-
Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.
Grow test about to start
- Thread starter wordwiz
- Start date
NatGreenMeds
Banned
Looking good Mike. Are these plants going to be transplanted outside next spring? After Thanksgiving, are you going to use other lighting?
Nat,
I doubt I'll be able to plant them in the spring - unless I buy more lights. I can't plant until mid-May. That's six months, three of them in the dead of winter, I would have to keep them alive.
Shane,
I'm interested too! If I can find an outlet to sell them, I want to start at least 700 plants, which will require quite a bit of room once I transplant them into 3" containers. I want to have bushy, yet somewhat tall plants to sell. I know it's a "Pie in the sky" goal but if I can about that many, that would give me $1,500 that I can spend on next year's garden and grow lights for the following year.
Mike
I doubt I'll be able to plant them in the spring - unless I buy more lights. I can't plant until mid-May. That's six months, three of them in the dead of winter, I would have to keep them alive.
Shane,
I'm interested too! If I can find an outlet to sell them, I want to start at least 700 plants, which will require quite a bit of room once I transplant them into 3" containers. I want to have bushy, yet somewhat tall plants to sell. I know it's a "Pie in the sky" goal but if I can about that many, that would give me $1,500 that I can spend on next year's garden and grow lights for the following year.
Mike
QuadShotz
Banned
Here's a product of interest:
LED-PlantBars from LEDtronics
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/plantled/default.asp
Pricey 'lil buggers, but looks fun.
LED-PlantBars from LEDtronics
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/plantled/default.asp
Pricey 'lil buggers, but looks fun.
Missed that. sorry.wordwiz said:
For example a type of blue light will encourage X growth and a closer type of blue would encourage Y growth. the intensity is not the issue, but the type of light. different wavelengths, even in the same range, will give different results. you need to compare different wavelengths, not light sources. the lumen intensity is different, and that'a a fact. there's nothing to measure without the right data.
This will let YOU know which of the lights you have is better for X and Y, but a different CFL bulb could easily give different results.
Just saying there's a way of conducting a proper experiment. you can't just put different lights and think you're going all scientific. I don't mean to offend, but I have tried to explain it before (to you especially) in other threads.
Omri,
Not trying to be scientific, just consistent! There's no way I could every conceivable combination of lights so I'm content to see which of the three types of lights I have work the best. I added the data about the wavelength and intensity for you.
Keep in mind the purpose of this experiment is to see
1) which plants looks the best overall both in terms of height, internodal length, size and number of leaves and
2) If after 12 weeks (actually, 10 weeks) if the plants are large enough that I could sell them.
Even though the test will probably last for about 13 weeks, the weather for the most part is going to be more conducive to growing now than it will be in February, March and early April. I have to have the plants ready to sell by the first weekend of May.
Mike
Not trying to be scientific, just consistent! There's no way I could every conceivable combination of lights so I'm content to see which of the three types of lights I have work the best. I added the data about the wavelength and intensity for you.
Keep in mind the purpose of this experiment is to see
1) which plants looks the best overall both in terms of height, internodal length, size and number of leaves and
2) If after 12 weeks (actually, 10 weeks) if the plants are large enough that I could sell them.
Even though the test will probably last for about 13 weeks, the weather for the most part is going to be more conducive to growing now than it will be in February, March and early April. I have to have the plants ready to sell by the first weekend of May.
Mike
NatGreenMeds
Banned
Hey Mike, I've studied a LOT about lighting in regards to plants. You're talking about as many as 700 plant seedlings. At the height of their growth, each will take up about 3 inches by 3 inches of space, (I'm guessing).wordwiz said:
3 inches by 3 inches is 9 square inches. 9 times 700 is 6300 square inches. That translates into 43.75 square feet, which is an area of 79.3725 inches squared or 6 feet, 7 and 3/8 inches on each side of a square.
For an area that large, your best bang for the buck considering recurring costs over many uses may be a consideration you would want to look into. Covering 43 square feet with small CFL's wouldn't be cost effective, but if you got a couple like I use, (Dual 125 watt CFL's in a single reflector), it may suit your needs better.
Just food for thought. You could also consider larger linear fluorescents or even Metal Halides if you decide to go full scale with your project.
Nat,
Yeah, I had calculated the same amount of space needs. However, it won't be quite that large.
I plan to start them all in trays - the ones I like best so far I can fit 72 of them into a 11x21" space. In a 3x8' area, I can start 864 plants.
Only part of those will go into 3" containers. If I time it correctly, I can start setting those outside by the middle of April. No guarantees of freeze free by then, but if I build a 20 sq.ft. grow box, unless it gets into record low temps, I should be safe. That would also allow me to harden the plants off.
Last year, I used 4 23 watt CFLs in a 30x20" box and they did great - they would easily cover a 32x42 inch area and they did a decent job of growing plants that were not leggy. An added advantage is they put out a little heat which will be handy in February and early March when the upstairs in not that warm. I like the idea of moving some plants to larger planters also - because I'm sure not all the seeds will germinate.
Mike
Yeah, I had calculated the same amount of space needs. However, it won't be quite that large.
I plan to start them all in trays - the ones I like best so far I can fit 72 of them into a 11x21" space. In a 3x8' area, I can start 864 plants.
Only part of those will go into 3" containers. If I time it correctly, I can start setting those outside by the middle of April. No guarantees of freeze free by then, but if I build a 20 sq.ft. grow box, unless it gets into record low temps, I should be safe. That would also allow me to harden the plants off.
