spectrum light gives the plants what they need to flower and fruit well.
Most grow lights are made up of a combination of the red and blue spectrum bulbs in a panel. There are some bulbs that combine both spectrums in a single bulb.

How do grow lights work differently?

Fluorescent and metal halide grow lights are the two kinds of grow lights to look for when planning your indoor garden. Fluorescent lighting tubes can be combined in a shop light type fixture and suspended over plants until they grow up to about 24 inches. Using fluorescent grow lights to start seedlings or grow small non-fruit or flowering plants is good. Fluorescent lights run cool enough to be able to hang the lights 4 to 6 inches above the foliage without stressing or burning the leaves.

Metal halide grow lights are most often combined with high pressure sodium lights for growing fruit bearing and flowering greenery. These lights are more intense, hotter, and cost more than fluorescent lighting solutions. Positioning is different in that if these light panels are closer than 12 inches the heat will damage the plants.

article Source:</b> <a href='http://www.greenthumbarticles.com/article/How-Do-Grow-Lights-Work--a2907.html'>How Do Grow Lights Work?</a><br>
article From:</b> <a href='http://www.greenthumbarticles.com/'>Organic Gardening Articles</a>
body>
 
PIC 1 said:
Your plants look great...!
Click to expand...

Thanks PIC1!

Interessting stuff, Patrick. I'm currently using a 125watt CFL 6400K Blue light and yet they are flowering at the moment and 1 is setting fruit. I wanted to test it myself too see if it's really required to get an extra red spectrum light for flowers and pods. So far I'm not convinced :) We'll see how it goes.
 
Looks like the 64-6500k is just fine. I just assembled my DIY lighting system and I have some seeds in jiffy pellets now. I will update over the coming weeks with my light combination and we can compare.
 
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