overwintering Winter-Summer in OZ "Comparison" / Aussie Blabberers

[megamoo]

It can all be confusing at first Stone, don't let it put you off. First of all I would guess that the led strip was doing nothing at all, and one 14W compact fluorescent is far too little light to have any effect, except make them stretch for it and go leggy.

Do your plants get any direct sunlight at all? or just some indirect light?

Now I've never used any but I've been reading stuff about hydro and lighting for ages and only can think of 200W and upwards HID bulbs used for growing plants. Not sure that 35W will do anything either, epsecially without a reflective hood. Is it really a HID? or just an old style incandescent. Didn't think they made them so small. The old style incandescent bulbs are absolutely NOT good for growing plants.

I could never get my head around lumens etc, just all too confusing. I had a lighting set up with long purple fluorescents that were purchased by my father in law from a police auction, obviously confiscated from drug growers. I think the bulbs had been damaged by being left out in the weather and all plants I have tried to grow under them have failed.

So I made this with stuff I scavenged and bought at bunnings.

It's just regular light fittings wired up with cords that I cut off stuff left on the side of the road.
I use a mix of the 11W and 18W compact fluoros, all cool daylight 6500K. Fully loaded its too much for the baby seedlings, so I have to take a few globes out until they are bigger.

These are plants I grew last year, they had a pedestal flan aimed at them from across the room for 15 minutes every hour. Lights on 18 hrs, off 6.

I also fed them every second watering with a tiny dash of seaweed and seasol fertiliser. This has a big effect. The seeds carry enough of their own food to get their first roots down and their first leaves open and thats it. Then they need more from the light and water. Some people have lights running 24/7 but thats not how it is in nature. Also I would only have the fan on all the time if it gets too hot in there.

 

[Stone]

Dude my light came with 2 fluros, fixing and plug for $80. Screw it to your box, plug it into the wall. Easy bro!

Yeah, mine didn't have anything that cheap... The cheapest was a twin housing for $80 + $12.50 + $12.50 for the 2ft Grolux tubes but the housing had the tubes hanging below it's edge which I can't do because it needs to rest on top of my mini green frame.

Aquarium lights would be perfect, as the tubes are recessed into the housing, except then I can't use the Grolux tubes which after some research do have better light frequency for plants than aquarium coral lighting.


[edit]
megamoo... Thank you for your reply.

My plants don't get direct sunlight. They sit next to a large window which faces east towards an area with clear polycarbonate roofing (laserlite) and there's 2 white skylights in the ceiling, so quite a bit of light comes in but no DIRECT sunlight.

35W HID are headlights. These are out of a BMW and are deinitely HID as they have a ballast and ignitor. Regarding lumens a 250W metal halide has 22,000 lumen. I can have ambient light and 6400 lumen. A Philips 11W cool white CFL has 590 lumen. 18-25W CFL makes minimum of 1,100 lumen. So my two HID would be equal to about 6 18W CFL lamps.

I only planned to have these seedlings inside until they have 6 leaves and then it is time to go outside but the legginess has made me freak out a bit.

 

[gasificada]

Mine only costed me like $30 or something--including the two Grolux fluoros. (Price of the fixture and old mate chucked in the Grolux tubes for free... I think he was trying to win my business after I mentioned I might look around at some other hydro shops first to see what was available in lighting. )

Yeah, I try to keep my babies super-close. Not always doable when you're starting a shitload but results speak for themselves when ya got the space......

 

[Stone]

You guys using the Grolux, do they get natural light too or are they hidden away and just get the Grolux light?

 

[gasificada]

Natural light too. I always put my babies out in direct sun from word go (beats stuffing around too much with having to harden off). Out for 4-6 hours of day then under the light at night.

 

[megamoo]

Lights are a pain in the ass thats for sure, and the sun is free. It's so hot here in Perth in summer most houses don't have a large north facing window, which would be all you'd need to start plants early in winter. Would make my grow a whole lot easier. Just need to protect them from the really cold nights whilst getting them sunlight.

I think the cheapest thing you could do get more light is make a reflector for your HID lights. I've heard of people using survival blankets. Apparently aluminium foil isn't good, not sure why, but something painted white is better than nothing.

 

[gasificada]

Just need to protect them from the really cold nights whilst getting them sunlight.

