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seeds Question about air flow and pepper seedlings

PepperJam

PepperJam

So i bought a small personal fan at my local target after someone mentioned in my growlog i should get one.. I also bought a timer from home depot. Now my questions are:

  1. How often should the fan be on or is it always on?
  2. I put it on lowest strength, is that ok?
  3. Is the fan used to strengthen the seedlings or to introduce fresh air?

Here is my setup.

fan.jpg


Thanks,
 
Thanks for bringing this up I've got the same questions. How is that seed starter working for you, I bought the same ones
 
logchief said:
Thanks for bringing this up I've got the same questions. How is that seed starter working for you, I bought the same ones
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They are doing good so far. Last year i had a jumbo one where i put veggies in it and it did well. I just water the tray and the seedlings get water when they need :D
 
The fan is more for strengthening the seedlings than anything. It is also beneficial to dissipate the heat from your light so that you can keep the light close to the seedlings without burning them. If your light gets too hot without the fan then you may want to keep it on them as long as the light is on, having the fan on the same timer as the light would be fine. If the fan is too strong your seedlings could get wind damage, you should be fine on low, you should need it to jostle the seedlings a little. They don't need a ton of airflow, just a little to toughen them up and make them grow sturdy stems. I use an oscillating fan on low, I'm not using my light timer now since I have seedlings germinating and growing under the same light so it's on 24/7. I just turn the fan on and off periodically and my seedlings are pretty sturdy.
 
Yeah the fan is best to make sure they dont grow weak. Thicken them up a bit and make sure they are not to leggy provided the proper amount of light.
 
For me it's mostly to keep the bulbs cool. So...

1. I have it on when the light's on.
2. Should be fine, you really only need a bit of a breeze
3. Both, I guess. Not so much "fresh air", but just a bit of air flow so that things don't get too damp.
 
The fan is for fresh air flow and strengthening as has been said...

I blow the fans on the seedlings as hard as they will take it...sometimes it looks like I am trying to blow the leaves off of them....definitely shakeing them....

the actual mechanism that strengthens the stems is it stretches and compresses the cell wall structure thus making it thicker...stems will stiffen up pretty quickly...think of it as standing on the bow of a boat with your feet together and trying to keep your balance with the boat rocking...think about how strong your leg muscles would be...
 
AlabamaJack said:
The fan is for fresh air flow and strengthening as has been said...

I blow the fans on the seedlings as hard as they will take it...sometimes it looks like I am trying to blow the leaves off of them....definitely shakeing them....

the actual mechanism that strengthens the stems is it stretches and compresses the cell wall structure thus making it thicker...stems will stiffen up pretty quickly...think of it as standing on the bow of a boat with your feet together and trying to keep your balance with the boat rocking...think about how strong your leg muscles would be...
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Thanks for the analogy, makes sense. What timings do you use Alabama? Do you leave the fan on 24hr, or when lights are on, or just periodically (like every 8 hours for 30 mins).
 
PepperJam said:
Thanks for the analogy, makes sense. What timings do you use Alabama? Do you leave the fan on 24hr, or when lights are on, or just periodically (like every 8 hours for 30 mins).
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yw...usually about 30 minutes once or twice a day...really no set schedule except every day...
 
I have the same fan. I have mine on low as well, but it's only about 6" away. I was surprised by how good the air flow is. I have mine on a timer that's set to run twice a day for 10 minutes each. No reasoning behind the amount of time, just what I set my timer to.

Keep an eye on the plants because they'll dry out a fair bit faster when the fan is on them. Especially when they're in the little seedling pots. This won't be a problem if you're like the rest of us and have an OCD that forces you to check on your plants every 20 minutes or so :)
 
I have the same fan. I have mine on low as well, but it's only about 6" away. I was surprised by how good the air flow is. I have mine on a timer that's set to run twice a day for 10 minutes each. No reasoning behind the amount of time, just what I set my timer to.

Keep an eye on the plants because they'll dry out a fair bit faster when the fan is on them. Especially when they're in the little seedling pots. This won't be a problem if you're like the rest of us and have an OCD that forces you to check on your plants every 20 minutes or so :)
 
i also us a fan i turn mine on 2 times a day for about a hour each i also spray my plants with seltzer water 2 times a day it has co2
 
Well depends on bulbs you are usingg but for small grows its enough to use pc fans, they are low energy consumpting, low noise and they are small. Air circulation is a great for strenghtening, keeping temp on right level mainly. U can also use pasive air circulation weh consider cold air is keepin down and hot is climbing up. Sure this is not a solution for stronger bulbs but for small or cfl tubes which are generally colder than metal halides.
Keep your fans running during your lamps are on and also 10min after swithing off. This will insure right temp level and nice good night for them :)
 
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