For my 2015 grow, I'm planning to put everything outside again, starting them indoors first under t5 and t8 lights. That worked well for me this year. I'd like to experiment with growing one large chinense super hot indoors, probably some kind of 7-Pot, to maturity. I thinking of using one HPS light. What would be the minimum wattage bulb I'd need for one plant, and how would that scale up if I later wanted to add up to four plants? This would need to flower and fruit the plant. To save electricity, I'd like to use a 150 watt (I think is around 15,000-16,000 lumens) HPS if that will work. Also, I'm planning to grow the plant in a 5-gal DWC setup. This will be my first attempt at growing with hydroponics too.
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Minimum wattage HPS for fruiting
- Thread starter Peter S
- Start date
Thanks willard3! that's exactly the info I need. So if I figure a 2ftx2ft space for one plant, it would need 12,000 lumens,and a 150w would cover that. If scale up to four 5-gal containers, at 2ft each, would be 16 sq/ft. Lumen requirements would be 48,000 and I would need at least a 400w bulb (50,000 lumen).willard3 said:
Chile's are not as spectrum sensitive as other... ahem... plants that are often grown indoors. If you are only doing a single plant you can get away with a 2x2 (or similar) T5 set up (mixed spectrum) for a while but florescent light falls off quickly with distance so as the plant grows taller you will not get sufficient light to the lower leaves. I think you would need to go at least a 400W HPS to get the penetration that you need in the later stages.You are right to look toward HID bulbs but I would offer an alternative to HPS as that is definitely a red-spectrum bulb.
The "latest and greatest" thing that I have found is called an LEC (light emitting ceramic) or CMH (ceramic metal halide) bulb made by Philips. It runs on only 315W and has a well rounded spectrum - like an HPS with a bit more blue and enough punch to go deep into the canopy. It is a one-stop-shop - vegetative growth all the way through flowering with one bulb and many have compared it's effectiveness to a 600W HPS! It also produces very little heat so you can get it almost as close to you plant as a T5... almost. Sun Systems offers a complete set up (ballast, bulb, hood) for about $500. Other manufacturers are making fixtures with this bulb for less so I would look around. I coughed up the cash for the Sun System's set up and I can assure you I am completely happy. I currently have it covering about a 4x3 area:
The "latest and greatest" thing that I have found is called an LEC (light emitting ceramic) or CMH (ceramic metal halide) bulb made by Philips. It runs on only 315W and has a well rounded spectrum - like an HPS with a bit more blue and enough punch to go deep into the canopy. It is a one-stop-shop - vegetative growth all the way through flowering with one bulb and many have compared it's effectiveness to a 600W HPS! It also produces very little heat so you can get it almost as close to you plant as a T5... almost. Sun Systems offers a complete set up (ballast, bulb, hood) for about $500. Other manufacturers are making fixtures with this bulb for less so I would look around. I coughed up the cash for the Sun System's set up and I can assure you I am completely happy. I currently have it covering about a 4x3 area:
Those other...ahem...plants arent spectrum sensitive either.
The only plants that are really spectrum sensitive have two extra cytochromes and live in oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Ceramic metal halide is the shit. Its almost full spectrum. Too bad Philips never made anything higher than a 400w Mastercolor. I loved that bulb but I moved on to more power.
The CRI on those IIRC is 91-92. So its pretty close to midday sunshine.
The only plants that are really spectrum sensitive have two extra cytochromes and live in oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Ceramic metal halide is the shit. Its almost full spectrum. Too bad Philips never made anything higher than a 400w Mastercolor. I loved that bulb but I moved on to more power.
The CRI on those IIRC is 91-92. So its pretty close to midday sunshine.
As I mentioned, there are cheaper set-ups that use that bulb, and building your own is always an option. I didn't shop around too much although I should have. The ceramics are where it's at as far as spectrum, and they last for YEARS not SEASONS. The power use is less than that of an 8-bulb T5 too.
As far as ROI... well... I am going to have to grow/sell a lot of peppers! I don't know about the rest of you but for me this is a labor of love. If I can make any money back on this I will see it as a bonus, not a goal. I like the idea of having chiles year round; not worrying about bugs, hail, frost, etc. I want to make some sauces and buying fresh superhots from someone else sounds inconvenient - I am my own farm-to-table! I like tending to my garden too, keeps me out of trouble.
They put that LEC in a basic reflector set up too - probably is cheaper. I was looking at an 8-bulb T5 when I bought mine. The 8-bulb set up was a little over half the price but I justified the LEC on it's power savings (432W v. 315W) and long life. Part of what I paid was paying for the newest toys. Is it better? That remains to be seen although the reviews I've seen have been great.
I'd love to try the induction (plasma) bulbs too but I am not going to gamble $1000 on the technology. I'll give it a few years so that the price drops then I'll give it a shot. I'm probably not going to get rich growing chiles!
As far as ROI... well... I am going to have to grow/sell a lot of peppers! I don't know about the rest of you but for me this is a labor of love. If I can make any money back on this I will see it as a bonus, not a goal. I like the idea of having chiles year round; not worrying about bugs, hail, frost, etc. I want to make some sauces and buying fresh superhots from someone else sounds inconvenient - I am my own farm-to-table! I like tending to my garden too, keeps me out of trouble.
able eye said:
They put that LEC in a basic reflector set up too - probably is cheaper. I was looking at an 8-bulb T5 when I bought mine. The 8-bulb set up was a little over half the price but I justified the LEC on it's power savings (432W v. 315W) and long life. Part of what I paid was paying for the newest toys. Is it better? That remains to be seen although the reviews I've seen have been great.
I'd love to try the induction (plasma) bulbs too but I am not going to gamble $1000 on the technology. I'll give it a few years so that the price drops then I'll give it a shot. I'm probably not going to get rich growing chiles!
Almost certain they're phasing out the Retrowhite. advancedtechlighting.com has a package deal on the 315, sans reflector, and you would also need a step up transformer unless you can wire to 240v. It's not the Agro, though I believe everything but the mogul base is transferable. Comparison to a 600w is reaching quite a bit.