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seeds Shoplights to raise seedlings.....?

JJBagoose

JJBagoose

I just wanted some confirmation before I go and purchase some lighting for my plants this year.

All I want to do is buy some lights to help raise my seedlings before they are ready to go outside.

I was thinking of buying 2 shoplight fixtures (from Wallmart?) and 4 of the 6500K bulbs.

Should this be sufficient to raise about 30 plants until I can plant outside?

thanks,
JJ
 
Two 4100K, I think they output 3200 lumens each
Two 6500K, I think they output 2450 lumens each

Total is around 11,000 or so lumens in a little more than 6 square feet. Hope that helped.
 
JJ, if you use 3" square containers after you transplant, you can get 60 beneath two shop lights...

check the third pic in post #30 at this thread...it will show you my setup...each shelf has two sets of shop lights and I have 120 on each shelf...

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=10452

color temperature of the bulbs ? I use 4100K and 6500K T-12 40 Watt Standard Fluoros for seedlings....straight 6500K should be ok for vegetative growth tho...
 
AlabamaJack said:
JJ, if you use 3" square containers after you transplant, you can get 60 beneath two shop lights...

check the third pic in post #30 at this thread...it will show you my setup...each shelf has two sets of shop lights and I have 120 on each shelf...

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=10452

color temperature of the bulbs ? I use 4100K and 6500K T-12 40 Watt Standard Fluoros for seedlings....straight 6500K should be ok for vegetative growth tho...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info AJ.

Good pics too. I'm very jealous :)
 
Not to hijack the thread here, but I bought another shop light to supliment the one I've already got yesterday, and found GE Ecolux Aquarium/plant bulbs at Lowes. 1900 Lumens a piece I believe. Is this enough power, or might I need the ones mentioned above?
 
From the extensive research done by those on this forum, i think the general consensus is that the cheaper the bulbs the better they are. The 2700K bulbs put out the most lumens but are more for fruiting than growing but do well either way, the higher the temperature goes, the less output it has. I think buying the specialty grow lights in 4' fluro tubes is kind of a waste, IMO.
 
Here are the bulbs I'm using in one light. They look more purple/blue in color than the other bulbs I've got running.

Color Temp is 3100k.

So when you say a waste of money, do you mean the won't work as well as cheaper bulbs, or they will they work fine, but not better than the cheapies?
 
AlabamaJack said:
JJ, if you use 3" square containers after you transplant, you can get 60 beneath two shop lights...
Click to expand...

AJ,

I can get 72 plants but my 3" containers are a bit different. 18 of them will fit in a standard 1020 nursery tray.

Mike
 
JJBagoose, all of the light setups mentioned above will work. I personally buy the cheapest bulb I can find, whichever it is as long as it is a 40 watt. There is no need to buy a fluoro bulb that is 6 dollars when a 1.97 bulb will get you pretty much identical results. Now, on the other hand if you start your seeds later in the year and need them to grow very quick than i would imagine that a different light setup would be needed.

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Dale
 
wordwiz said:
AJ,

I can get 72 plants but my 3" containers are a bit different. 18 of them will fit in a standard 1020 nursery tray.

Mike
Click to expand...

Mike you actually have what they call a 4" pot don't you? They measure them diagonally. I can only get 18 in mine also. I actually want to get some the size of AJ's so I can get more under the lights. And they would be cheaper. I am getting ready to order some of the cheap sheet pots. I can get 100 sheets w/18 pot to a sheet for 80.00. Anybody find them any cheaper?

Dale
 
thepodpiper said:
Mike you actually have what they call a 4" pot don't you? They measure them diagonally. I can only get 18 in mine also. I actually want to get some the size of AJ's so I can get more under the lights. And they would be cheaper. I am getting ready to order some of the cheap sheet pots. I can get 100 sheets w/18 pot to a sheet for 80.00. Anybody find them any cheaper?

Dale
Click to expand...

Dale,

Here's a link where they are $56 plus shipping, $72 total.

The ones I am using are these. I made a rookie mistake and didn't get the one I can easily cut in the 36 cell size.

