I would like to grow 2-8 pepper plants of decent quality indoors at minimal cost. That includes cost of power. I have been reading alot about kelvin and lumens and spectrum and HID and T5s and so on... But now im just more confused than ever. Bottom line 2-8 decent plants start to finish at min cost. What bulbs do I need ?
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lighting confused about lighting
- Thread starter Blackcat
- Start date
T5s I think are the cheapest route. 2 plants I'd go with some 2foot lights, 4 plants 4foot...etc.
If you're looking to get ripe pods indoors don't scimp on the lighting. You'll need a strong source or 2 such as a MH or HPS in the 400w through the 1000w range. The light needs to penetrate through the plants canopy to produce pods throughout. Fluorscents such as the T12 will get the seedlings going, T8's will get you through the flowering stage and some early pod production, T5's could get you where you want to go with full cycle plant production, but since you're talking about 2-8 plants, the amount of 6+ bulb fixtures can jack the initial cost up then you have the utility bills. Other variables are depending what type plants are you growing. Certain Habanero's may stay in the 2ft range while the Indian Bhuts and Naga's or Trinidad 7's and Scorps can reach a few ft indoors without any training. I always grow a mini Thai or two throughout the winter. It's a fast grower, ripens quickly and doesn't get any larger then a volleyball.....those grow easily under my meager 4 bulb T8's. I also have some Scotch Bonnets under my Metel Halides that will be flowering soon. Those plants I will pinch back to keep them under 2ft indoors but will transplant them outdoors in the spring. Anythings possible, if you're not on a tight budget.........good luck. I'd focus on less plants under the best lighting you can afford.
Greg
Greg
millworkman
eXtreme
400 Watt hid and call it quits. You can get them for around 120 bucks.
I also suggest a 400w HPS HID
Nice post PIC1, I am no light guru and do not play one on TV but I do use 3 racks of T5 lights. Each fixture has 2 4 foot bulbs. I had great results with all my seedlings last year. This year I brought in 4 plants, 1 died and I have them sitting next to my T5 lights, 4 total lights on and the plants are almost at a point of flowering. These plants are not even directly under light just getting reflective diffused light at best.
I was thinking about grabbing this for my overwinters but for now since they are doing well I am going to leave them alone.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203012866/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=t5+light+fixtures&storeId=10051#.UMISmYNfDng
I was thinking about grabbing this for my overwinters but for now since they are doing well I am going to leave them alone.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203012866/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=t5+light+fixtures&storeId=10051#.UMISmYNfDng
millworkman
eXtreme
What you pay per watt is the exact same regardless of how it is spent(heat vs. light). If you have 400 watts of hid(High Pressure Sodium or Metal Halide) then it will cost you the same as using 400 watts of T5s. The difference is in the light output, density, penetrating abilities... A 400 watt hid is going to be very hot, but look at the size of the single bulb compared to the 8 blubs worth of T5s it would take to reach 400 watts. Hids are by far the most efficient lights out there, but it all depends on your grow wants, needs and space.
I personally use T12 and T8 fixtures and CFLs. Peppers do not need that much light to get going and get to transplantable size and with CFLs I can spread a lot of plants over a big area using minimal lights. If I remember correctly a 400 watt hid has about 8sqft of awesome grow space then 12-20 not so great. With 200 watts worth of CFLs I cover nearly 12 sqft of space.
I'm surprised to see HD selling T5 enclosed fixtures, looks like a good price. I steered away from the T5's due to the cost of the bulbs. I just did a complete changeout of my T8 bulbs. 120 of them, I get a discount at the electrical supply but still cost $$$.My MH aren't to bad since I only have to replace 3 bulbs once a yr.Ha......I'm no lighting guru either but through many years of commerical photography I've used and collected some color/ambient/flash meters. I still use the ambient meter (ft candles/lux) to check the bulbs in the grow rooms. I like the T8 fixtures, the electronic ballasts stay cooler than most I deal with at my regular job. I can place the plants within a 1/2 inch from the bulbs. My typical set-up is 3-4 bulb close spaced T8 fixtures ganged up side by side. The ambient reading I register from the light meter 1" away from the T8 bulbs is equivalent to bright sun at high noon. Obviously there is light falloff, but even at a ft away the scattered light pattern is pretty intense. Now on the other hand my plant tops are 1 ft away from my 400w mh. I use a fan with open reflectors but the heat level is up and any closer to the bulbs the plant tips will dry out. At the 1ft distance the light measured is actually less compared to the T8's but the Metal Halide (spot) will penetrate the light futher throughout the plants canopy with little fall off even with a plant thats 2/3ft tall. Where was I .....I keep getting interupted here at work.....who cares right!I've put out some pretty healthy plants just with the T8's alone......I can't comment on the T5 other than the High Output ballasts getting warm.
