• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Fans.... all the time or what ?

MegaSpokaneMan

MegaSpokaneMan

Hey all,

Just bought a fan... I have read through many posts that simply say put a fan on them to make them stronger... Should I put it on the same timer as my light ? Do the pros around here start a fan on them early.. say even before the first true leaves ? Who knew there were so many basics to growing peppers.

-- Mega
 
MegaSpokaneMan said:
Hey all,

Just bought a fan... I have read through many posts that simply say put a fan on them to make them stronger... Should I put it on the same timer as my light ? Do the pros around here start a fan on them early.. say even before the first true leaves ? Who knew there were so many basics to growing peppers.

-- Mega
Click to expand...
Ya, you can put it on the same timer as your lights. But if you have some new sprouts you should be running your lights 24/7 for the first week at least anyways.
 
I think peppers are just like any other plant. Just not as resilient to being over-loved. I think the fan serves not only to strengthen the stem, but to also cool it down, but I think it would be harmful to the plants if you agitated them all day long. I don't know, that's my guess, but perhaps someone with experience could comment on this?
 
Fans do not need to be on the plants all day. every 3 hours or so for 20-30 minutes is a good idea. 18/6 light cycle. The fan should give the plants a nice breeze. You don't want to dry out the plant. A 5 dollar timer from walmart will get you where you need to be.
 
Good air circulation is never a bad idea. I run a fan almost all the time but not always directly on the plants although you really should get the plants ready for their outdoor life where there can be lots of wind
 
POTAWIE said:
Good air circulation is never a bad idea. I run a fan almost all the time but not always directly on the plants although you really should get the plants ready for their outdoor life where there can be lots of wind
Click to expand...

+1
My thoughts exactly!!
I don’t like to have them basting in stagnant air which could promote leggy plants. I also believe that by circulating the air helps the inner plants from being inundated with excessive moisture which leads to other problems.
 
yeah those manual timers that come with the HID kits are great.. and actually what Capsicum said makes sense, I knew it to be true, but never really thought about it, I think I will put the fan on a little more at "night" to make sure there is good air circulation when the stomata are open more.. although I usually run it for 15min every hour or every 2 hours I think.. not sure.. and then I have the inline exhaust fan on about 6 times a day to vent the moisture.. but I didn't put my fan on them until they were in solo cups, but I think I will change that a little and give them some indirect air circulation as seedlings, although its pretty open now so it's not like they are in a grow box or anything.. just a shelf.
 
i run my floor fan during the day, i start it in the morning and shut it off around 6pm. it is pointed towards a wall and not directly on the plants(mainly because the low setting is quite strong). since my grow area is made up of mature pepper plants, seedling peppers and dwc peppers, purple carrots, goji seedling and tomatoes i find the indirect method works nice. looking down at my grow area, everything is gently moving - like a fine breeze is blowing on them.

my grow area gets direct sunlight all day(except yesterday when the sun was blocked out by a snow storm), so temperatures are a little higher during the day. night is cooler.
 
I'm only second year growing stuff indoors and like hearing opinions in posts like this.You would think those who grow in an enclosed space with warm lights would have fan(s) on whenever the lights are on to move and exhaust the heat, along with the other benefits.

Since my T8s don't put out much heat, are only partially enclosed, I've settled down to 2 or 3-hrs a day in 30-minute sessions. Its about leggy control and stem toughening for me. Every plant gets *some* fan time even the hooks. My fan is very low power, so I fan direct, and it is oscillating type to more simulate nature. I also start a session with a spray mist since the grow room is very low humidity. I feel if it was on all day in such low humidity, it would get too dry.

So everyone has different variables to consider.

I also brush them with my hand sometimes to remind them who is in charge and toughen stems... :cool:
 
Siliman said:
I also brush them with my hand sometimes to remind them who is in charge and toughen stems... :cool:
Click to expand...
lol, I just try not to crush them when I am trying to get to the ones in the back, I usually go bare feet, and with shorts on because a few times I have accidentally snapped a small leaf or small branch on them, but only a couple times, I feel bad, but oh well lol

Siliman said:
I'm only second year growing stuff indoors and like hearing opinions in posts like this.You would think those who grow in an enclosed space with warm lights would have fan(s) on whenever the lights are on to move and exhaust the heat, along with the other benefits.
Click to expand...
that is what I thought at first which is why I thought I needed the exhaust fan for heat, but really I just have it on a timer and turn it on here and there to vent the humidity.. the heat hasn't been a issue at all, even with the 600w HID in there.. it doesn't bump it up more than 7-10 degrees at the most.. most of the time being between a 5-7degree bump.. but I think the hood I have has something to do with it, having a cool tube instead of bare bulb the heat tends to just slide out the tube ends and up.. and 6x6x6' grow area.. most of the heat move towards the top and out through the material eventually, even though I had 2 space blankets on top of the poles to help insulate it a little better, but oh well.. I'm surprised the heat isn't higher when the humidity tends to stay stuck in there without the vent

and yeah, the fan I have is a big 18" oscillating fan I think, and on low setting it is still pretty strong, so I just grabbed the dimmer that I had gotten originally for my snake's heat mat (which didn't really make a difference for the heat mat) and used it for the fan.. which works great! .. now I just need to figure out why the Congo Trinidad's tend to get edema super easily, much more so than anything else in there.. anyone ever have this issue either.. I guess they like much lower humidity.?
 
Capsicum said:
I used to turn fans off witht the lights but I found letting them run 24/7 is better, this is only coming from experience in growing under HID in a tent and oly HID.
Click to expand...
does it help you control humidity and less chance of edema than when you use to turn them off? or more so for just stronger plants?
 
I only had mildew once. I could never understand how when the tent turns off all that moisture you would think would mess things up but it does not. I even was leaving inline fan on but I dont think it did anything but waste $$$.

I want to grow in a "true room" some day. No in or out vents. But I do not grow indoor anymore because the sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No lol I like leaving and coming back to nice plants outside, not under lights in my house!!!!
 
I run my fans constant...........air circulation is a must. Without proper air circ you;ll end up with more than just week stems but you can develope soil fungal problems. A fan is self contained and stays lubed while running. It draws very little current. Noise can be a factor when not use to hearing them on. For me they're no louder than the dehumidifer which I have to run, That helps fight condensation build-up on the windows

Greg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top