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When to start?

Malarky

Malarky

HI everyone. I've been reading a lot of post about people getting their season started and I'm getting my first grow out together. When should I sow in WI 4b? Plants probably won't get planted out until mid/late May. I've got lights and heatmat to get started indoors. Now I'm just collecting seeds from some very generous THP members around the country.

Should I just get started with what I have now? And top them if they get too tall?
Or am I just too early and eager in WI?

Right now I've got CGN21500, Bahamanian Goat, Choc Hab(on the way) and an assortment still coming in the next week or so.

For lights I've just got a collection of T12's that were free and a seedling heatmat. Planning on using solo cups, possibly potting up to milk jugs if roots start getting tight. I'm hoping cooler basement temps and T12 lighting will keep seedling growth in check till closer to plant out time.

I'm just not sure if my ambitions are late or early?
 
Start all of the peppers as soon as you can.  My habs are root bound in cups after two months of 1000W MH.  You will be fine under T12.  Maybe even start earlier next year.  I used T8's my first season and started most of the peppers in early March.
 
Hey Malarky from Madison,
Running a little late. Generally you want to be planting in Dec/Jan Some plant in Sept -Oct . Where super hots are concerned, they have a long maturity period and late starts will often more than not render green immature pods at years end. This come more into play in yours and mine grow zones.
T12s really are not enough output to grow good strong plants beyond seedling(they may get very leggy). You also do not want cooler temps to retard growth. If you are going to grow peppers then you want to go into the season start with the intent to grow and not look back.
 
Being this close to plant out you may get by with a multi bulb t5-t8 setup with proper bulb output values. You will want you grow area temps to be sustainable in the 80s with slight drops in the evening when lights are off but you do not want spikes into the 60s or below as that tends to stall the progress of growth. pepper plants like to be vary warm and dry. Solo cups are good and probably all you will need before plant out this year. I have had plants in solos from Dec to Mar and only transplants because nutrient uptake was beyond what I could maintain in the cups(plants required watering twice a day to avoid heavy wilting).
 
get em started as soon as possible , keep  then on a plexiglass on a heat mat , temp controlled preferably , this will get them roots a grown and catching up some , grow in 3 gal. you'll get pods my friend ! good luck !      :onfire:
 
Agree with everyone: earlier would have been better.  I am about to start a second wave in KY, never started super hots this late, but folk say go for it so I am.  Only have so much space in the grow room so trying to get two rounds out of it.

That is where I think it is at; go for it, enjoy, have fun, and learn as you go.  Even if you goof something up, you learn something.  Even if you were to fall on your face you still have something to talk about and now that you found THP lots of folk to talk to.

On starting too early.  I started some in December that are now in 3 gallon pots and going into a green house.  If you have the smallest space outside, you can create make shift green houses for next to nothing.  As long as they are small enough, slap a $20.00 heater in them and you are good to go.  I am filling a 4' x 8' thing right now.
 
Depends on where you are and what you want to plant. Check the last frost date for your area and count back from the "days to harvest". Some pants have a much longer days to harvest compared to others. For example a standard jalapeño has a days to harvest of around 60 days. A Jolokia is around 160. Obviously you'd want to start the Jolokias much earlier than a jalapeño.

If you start all the peppers at the same time you'll run into issues where some plants grow faster than others and you'll have to raise the lights a bunch.

Neil
 
CAPCOM said:
Hey Malarky from Madison,
Running a little late. Generally you want to be planting in Dec/Jan Some plant in Sept -Oct . Where super hots are concerned, they have a long maturity period and late starts will often more than not render green immature pods at years end. This come more into play in yours and mine grow zones.
T12s really are not enough output to grow good strong plants beyond seedling(they may get very leggy). You also do not want cooler temps to retard growth. If you are going to grow peppers then you want to go into the season start with the intent to grow and not look back.
 
Being this close to plant out you may get by with a multi bulb t5-t8 setup with proper bulb output values. You will want you grow area temps to be sustainable in the 80s with slight drops in the evening when lights are off but you do not want spikes into the 60s or below as that tends to stall the progress of growth. pepper plants like to be vary warm and dry. Solo cups are good and probably all you will need before plant out this year. I have had plants in solos from Dec to Mar and only transplants because nutrient uptake was beyond what I could maintain in the cups(plants required watering twice a day to avoid heavy wilting).
Click to expand...
 
I wish I had pics of last year's grow. My plants did pretty good in cups, all under T12 shop lights, until their graduation to 1gal pots and the window. While they wouldn't be my first choice, it's possible to go beyond seedlings with a T12. They work in a low-cost pinch.
 
Yeah I know T12 are not optimum, but I gather that people grew under them for a time before t8/t5. They are free and will work until I justify this new hobby to my wife. Or find a pile of cash? Or find a pile of T8's somebody has ditched for LED's lol.
 
Malarky said:
Yeah I know T12 are not optimum, but I gather that people grew under them for a time before t8/t5. They are free and will work until I justify this new hobby to my wife. Or find a pile of cash? Or find a pile of T8's somebody has ditched for LED's lol.
Click to expand...
keep em real close then and 6500k.
 
I tried putting my t5s close... too hot. Water dries up fast as it is... about 10-12" above. Of course that's 8 lights...
 
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