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Time to start over

After the cats damaged my plants they decided to finish them off the rest of the way. In about a week or so I should have the panda film and heating gear to make a more secured grow tent and not have to leave the door open for the space heater, so I've got some more seeds terminating by coffee filter method on top of the cable box in my bedroom. I was really hoping to see how well this little grow light was gonna perform a bit sooner but now I'll have room for four pepper plants after eliminating the corn project after two of the stalks got damaged so I'll revisit that expirement after I get more lighting. The only thing left under the grow light is a tree cutting that is rooting in a large ziploc bag so no heed for extra heating so I can keep the door closed for now.

I have some seed collection and saving to do today too. My son in law gave me some store bought naga jalokias that I plan to save seeds from for the next round of growing. The peppers themselves are getting dried for powder.
 

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moruga welder said:
That sucks !  whats the space heater for ? if i may ask ,     :party:
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The space heater is because my basement tends to stay around 65-67f. Can't put it directly in the grow tent because of the heat intensity could scorch the plants. I ordered a ceramic heat emitter like they use for amphibian habitats, a dimmer control to control the heat intensity, and a thermostat controller. I'm gonna set it in the middle with a computer fan blowing down on it to distribute it evenly around the tent.

I guess now I'll have time to dry run the heating system and see how it works before seedlings are ready to go in. The panda film should have better light reflection and heat retention than the old bed sheets I've been using. Plus the two computer fans near the ceiling blowing downwards help keep the heat down by the plants and circulate the humidity and shake the plants enough to strengthen the stems. I'll post some pictures after I get it put together in its new configuration.
 
Sorry to see that, but I understand the frustration.  Here in Florida it is the humidity and bugs that have beat us up this year, excessive rainfall from the recent storms, but the aphids and white flies seem to have been purged.  One nemesis down, on to the next.  Best of luck!
 
Chorizo857_62J said:
Sorry to see that, but I understand the frustration.  Here in Florida it is the humidity and bugs that have beat us up this year, excessive rainfall from the recent storms, but the aphids and white flies seem to have been purged.  One nemesis down, on to the next.  Best of luck!
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We did have issues this spring with freezing temps during germination of our garden followed by a lot of rain leading to underground fungus and then cutworms so the only plants left as a small fraction of the corn and that was stunted. The tomato and jalapeño plants grown from seedlings bought at a greenhouse got stunted by the cutworms but eventually took off again, especially after treating them with mykos. That's what led to the purchase of a grow light for indoor growing. I now plan to eventually finds way to door off our basement (not an easy task), and convert half our basement into a grow room for peppers and tomatoes so I can sell to local specialty grocers. I already have a contract now with a Mexican grocer/restaurant, and an Asian grocer.

Trying to decide on a buying progression on new grow lights, kinda dependant on how the current light works. Its a unifun 45 watt from amazon, and was doing well so far and provides good canopy penetration due to a wide spread of the LEDs. Now a days others lots of decent led grow lights, I've been rather interested in the hi grow lights if anybody has experience with them some input would be appreciated.
 
Hafners.... I love ND !  I visit once a year. Down to Bowman and the expanse of the wild grasslands ... I shoot there.
 
Anyway... if you want to grow indoors, I'd suggest something a lot more powerful than 45W.  Not that I know a ton about LED (have one myself.... supposed to be 700W equivalent to MH). I do know that you'll need a lot more power than 45W to grow indoors.
 
So that CORN... Looks good to me :)  Sooner or late it was destined to fail. Sorry. Corn needs a shitload of energy to grow... and HOT temps to grow tall and wild... The energy required for Corn isn't easily afforded for inside growing tent unless you can give it..........a  shitload of light.... a shitload of heat... and shitload of fertilizer.  Just saying. Not to mention the vertical growth........
 
 As for the heater, from what you've said already, SKIP the heater during the "daylight" (while the lights are on). If your ambient temperature is 65-67F...then lights inside of the tent (enclosure) will be your heater ! The heat from the lights should be enough to keep the tent (enclosure) temperatures warm enough for the plants to grow.  You can use the ambient (outside temps) to vent your tent and keep it cool during the grow (lights on). It will be at night (lights off) that the extra heater will be needed to keep the plants from getting too cold. Keep that heater inside of the tent and use a thermostat.  I'd recommend keeping the plants at least 60F.... no lower. A little higher if you ant them to prosper.
 
