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StettoGro 4: Spredner Tin 2020

Welcome to another chapter in the great series of the Stettomans comedic gardening adventures! Come along, follow the antics of a guy makin' it up as he goes, having some luck, some not-so-much, and more than his share of whining about a fleepin' 3 month growing season! No telling what we'll see, Stetto's grows is always full of surprises and absurdities....
 
I almost named the thread the He should Know Better Grow, but I do and I'm going to go through with it anyway....
 
No list yet, but I put these Rocoto Amarillo to plug today to get a head start--I've decided to give them a full row in the half of an 8th acre, which I didn't plant at all last season. It was that bad up here...No corn, no beans, no lettuce, NO TUBERS, fercryinoutloud! All my peppers & tomatoes were container grown...
 
Trying a different route for germinating, at least for the firsters. I'll likely go back to trays with the Anuums and such...
 
20200227_100047.jpg

 
By the time I got the cuplettes ready I found I needed to add three more. Dunno if this was a good idear, but I used a pinch of water soluble Mykos to soak the plugs...
 
20200227_101022.jpg

 
That's all I got for todays episode, besides the Growdown Fatalii, which is doing quite well and the mystery XL Brown, which is purple and likely akin to PaulG's neat little PdN cross...
 
If I don't post a grow list of some kind by the end of the weekend, send someone to check on me, yeh?
 
I appreciate y'alls interest, don't make me regret it....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Click to expand...
PaulG said:
Ain't nuttin' like an Aji Amarillo!
 
The dip sounds delicious!
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CaneDog said:
+1.  That sounds really good.
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It was really good, yet very simple. The Aji shined. I felt pulled toward dill weed or cilantro, but I didn't want to overpower the star with peripherals, ya know?
 
I will add sour cream next time, and maybe bacon bits if I want to stuff some Jalas or an Aleppo...
 
I was thinking of starting an overwinter glog with the three Rocotos I have left, but it isn't even Winter and I'm not quite sure these guys are gonna make it Over.
 
Aji Oro Cupping 12-16-20.jpg

Aji Oro Baby Cupping 12-16-20.jpg

 
I dropped the LEDs about 5 inches, but I don't think that's the issue.
 
We shall see.
 
 
 
 
Not sure, but I'd guess that's environmental.  I migrate them to less heat and less intense lighting and see if that helped.
 
Also, FWIW, I have a 4000K LED and any rocoto I put under it grows funny, staying very flat and with leaves curling in a similar fashion.  That doesn't happen in real sun or under different lights.  
 
To echo some of what CD said, I have found
my Rocotos do better under regular T12 fluorescent
lamps. Anything stronger produces the flattened growth.
 
When I grew the Rocotos in my basement in the winter/spring of 2018(up there in Minnesnowta) I used T8/6500K from seedling to about 6 inches tall, then I put them under T8/8000k untill they went outside. If you remember I had tied/trained them to stakes to grow up rather than out. I used that same starting procedure here in FL last winter/spring. Mine will flower and fruit under the 8000K lights.
 
When I grew the Rocotos in my basement in the winter/spring of 2018(up there in Minnesnowta) I used T8/6500K from seedling to about 6 inches tall, then I put them under T8/8000k untill they went outside. If you remember I had tied/trained them to stakes to grow up rather than out. I used that same starting procedure here in FL last winter/spring. Mine will flower and fruit under the 8000K lights.

Danged double post!
 
skullbiker said:
I use them in their 2 tube/ $10 apiece shop light fixtures. They come without the bulbs.
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Yeah those are what I currently have the 5000Ks in. I guess I could just invest in another...Mamma just loves the clutter I create when I "upgrade"... :party:
 
stettoman said:
Hmm, lighting....

I'm using two +/- 300 watt LED boxes AND 4 T12 5000K LED tubes. Maybe it's an idea to back off, eh?

I'll give it a try! Thanks guys!
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Interesting - that must be a really bright room!
 
I've just been following the last few posts since I was intrigued by what is going on with your rocotos. What LED fixtures are you using and what is your light cycle?
 
HeatMiser said:
 
Interesting - that must be a really bright room!
 
I've just been following the last few posts since I was intrigued by what is going on with your rocotos. What LED fixtures are you using and what is your light cycle?
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Well, it's actually a 2.5 by 2.5 foot foil 3 side enclosed tabletop. The 4 foot LED tube fixtures stick out on each side, the 300 watt boxes fit between them. I'll post a pic when I remember to take one...
 
Yeah, it seems pretty bright when all fixtures are on, but right now the boxes are shut down, the plants living on 5000K daylight as I try to figure out this leaf curl...
 
stettoman said:
 
Well, it's actually a 2.5 by 2.5 foot foil 3 side enclosed tabletop. The 4 foot LED tube fixtures stick out on each side, the 300 watt boxes fit between them. I'll post a pic when I remember to take one...
 
