How much light?

[mesatrin]

How much light would you suggest I need for an area that is 3feet x4 feet x6 feet (height)?

This "room" is made of mirrors on all sides and top. I currently have 1 400w HPS light and 2 1600 lumen fluorescent (curly, soft white) light bulbs. It served my well last season to get the plants growing, and I was able to get flowers, but I was not able to get any fruit to set. I don't know if light was the problem there or not, but I am just wondering if you all think this is enough light.

 

[geeme]

So you're saying that you're strictly growing your plants in this area - you're not just starting them there, then moving them outside? Is that correct? What kind of temperatures do you have in that area, and does it fluctuate throughout the season? (I live in a very old, drafty house that seems to have little insulation, and so it gets rather cold in the winter, even though I heat it. I would definitely have to add a space heater if I wanted to actually grow anything during the cold months, rather than let them go dormant.)

 

[mesatrin]

When the weather was nice outside I took the plants out, but I would like to get plants to produce even in the off season (maybe even start a few new plants). When it gets nice out again in 5 months or so I will take them back out. The temps fluctuate but for the most part it stays in the range of 70-75 Fahrenheit (when it is cooler outside).

 

[wordwiz]

Not sure what plants you are growing but there is a scientific formula for the amount of light you need. Peppers and tomatoes need about 22 mols per day (plus there are other factors but just sticking to lighting needs). The simple answer is ~ 30,000 lux for at least 14 hours a day. To calculate the mols per day, you need a light meter. Take the measurement. If it is footcandles, multiply it by .000718 for sunlight, .000546 for Metal Halide, .000473 for HPS or .000524 for cool-white fluros, then multiply by the number of hours per day the light is on. If the product is not at least 18, you need to increase the lighting.

YMMV,

Mike

 

[geeme]

I'm in the Cleveland, OH area, and my plants (first year) have been rather prolific, particularly for this second go-round, so I was surprised to read that yours flowered but didn't set fruit - we're only a 2-hour drive apart, so not a huge weather difference on average. I'm inclined to wonder about other conditions, in addition to the lights in that area. Did your plants get a minimum of 6 hours of full sun a day? What kind of soil are they in? When you water, do you let them mostly dry out before watering again?

If you want them to continue to grow and produce through the winter, you'll need to find a way to get that area closer to 80F or 90F on a fairly consistent basis.

 

[mesatrin]

Ahh, maybe I should have been more specific. Once I took them outside they set fruit. When they were indoors they did not. It may just have been polinization issue. I had a fan going, and I was shaking the plants, tried the q-tip/paint brush, I tried taking two flowers and rubbing them together. Nothing seemed to make a difference.

And wordwiz, they are pepper plants. Last season all I grew was bhuts, but next year I am expanding.

 

[geeme]

Almost sounds like you went a little overboard in the pollinization - maybe in your efforts you ended up removing what was there. Shaking the stems periodically (or giving them a mild thump) should be sufficient. Since peppers are self-pollinators, rubbing two flowers together isn't necessary. Still inclined to look at the combo of light, temp, and soil in total - I'd suggest bumping the temp up to mid-80's, not just recalculating light needs.