If you want a true an tried light... start with a basic MH ( Metal Halide ) fixture... you can get them at a reasonable price. Then move to the HPS ( High Pressure Sodium)... About the same price.
 
If you want to use the LED, then find a FULL Spectrum LED, with at least 600W of "equivalent" power.  Many "weed" growers use the LED's... They have great success. For me, I don't yet have the confidence of LED.... but I also don't have any evidence to support my claim.
 
Light Power is one of the keys to a happy grow. Maybe a priority power. That being said, a plant can grow in very low light.... it will remain alive for sure. Given the correct environment and nutrients, the plant will grow very slowly, but it will grow :)
 
I hope you have success in your experiment !  
 
Happy Growing !!!
 
Jeff
 
 
 
I do certainly plan to upgrade to a bigger light when I can afford it, but I was getting good fast growth with just the 45 watt. This is how the setup looks right now, I'll post some new pics when I get the panda film installed for better light control than what the old bedsheets provide. It just looks sad with empty grow bags right now. So far the seeds are barely plumping up yet.
 

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The new batch of seeds sprouted tails today, so into starter pots they went. And into the incubator box under the light to keep a more consistent temp than sitting in the kitchen window. The panda film and heater should be here by Thursday, so I should he able to get the tent redone before I even have seedlings.
 

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I got my order from amazon today. Panda film and ceramic heat emitter installed. Pretty dark in the basement now. The che doesn't quite throw as much heat as i was hoping for, even at full power, but it does raise the temps 12 degrees above ambient. So I went from 61f to 73f.

More good news. I have four little loops sticking out of the dirt already, and one of the habanero seedlings might just be standing by morning.
 

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They look good so far !
 
I assume you're still using the 45W LED ?  And the heater bringing the temp up to 70+F is good.
 
Hope you have a good grow !
 
Jeff
 
Yes I'm still using the 45 watt (36 watt actual draw). Temps 74-77f humidity averaging around 60%, ordering a humidity controller and a new easier to clean humidifier soon to keep the humidity more stable.
 
Just my opinion, but if I were in your shoes (I have been), I'd skip on the humidity controller for now, and save the cash to by a more powerful light.  Your plants will be able to deal with low humidity once they get established (good roots) and thoughtful watering.
 
The 45W will be fine for your young plants, but once they get growing, there is no way that that 45W will be able to give enough energy to the plants to keep them happy. One plant... maybe. More than one... not such a good chance.
 
Go for lighting first. Then move to temp control (simple exhaust). Then if you have the cash and interest, try to control both the humidity AND the temperature !!  This will keep you very, very busy !!!!
 
Good luck and Happy Growing !
 
Jeff
 
I have the temperature pretty well controlled, and 4 computer fans in the upper corners blowing the air around in a circular vortex to distribute the heat and humidity. My issue is the himidifier I have right now doesn't run very consistent, its a cheap immersion type boiler that occasionally spikes up to 80% humidity and runs out of water, so I'm ordering the controller and humidifier. Next month I may order 3 more of the same light, or just get a 150 watt, and keep the 45 for seedlings. I think 4 lights in the 3x3 ft would provide some really good penetration for really bushy plants.
 
A little over 3 weeks old and we've got some suckers already. A couple days ago they were just tiny spikes like the little habs. The Thais are 4 1/2 inches and the habs are only 2 1/2.
 

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Would you say 3 inches of growth in 6 days is pretty good?
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Added a fan above the ceramic heat emitter a couple days ago, to distribute the heat better. Yesterday I added the new humidifier and humidity controller. Much more stable environment now, and more time between humidifier fills.
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The brains of the climate control system.
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One month picture time. Thai's are at about 9 inches, hab's are about 5, for some reason the Thai's are showing signs of nitrogen toxicity, leaves are darker and edges and tips curling down. Hopefully they'll grow out of it. Used warm white led for the pictures to actually show better color. The hab's have some spots from aphids, I'm guessing, but some spray knocked them out, never bothered the Thai's, but I haven't seen any signs for over a week now.
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And of course our granddaughter is a month old too.....
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