• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Relative Humidity & Pollen...

Josh

Josh

Hey Guys,
I was wondering what the optimal relative humidity was for pollination? My grow box swings between say 33-36%. I am wondering if this is too dry? If so, what suggestions do you have to increase it? Can I just fill a 5 gallon bucket up and leave it uncovered (with hydrogen peroxide to prevent crap from growing in it)?
 
thats a good question Josh...my germinator stays about 50-60%...

are you working with a closed area?
 
you might also consider pollination manually.
best-electric-toothbrush.jpg

these cheep AA 5$ toothbrushes work the best.
 
Bingo...Found the answer to your question....it's about Tomatos, but I treat Tomatos and Peppers the same...

excerpt from article...

"The optimum temperature for pollination is within the range of 70-82º F. Optimum relative humidity is 70 percent. Above 80 percent relative humidity, pollen grains stick together and are not dispersed well. With extended periods of relative humidity less than 60 percent, the stigma may dry out so that pollen grains will not stick to it. Under ideal conditions, fertilization occurs 48 hours after pollination."

Link to complete article...

http://www.agricultureinformation.com/forums/questions-answers/48335-tomato-pollination.html
 
AlabamaJack said:
thats a good question Josh...my germinator stays about 50-60%...

are you working with a closed area?
Click to expand...

I can't remember the exact dimensions but I believe my grow box is something like 4 & 1/2 feet long by 3 feet wide by 68 inches tall. It is enclosed except for the exhaust fan that is connected to the light and a 2 inch band around the bottom. The 2 inches at the bottom is to keep the walls from getting wet. Our house is really old and when is rains heavy and steady for hours we get a little bit of water in the basement.
 
Josh said:
I can't remember the exact dimensions but I believe my grow box is something like 4 & 1/2 feet long by 3 feet wide by 68 inches tall. It is enclosed except for the exhaust fan that is connected to the light and a 2 inch band around the bottom. The 2 inches at the bottom is to keep the walls from getting wet. Our house is really old and when is rains heavy and steady for hours we get a little bit of water in the basement.
Click to expand...

putting a container of water in there should up your humidity some...

A long time ago when my grandparents used an old wood heater for the house, grandma used to sit a dipper of water on top...I remember asking her why and she said it makes the house a little less dry...didn't really know what she meant back then but sure do now...
 
Thanks for the tips for pollination guys. I am going to hold off for the moment and see what these first few flowers do. My first few usually drop. If they continue to do so I will have to step in. In the meantime I want to dry and raise the humidity. I guess I will try the 5 gallon bucket tomorrow.
 
AlabamaJack said:
Bingo...Found the answer to your question....it's about Tomatos, but I treat Tomatos and Peppers the same...

excerpt from article...

"The optimum temperature for pollination is within the range of 70-82º F. Optimum relative humidity is 70 percent. Above 80 percent relative humidity, pollen grains stick together and are not dispersed well. With extended periods of relative humidity less than 60 percent, the stigma may dry out so that pollen grains will not stick to it. Under ideal conditions, fertilization occurs 48 hours after pollination."

Link to complete article...

http://www.agricultureinformation.com/forums/questions-answers/48335-tomato-pollination.html
Click to expand...

Thanks AJ. I found something similar.

"Growing Conditions:

Peppers will tolerate higher temperatures than tomatoes or cucumbers. However, their optimum day temperature is 73 F (23 C) to 79 F (26 C) and night temperatures of at least 70 F ( 21 C). For initial fruit setting use 72 F (22 C) day and 65 – 66 F (18 – 19 C) during the night. These are optimum levels recommended for commercial growers. In your home you may not be able to regulate such precise temperatures; however, you will still get good production for your own use. We here at Cuisinart Resort & Spa Hydroponic Farm cannot regulate temperatures precisely due to high RH and temperatures combined. In fact, our night minimum temperature is often between 75 and 80 F with daytime temperatures from 85 to 95 F. We still get good production, but expectedly less than optimum. Try to keep relative humidity about 75%. Light levels of 5500 lux (510 foot candles) for 18 hours per day is sufficient. Carbon dioxide enrichment of 800 to 1000 ppm will promote growth." - Source
 
Josh said:
I have it thermostatically controlled. My basement is fairly cold so it only comes on here and there. I have the thermostat set to 74.
Click to expand...

It's complicated, but I'm pretty sure you would raise the humidity if you set it higher. Less air exchange would get the local humidity around the leaves up. Too much air can really dry things out in cold weather.
 
Josh,

5500 lux is not enough. It is about equal to the light one would have in their living room. Simple calculation: 510 x .000718 = .366. Delivering that light for 16 hours per day (and this is sunlight, the conversion factor for MH or HPS is much lower) will give you less than 6 moles per day. Tomatoes and peppers need at least 18 MPD.

Mike
 
ZanderSpice said:
It's complicated, but I'm pretty sure you would raise the humidity if you set it higher. Less air exchange would get the local humidity around the leaves up. Too much air can really dry things out in cold weather.
Click to expand...


I think you are right. The exhaust fan is removing the moist air before it can build. I think it is going to be a problem even if I increase the temperature. I guess I am just going to wait it out and see if any flowers set.
 
wordwiz said:
Josh,

5500 lux is not enough. It is about equal to the light one would have in their living room. Simple calculation: 510 x .000718 = .366. Delivering that light for 16 hours per day (and this is sunlight, the conversion factor for MH or HPS is much lower) will give you less than 6 moles per day. Tomatoes and peppers need at least 18 MPD.

Mike
Click to expand...

I didn't realize what it was saying or that it was wrong. I don't have an understanding of lux, etc. Thanks for pointing that out though. It makes me question the validity of the rest of the article.
 
I am still new to growing the super hots so take this with a grain. I have about a 10' square area in the basement that I am growing in. I can't get the humidity higher than 30%. Temps had been no higher than 74. I finally started to get buds but no flowers would open. I used plastic from rafters to the floor and placed a space heater and humidifier in the tent. My temps shot to 82 and humidity is closer to 40% but still not near 50%. With the higher temps the flowers immediately started to open. No fruit has started to show up yet but I am more hopeful now. I think I will add an open container of water and see if that helps out. I use a T5 8 bulb with 4 blue/red and it is on 24 hours, I know that it shouldn't be but the plants are super healthy looking and it was adding heat that I needed. I would post pics but I made a little youtub thing that shows the whole shebang.Video
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top