Yeah, it seems pretty bright when all fixtures are on, but right now the boxes are shut down, the plants living on 5000K daylight as I try to figure out this leaf curl...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks stettoman - I was actually wondering about the exact model/brand of lights you are using. If they provide PPFD charts, it's fairly straightforward to guesstimate if you are using too much light or not.
 
Specific varieties might have different light requirements, which is what CD has mentioned based on his experience. However, by knowing if we are "in the ballpark" of 20 - 30 DLI (Day-Light Integral) for peppers would be a good data point to have. Next step would be to adjust either the light cycle or distance from the fixtures. 
 
Let me know!
 
HeatMiser said:
 
Thanks stettoman - I was actually wondering about the exact model/brand of lights you are using. If they provide PPFD charts, it's fairly straightforward to guesstimate if you are using too much light or not.
 
Specific varieties might have different light requirements, which is what CD has mentioned based on his experience. However, by knowing if we are "in the ballpark" of 20 - 30 DLI (Day-Light Integral) for peppers would be a good data point to have. Next step would be to adjust either the light cycle or distance from the fixtures. 
 
Let me know!
Click to expand...
 
 
Dewd, I'm a knuckle-dragging  seat-of-my-pants I-can-grow-shit type, the technicalities are way over my own head...I just point the little buggers in a direction and cheerlead them to success...
 
The light tubes I'm using are Hyperkeron 
 
https://www.amazon.com/Hyperikon-Bulbs-Light-Ballast-Bypass/dp/B01C52MGKC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=hyperkerion+t8+led+5000K&qid=1608318655&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNEtOWFJWVU5IODRNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTM3NDAxSVk5TUJLRlY1M1BBJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3NDk0NjQzNlpUSUZEMzRXVFk2JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
 
One LED grow panel is an Apollo
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FGG1HDM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
And the other a cheesy cheap "Homtigo" that claims 1200 watts but is no more intense than the 300 watt Apollo. We all know wattage means little to nothing in lighting, but the thing is compact and seems to work.
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081ZQ62SJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
My day/night schedule is and has virtually always been 12/12. With the box LEDs off the temp in the grow space is 66F, with the LEDs on we're looking at 72F. Humidity is 33% constant, and I mist often to offset dry air.
 
I hope this is more 'splanitory. 
 
Lol! That info is awesome. Thanks!
 
The only one that provided any kind of information is the Homtigo board. As you said, it's listed as 1200W but if you scroll down a little it shows 100W in the technical details :D
 
Anyway, this light shows 996 mMol/sec @ 12" and 638mMol/sec @ 18"
 
So at 12" you'd get 996 mMol *  (3600 seconds in an hour) = 3.5856 Mol/hour * 12 hour light cycle = 43.0272 Mol/Day (DLI)
 
At 18" you'd get 638 mMol * (3600 seconds in an hour) = 2.2968 Mol/hour * 12 hour light cycle = 27.5616 Mol/Day (DLI)
 
At 24" you'd get 496 mMol * (3600 seconds in an hour) = 1.7856 Mol/hour * 12 hour light cycle = 21.4272 Mol/Day (DLI)
 
So, assuming the information they provide is accurate, hanging the Homtigo board by itself at 18" directly above the plant is already giving the plant enough light to grow, as this fits into the 20-30 Mol/Day range for peppers. Any closer and you'd have to reduce the number of hours this light stays on. Adding more fixtures has the same effect (you'd need to reduce the light cycle).
 
Now we also have to account for the variations in light intensity for this species in particular as CD has alluded to. My guess is that they might need to be closer to the lower end of this range (20 Mol/Day) to grow better. So looking at the above, the 24" height above the plants looks like a good starting point at 12 hours/day. 
 
All of this is to echo what others have already said (but now we have some numbers to back it up!) - less light should help get this plant back to feeling good (and lower your monthly bill) - A win-win in my book!
 
Anyway - how have those Hyperkeron bulbs been working for you? I've been looking for LED replacements for T5 lights, but haven't pulled the trigger...
 
Good luck with the plant, hope to see it bounce back.
 
I bought the Hyperkerons before any LED COB panels, and I remember when the were the sole source of light for seedlings they were ok but limited and didn't quite keep up with the needs of the plants as they grew, hence the COB panels. 
 
Having noticed no change whatsoever over the last two days (yes, I know. Plants don't do overnight 180s) and giving your last post some thought HM, this moring I raised the Apollo panel as high above the Rocotos as possible without eliminating the table altogether, about 20" from light source to canopy top, and raised both Hyperkeron fixtures the same, left the Homtigo off and adjusted the timer to 10.5 hours of light. This I'll leave as the setup until next Saturday 12/26 and if improvement rears it's glorious head they will remain that way till March, when they'll need to go to an upstairs window to make room for next seasons planting.
 
Unless, of course, there are adverse reactions, which will cause great wailings and gnashing of teeth and perhaps the last of my hair pulled out....then readjust the lights....
 
 
...it's how I roll.... :rofl:
 
Thanks for all you guys' input!
 
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