lighting Metal Halide grow lights?

[winland]

Hello,
Very new to THP forum.
I am in NW Ohio and this was my first year growing any hot peppers.
I was fortunate to get a couple dozen plants from a local CraigsList offer for free in early May.
 
I have not germinated any seeds yet.
 
I use to be very active in tropical saltwater fish and have some large 400w Metal halide reflectors/ballasts/bulbs.
 
My question is, what "K" value is best for young seedlings?
Since MH lamps are warm/hot, what distance is recommended from the seedlings/small plants?
 
Thank you for any relevant information.
 
 

 

[Struckzb]

[SIZE=10.5pt]I think most people initially go with CFLs or fluorescent tubes while the seedlings are young (think it’s a heat issue). I started my plants under CFLs and probably kept them there a little too long, before finding out the pathetic lumen output of them compared to HID lights. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]I then bought a 400W HPS 2000K bulb, before reading that I should start them on a Metal Halide, so I also bought a 400W MH 4200K. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]I usually switch back and forth from the HPS to the MH, but primarily keep the MH running. The bulb that I was using was 4200K. I had the plants in a little vinyl greenhouse I bought, and they quickly outgrew it. The plants really seemed to like the bulb, and I had to take them out of the tiny green house and move them to the corner of the room. It is far more chilly and drafty so I was a little concerned about the temp getting too cold. Today I went and bought a 600W MH conversion bulb that is rated at 7200K. The light seems to be more intense and definitely puts off more heat. Before, when the plants were in the greenhouse set up, I was usually at about 90 degrees F. Since I have taken them out of the greenhouse, and installed the higher wattage lamp, the temp is about 86, with a fan running. As far as distance from the plants, I usually hold my hand out and if it’s hot on the back of my hand then I know it’s too hot. I also have a thermometer next to the plants. With my current set up, the tops of the plants are about 16-18 inches from the light. [/SIZE]
 
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]So to sum it up: I had good results with the 4200K lamp, and we shall see how the 7200K performs. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]As long as the plants aren’t wilting or having obvious heat issues, the closer the better is what I understand. The lumens drop off exponentially, so as long as you can keep the plants cool enough you should be gtg. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]I already have tons of buds starting on my Jalapeño, and my Bhuts, and Scotch Bonnets look pretty good. I’m trying to keep them compact, since I have limited space.  [/SIZE]