I'm not going to lie... When I want gardening advice, I tend to peruse the cannabis forums. Judge me if you like, but those guys are some of the best gardners/farmers I've ever met. Scientific methods are useful for maximum and optimized yields - but an organic farmer almost always has better tasting stuff. (I can't prove it quantitatively, but it doesn't matter - even if it's placebo effect, it still has me convinced) They put love in there!
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seeds New seedlings just arrived -what soil mix??
- Thread starter Odysseus
- Start date
put them in 5 gallon buckets. prop them up on blocks. they need natural light. build a greenhouse. lookup texas prepper greenhouse on youtube. you can build one with limited space for under 200Odysseus said:These just came in today from Cross Country Nurseries:
1 Datil
2 Aji Omnicolor
2 Lemon Drop
1 Fresno
I'm going to be growing them completely indoors under LED lights. I read the "All About Soil" thread and there were like 20 different potting mix recipes. . . question is, what recipe should I go with? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Finally got my light built. 2 Vero 29 4000K LEDs, a Meanwell HLG-185h-c1400b driver, and 19" of HeatsinkUSA's 4.6"-profile heatsink.
Even mirror polished the underside of the heatsink.
I tried to take pictures of the light on, but it's so bright I can't really get a decent picture of it. It is absolutely blinding.
Even mirror polished the underside of the heatsink.
I tried to take pictures of the light on, but it's so bright I can't really get a decent picture of it. It is absolutely blinding.
I LIKE IT! However, that two point light source is a problem once they grow. A single one of those plants at end of season could take up as much space as all 6 combined now... given enough light.
Right now I'd be working on a complex array of mirrored panels to keep all that light in and reflected, bouncing around till a leaf absorbs it, in a structure where the mirrored walls provided at least 14 sq foot floor space and were at least 2.5' high but really, 4ft is more more in line with the plants' potential, especially once you add the height of the pots.
Mirrored panels can be less than optically perfect. A double layer of reflective metalized foil film survival blankets or the shiny side of aluminum foil, use as drapes or attached to wood or cardboard box panels will work.
Also, if you haven't, you should lower the light down till it's barely above the plants, then raise it as they grow taller.
Right now I'd be working on a complex array of mirrored panels to keep all that light in and reflected, bouncing around till a leaf absorbs it, in a structure where the mirrored walls provided at least 14 sq foot floor space and were at least 2.5' high but really, 4ft is more more in line with the plants' potential, especially once you add the height of the pots.
Mirrored panels can be less than optically perfect. A double layer of reflective metalized foil film survival blankets or the shiny side of aluminum foil, use as drapes or attached to wood or cardboard box panels will work.
Also, if you haven't, you should lower the light down till it's barely above the plants, then raise it as they grow taller.
I am indeed working on an array of mirrored panels. The plan is to build a plywood grow cabinet and line the walls, ceiling, and floor with foil. If everything I've read is accurate, to fruit hot peppers you need a minimum DLI of 20-22 up to a maximum of 28. They also apparently do best under 18-20 hours light per day. So to get a DLI of 24 with 18 hrs. of light, the grow box should have a footprint of 6 square feet based on the following calculations:
Vero 29 4000K @ 1400mA and 50 degrees Celsius:
50.96 Watts
43.88 % efficient (photons/heat)
4.62 umol/Joule QER
50.96 Watts X 43.88 % = 22.36 PAR Watts
22.36 PAR Watts X 4.62 umol/J = 103.3 PPF
103.3 PPF X 2 LEDs = 206.6 total PPF
206.6 PPF / .5574 square meters (6 square ft.) = 370.6 PPFD
370.6 PPFD X 18 hrs. light per day X .0036 = 24 DLI
A 7 sq. ft. box @ 18 hours light gives 20.6 DLI
A 7 sq. ft. box @ 20 hours light gives 22.9 DLI
An 8 sq. ft. box @ 20 hours light gives 20 DLI
So I'm thinking I'll build an 8 sq. ft. box and add another light later as the plants mature if necessary.
Vero 29 4000K @ 1400mA and 50 degrees Celsius:
50.96 Watts
43.88 % efficient (photons/heat)
4.62 umol/Joule QER
50.96 Watts X 43.88 % = 22.36 PAR Watts
22.36 PAR Watts X 4.62 umol/J = 103.3 PPF
103.3 PPF X 2 LEDs = 206.6 total PPF
206.6 PPF / .5574 square meters (6 square ft.) = 370.6 PPFD
370.6 PPFD X 18 hrs. light per day X .0036 = 24 DLI
A 7 sq. ft. box @ 18 hours light gives 20.6 DLI
A 7 sq. ft. box @ 20 hours light gives 22.9 DLI
An 8 sq. ft. box @ 20 hours light gives 20 DLI
So I'm thinking I'll build an 8 sq. ft. box and add another light later as the plants mature if necessary.
^ I felt I was being conservative when I wrote 14 sq ft, since each plant needs more than 2 sq ft or else they're going to get leggy and put more energy into stems, less into pods. Creative top pruning won't help that either as more side growth still requires the floor space. I'd build the biggest structure you have room for, assuming you're going to continue growing indoors if this goes well.
You can't make valid calculations about light if the plants are shading each other. Well you can try but effective light would be that which promotes podding rather than stems. More stems = more space needed. Granted, this crowding will take a few months to happen. To put it another way with ample good soil and light, before a lot of pods are set to divert energy expenditure which may be even more of an issue if you don't get as many blooms pollinated, each plant has the potential to double in size in a week... but I'm thinking in terms of an outdoor grow, something indoors is usually a limitation.
Crowded plants are also a lot harder to pollinate by hand.
You can't make valid calculations about light if the plants are shading each other. Well you can try but effective light would be that which promotes podding rather than stems. More stems = more space needed. Granted, this crowding will take a few months to happen. To put it another way with ample good soil and light, before a lot of pods are set to divert energy expenditure which may be even more of an issue if you don't get as many blooms pollinated, each plant has the potential to double in size in a week... but I'm thinking in terms of an outdoor grow, something indoors is usually a limitation.
Crowded plants are also a lot harder to pollinate by hand.