So, I'm in Alabama and our last frost is usually in late Feb to early March. I was wondering if 4, 4ft 6500K lights would be enough to sustain the plants until its time for them to venture outside. I was wanting to start them indoors here in the next week or so. I have a good window where the soil temps stay at 80-85F (I've measured with a digital laser thermometer). Thanks for any input.
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seeds Starting seeds
- Thread starter coheed196
- Start date
I've had pretty good luck with that set up once the plants come up keep light 1-2 in above plants
Your timimg it well, about 12 wks is about the norm for the average indoor grow. Any longer and you'll be running into light and space issues. I start up in Jan and plant out mid May. I am set up light and space wise to grow year round, but I shoot for 16 wks and like to bring out my plants when they're potted up into 2 gal containers.
Greg
Greg
Thanks, I'll be keeping about 20 plants (fatalli, Butch T, Brain Strain, Douglah, and Bhuts), I have some of the 3.5 by 2.5 square pots and will keep them in those for a couple weeks, then potting up to 1 gallon nursery containers, and then on to the final 5 gallon smart pots. Do you think that sounds like a good plan? I've never started peppers from seed. This is my 2nd year growing and last year I cheated and just bought the seedlings from Cross Country in March so I am completely new to the whole seed starting, but have been tons of reading.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
you sure....Montgomery is the last week of march for the last frost average...but even with that being said, if you have them in containers, you can simply move them in and out...
I'm not positive, I'm about 20 miles north of Birmingham. I guess my memory isn't all that great. And yes, they will be in containers the whole season. I may wait till mid Jan to start them, but I built a nifty little rolling plant stand that I can roll into the garage if it does get too cold. I was mainly trying to find out if the lights I have would be enough to sustain them for the 3 months or so that they would spend inside.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-alabama-last-frost-date-map.php
you can really start them anytime you want but as was said in a previous post, 12 weeks before plantout is about max....otherwise you will start having space issues and the larger the plant the more light it needs....12 week old annuums can be as much as 15-18" tall...chinense, not so tall as bushy and ready for transplant...
the lights your are talking about are good...I use a mixture of the 6500K and 4100K in my slow grow area...essentially several 2' X 4' areas with 3 shoplights each (6 bulbs)
oh yeah, and remember this, if you grow inside you WILL get aphids or spider mites sooner or later so you have to keep a close eye out...
you can really start them anytime you want but as was said in a previous post, 12 weeks before plantout is about max....otherwise you will start having space issues and the larger the plant the more light it needs....12 week old annuums can be as much as 15-18" tall...chinense, not so tall as bushy and ready for transplant...
the lights your are talking about are good...I use a mixture of the 6500K and 4100K in my slow grow area...essentially several 2' X 4' areas with 3 shoplights each (6 bulbs)
oh yeah, and remember this, if you grow inside you WILL get aphids or spider mites sooner or later so you have to keep a close eye out...
Nifty link, thanks. Well dang, I guess I'll have to wait till mid to late Jan before I start then. Silver Surfer lives about an hour and half from me and he started his on Jan 20th this year, and he seems to know what he's doing much more so than me.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
YW...yup...pay attention to what SS does...he IMO is one of the best...
Seattle, WA. I start mine NOW or I won't get any fruit in this short season. [Cool weather last two seasons. 2009 was great. Bumper crops of Orange and White Habs and others.] I'm about a 32 plant operation so I start my seeds in a 14"L X 10"W x 5"T plastic container with a lid. I place a small heating pad on bottom and my small seed starting containers [different sizes] on it, turn the pad on and voila sprouts appear. I then put in a small pot & put in a south facing window. Small & cheap but it works. [Tomatoes the same way too.]
I use a 2x3 plastic concrete mixing tub. Place all the peat pots inside and flip one upside down to cover up at night. I could water the plants all at once too ! If you start to harden off by like mid March for AL you should be fine. You may need to then use the tubs to cover the little fellows up a week or so at night. It made a great "cheat " for me in NC last year ! I planted Rooster Spurs,Hidalgo,Aji Colorado and a Red Rocket a couple weeks before last frost.