From AJ's pictures, his are much sturdier than mine but he gets his free!

Mike
 
thepodpiper said:
JJBagoose, all of the light setups mentioned above will work. I personally buy the cheapest bulb I can find, whichever it is as long as it is a 40 watt. There is no need to buy a fluoro bulb that is 6 dollars when a 1.97 bulb will get you pretty much identical results. Now, on the other hand if you start your seeds later in the year and need them to grow very quick than i would imagine that a different light setup would be needed.

Dale
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Dale.

I am essentially starting my seeds now. A little later than I had hoped but this should be early enough in the season, right?
 
JJ,

In all honesty, perhaps not for the superhots unless you have a very late frost, plan on bringing them inside this fall or can find a way to speed up the maturing process. I started plants last year in early January and the superhots - the Bhuts, 7-pod, etc., produced very few peppers by the end of September. Perhaps if May and early June had not been so chilly and August so above normal temps, they would have produced better.

But at the worst, you raise healthy plants, cut them back before the last frost and overwinter them. That's my plan, anyway!

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
JJ,

In all honesty, perhaps not for the superhots unless you have a very late frost, plan on bringing them inside this fall or can find a way to speed up the maturing process. I started plants last year in early January and the superhots - the Bhuts, 7-pod, etc., produced very few peppers by the end of September. Perhaps if May and early June had not been so chilly and August so above normal temps, they would have produced better.

But at the worst, you raise healthy plants, cut them back before the last frost and overwinter them. That's my plan, anyway!

Mike
Click to expand...

Aw, that sucks but what can I do? I'll just have to enjoy the non-superhots that I am growing.

Do peppers react well to Anabolic Steroids? :)
 
JJ,

If your summer is like mine, you will still have some pods, just not a large harvest. But you could build a coldframe and if the plants are in containers, put them in there for a month-six weeks.

One way to perhaps get your seedlings larger is to go with at least 20 hours a day of lights, maybe 24 for five weeks. As soon as the seedlings get large enough to transplant to something like a 3" container and the weather is warm, set them outside for the day (start out for just an hour or so a day, though, so you don't kill them!) and bring them inside of a night if the temps are suppose to drop below 60 degrees.

You can't match the 100,000 lumens the sun will provide.

Mike
 
millworkman said:
AJ, did you have to order those square containers or did you find them locally?
Click to expand...

got them from my local nursery

JJBagoose said:
Thanks for the info AJ.

Good pics too. I'm very jealous :)
Click to expand...

you are welcome and thank you...no use to be jealous, you will be there in just a little while..

FiveStar said:
Not to hijack the thread here, but I bought another shop light to supliment the one I've already got yesterday, and found GE Ecolux Aquarium/plant bulbs at Lowes. 1900 Lumens a piece I believe. Is this enough power, or might I need the ones mentioned above?
Click to expand...

I am in total agreement with the other posts...I am using the cheapest fluoros I can find...and MWM is right the higher the color temperature, the less lumens produced...

thepodpiper said:
Mike you actually have what they call a 4" pot don't you? They measure them diagonally. I can only get 18 in mine also. I actually want to get some the size of AJ's so I can get more under the lights. And they would be cheaper. I am getting ready to order some of the cheap sheet pots. I can get 100 sheets w/18 pot to a sheet for 80.00. Anybody find them any cheaper? Dale
Click to expand...

Dale, last year, my nursery sold me 10 trays with 20 3 inch contianers in them for 2 bucks each...a whole 20 dollars...this year, I wanted to buy them and he is giving them to me this year for free...some of the ones he is giving me are 4" containers and not exactly what I wanted, but I am not complaining about free...

the one Mike shows in the link are "thinner" material than the 3 inchers I have...let me do some googlin and I will post a link (if I can find them)....

this is the closest thing I can find that is what I am using...TLC Black Form Pots series P80 3 1/4" pots 1200 for 54.90, the flats for the P80s are 34.50 per 50 count...

http://www.igcusa.com/Schools/documents/8-06-FAX-Order-Form.pdf
 
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