Last year, I used 4 23 watt CFLs in a 30x20" box and they did great - they would easily cover a 32x42 inch area and they did a decent job of growing plants that were not leggy. An added advantage is they put out a little heat which will be handy in February and early March when the upstairs in not that warm. I like the idea of moving some plants to larger planters also - because I'm sure not all the seeds will germinate.
Mike
The test ended sort of abruptly last Sunday at 1:50 pm. The lights went off, and stayed off until 10:50 pm yesterday.
Though it only lasted two weeks, I saw a couple of things that were noteable:
The plants under the 13 watt LED panel did just as well, if not slightly better than the ones under the 23 watt CFL or the 45 watt LED.
The CFL light requires a lot more attention to detail. Because the bulbs put out some heat, the soil tended to dry far quicker.
Not so with the 45 watt LED - but the problem was determining the correct distance from the bulbs. Too far, and they tend to grow leggy (from past exerience), too close and they can OD on light - which a couple did.
I prefer these lights for growing plants but for seedlings I will use a dozen 13 watt LED panels for my ~850 plants.
Over the break I also discovered the potting soil that is perfect for pepper seed germination is worthless for tomato plants. This is the second time I have tried using the more course soil and the second time I have received the same results - next to zero germination. Yet 100 percent of the peppers germinated.
Toms seem to need a very fine soil. I can either sift this or try to find a different type, though most stores around here don't carry anything but what I have or Miracle Grow.
Mike
Though it only lasted two weeks, I saw a couple of things that were noteable:
The plants under the 13 watt LED panel did just as well, if not slightly better than the ones under the 23 watt CFL or the 45 watt LED.
The CFL light requires a lot more attention to detail. Because the bulbs put out some heat, the soil tended to dry far quicker.
Not so with the 45 watt LED - but the problem was determining the correct distance from the bulbs. Too far, and they tend to grow leggy (from past exerience), too close and they can OD on light - which a couple did.
I prefer these lights for growing plants but for seedlings I will use a dozen 13 watt LED panels for my ~850 plants.
Over the break I also discovered the potting soil that is perfect for pepper seed germination is worthless for tomato plants. This is the second time I have tried using the more course soil and the second time I have received the same results - next to zero germination. Yet 100 percent of the peppers germinated.
Toms seem to need a very fine soil. I can either sift this or try to find a different type, though most stores around here don't carry anything but what I have or Miracle Grow.
Mike
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
Mike...have you tried to get any Hoffmans Seed Starting Mix?...can you find it where you are?....that is all I will use for germination from now on...first transplant is to standard non-fertilized potting soil...
lostmind said:
We had a slight breeze that last a few minutes.
Actually, we had wind gusts of more than 74 php that lasted for three hours a week ago Sunday. Duke Energy estimated that as many as 2.1 million customers lost power at one time or another, 1.1 million for an extended period. Ours was out for 14 hours short of a full week.
I'll have to look. Is it very fine soil. The toms don't seem to germinate in potting soil that has much excess matter in it.
Mike
lostmind,
I think it runs much deeper. I have a fax program that runs via the computer with its own phone line - it isn't working. I lost several e-mail messages which normally wouldn't be a big deal but these were important articles for this week's paper. Some computer programs don't seem to work correctly - nothing I can put my finger on but still a nagging (though minor) problem.
Don't get me wrong - I don't have anything near the problems those people from the Galveston area have to deal with, but I've lived in Cincy for over 20 years and in the general area for 50+ years. Never have seen anything like this, not even back in the '60s when technology regarding electric grids was non-existant.
Mike
I think it runs much deeper. I have a fax program that runs via the computer with its own phone line - it isn't working. I lost several e-mail messages which normally wouldn't be a big deal but these were important articles for this week's paper. Some computer programs don't seem to work correctly - nothing I can put my finger on but still a nagging (though minor) problem.
Don't get me wrong - I don't have anything near the problems those people from the Galveston area have to deal with, but I've lived in Cincy for over 20 years and in the general area for 50+ years. Never have seen anything like this, not even back in the '60s when technology regarding electric grids was non-existant.
Mike
NatGreenMeds
Banned
I can't stress enough to people the importance of having a quality UPS (Uninterrupted power supply) that will allow them to shut down their PC or activate an automatic shutdown in the event of a power outage. Whenever one is used on a home machine, it saves everything that is open and shuts the programs down properly. Nothing is lost, everything is as it was before the power outage.wordwiz said:
They're worth their weight in gold.
I know it doesn't help you now, but you might think of getting one for future use.
I hope you can do a re-install for all that are giving you fits. That should fix any corrupted files in the base programs.
Good luck Mike!
Nat,
The fax problem must be in the line - even when the computer is off I'm getting a busy signal. Now that my two weeks of hell are history and the paper is published, I'll have some time to delve into the wiring. That, and till some ground, so some wheat, pick some toms and peppers, dig some potatoes, sow a couple of tomato seeds...
Mike
The fax problem must be in the line - even when the computer is off I'm getting a busy signal. Now that my two weeks of hell are history and the paper is published, I'll have some time to delve into the wiring. That, and till some ground, so some wheat, pick some toms and peppers, dig some potatoes, sow a couple of tomato seeds...
Mike
NatGreenMeds
Banned
wordwiz said:
Good luck to you Mike. I know those two weeks must have seemed much longer. You're talking to a guy who hates faxes. I simply refuse to use them now. As a software developer, I can make anything happen with perfect clarity by using email or at the very least, a high resolution copier and an attachment to an email. The first thing I do when a business tells me they'll fax me something is tell them not to bother if that's the best they can do. It's like using a horse on the expressway now.
Get yourself a good quality copier and use email. It's faster, it's more reliable, it looks more professional and it's easier for everyone to read.
Did I mention that I hate faxes? hehe