I don't get it.... there is no sun at night.

Put them outside for the day after it warms up, bring them inside in the arvo before it starts getting cold again?

Oh yeah.... I forgot I live Queensland...... Might as well have been late spring here today!

Seriously though, as long as day temps aren't dropping below 10 or anything.... I couldn't see why you couldn't put them outside for the day? (ignorant Queenslander??? )

 

[Stone]

That's how I did it last year but I planted my seeds on the 1st of September last year but my plants didn't have time to mature so many tried fruiting in April when it was cooling down. Some are actually still fruiting.

So this year I decided to get a head start and have decent sized seedling by 1st of Sept. I just don't remember have leggy seedlings last year at all, maybe I've just forgotten

In my area it's still getting down to about 2c overnight and anywhere from 12-18c during the day but the plants will only be about 5m from where they are now, just outside but still under the polycarbonate roofing.

 

[megamoo]

I was sort of thinking just use your house and its sunny window like a greenhouse. Stuff all this constantly moving plants around malarky. Of course this is only possible with a north facing window which I haven't had in my last three houses
If everything is against you and you can't start your seeds until the weather warms up, you can at least overwinter them. It's easy in Perth. I have 5 plants from that picture above setting buds now. They were just chucked in a corner against a shed and forgotten about and made it through winter ok.

 

[gasificada]

First flowers of the new season opening... incidentally, both a bit unusual:

Pistil poking out of the buds:

Pube showing signs of broad mite:

(Ignore the debris... just fine vermiculite the Californicus came on)

Aji Amarillo x Yellow Trinidad Scorpion F2:

Slowing greening up a bit after being put in new mix. Curl I'm guessing is either from broad mite or whitefly.

 

[Lavatung]

I chucked mine outside a week ago. It's been between 4-7 degs each night. Have I done bad..? They seem alright.

The camera is fogging up a little :0

 

[gasificada]

They look alright to me! To my understanding, the biggest cause of concern is frost. Where are you again and do you got frost?

 

[Lavatung]

I'm in Perth Gas. We've had frost only once this year.

 

[megamoo]

I think the cold just slows them down a bit, and aborts flowers like the excessive heat does. Frost kills. They look good lavatung

 

[Stone]

Mine are spending their first day outside and it's going to hit a high of 12c!

I also just went to Bunnings and bought a twin 18W flouro batten for $30 and will grab a couple of Grolux tubes for $12.50 each on the way home. So my little guys should hopefully bulk up a bit soon

 

[gasificada]

Purdy flower:

(purple flowered C. annuum x white flowered C. annuum)

I think the cold just slows them down a bit, and aborts flowers like the excessive heat does. Frost kills. They look good lavatung

What moo said.

I also just went to Bunnings and bought a twin 18W flouro batten for $30 and will grab a couple of Grolux tubes for $12.50 each on the way home. So my little guys should hopefully bulk up a bit soon

Yup, give 'em plenty of that and they should!

 

[Stone]

Daytime:

Nighttime:

 

[Jayman]

Hey guys, longtime no see. Chilli season is here, time to get into my gardening. Good news is most of my plants have survived the winter outside. Even if I do plan on ripping up all but one of my all my bigger nursey plants.

I have 11 plants that were overwintered outside in 10cm pots. Just repotted them today and potted up my next batch of seedlings.

I had just grown these in nutural sunlight so not as big as I would like, but given the cost of power, and the chances the police might think I'm growing something else. I decided to stay away from a lighting system.
My older plants are 2 x Aji lemons, 3 x Butch T's, 2 x bihs, 1 smallish Choc bhut, and one leaf-less large yellow 7 pod/not.

My newer seedlings are Hungarian blacks, Bigjims, Fatalli, Jalapeno, Tabasco, and a small very sick red rocoto which I'm really hoping survives.

 

[gasificada]

WB, mate! It begins again!

That Yates GroPlus stuff I see under your bench there... never seen that before... does it go alright?

 

[Jayman]

Thats not mine hehe. I used Amgrow Vege mix. (not actual name) $10 for 30 litres is good imo. Not mixing with anything. I used the same stuff last year, and surprising it is better this year, less big bits of twigs etc. Tell you one thing, it most certainly doesn't need a wetting agent, it holds its water very well.
Have some pics of the bag from last year lol