another question?/Indoor grow update 17-07-2009 Update!!

[lee]

Hi All,

As you all know growing plants indoors require 6000-6500K colorspectrum. Can you grow plants with 4000K??. I got that info from fatalii's website. But the lamp he uses has a low lumen-rate (a sort off efficiency for light). Do you think you can compensate the K factor by a higher lumen output. Or better can you grow plants with a high lumen output but very low K-factor??


regards,

[Sauli Särkkä]

The K-factor if often misunderstood or confused with Ra-factors, etc. HPS (High-pressure Sodium, SPNA in Finnish) has a light temperature of around 2000K and is considered to be on the warm side. The light spectrum is highly ephasized around the red spectrum, so it is a good light for flowering plants. The colder (blue neighborhood, 5500..6500K) range is most commonly achieved with an MH (Metal Halide) lighting system, which is better for plants that are in the vegetative (green) state of growth.

To answer shortly: yes, you can grow plants with a 4000K spectrum.


-Sale

[lee]

Hi Saule,

Thx for your quick reply. Good to hear that, I am planning to grow with 220 W that provides 20000 lumen with fluor lights. Offcourse not larger then 1 m2. Just for hobby and my own consumption. An article on Fatalii's web site said its not worth harvesting with fluor lights. What your opinion???

Regards,

lee

The K-factor if often misunderstood or confused with Ra-factors, etc. HPS (High-pressure Sodium, SPNA in Finnish) has a light temperature of around 2000K and is considered to be on the warm side. The light spectrum is highly ephasized around the red spectrum, so it is a good light for flowering plants. The colder (blue neighborhood, 5500..6500K) range is most commonly achieved with an MH (Metal Halide) lighting system, which is better for plants that are in the vegetative (green) state of growth.

To answer shortly: yes, you can grow plants with a 4000K spectrum.


-Sale

[Sauli Särkkä]

It all depends. You can get some kind of crops (sometimes even decent crops) with fluorescent lights, but it is advisable to use HPS and/or MH lighting for the best electrical efficiency (lm/W) and results. There are some alternatives to fluorescents as well, such as Purples, etc., that seem to work well, also.


-Sale

[lee]

Aah i see that HPS have good Lm/w rates too. Interesting. Do you know perhaps where i can find some good grow schedules. When do i start to use flower light instead of growlight. My guess is that when the plant is big enough i replace the grow lights by flowerlights. Or am i wrong?

Regards,

lee

It all depends. You can get some kind of crops (sometimes even decent crops) with fluorescent lights, but it is advisable to use HPS and/or MH lighting for the best electrical efficiency (lm/W) and results. There are some alternatives to fluorescents as well, such as Purples, etc., that seem to work well, also.


-Sale

[willard3]

I grow chiles year-round with Metal Halide (MH) lamp for green/blue and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) for red/yellow.

I run both all the time whether plants are flowering or not.

[lee]

Hi,

Is it anyway possible to manipulate grow/flowering (by adding more/less colorspectrum K) of the chilliplant, or do you just let it grow/flower.

reg.

I grow chiles year-round with Metal Halide (MH) lamp for green/blue and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) for red/yellow.

I run both all the time whether plants are flowering or not.

[lee]

btw i am planning to grow wtih 4000K and flower with 2100K.

Hi Saule,

Thx for your quick reply. Good to hear that, I am planning to grow with 220 W that provides 20000 lumen with fluor lights. Offcourse not larger then 1 m2. Just for hobby and my own consumption. Fatalii said on his website its not worth harvesting with fluor lights. What your opinion???

Regards,

lee

The K-factor if often misunderstood or confused with Ra-factors, etc. HPS (High-pressure Sodium, SPNA in Finnish) has a light temperature of around 2000K and is considered to be on the warm side. The light spectrum is highly ephasized around the red spectrum, so it is a good light for flowering plants. The colder (blue neighborhood, 5500..6500K) range is most commonly achieved with an MH (Metal Halide) lighting system, which is better for plants that are in the vegetative (green) state of growth.

To answer shortly: yes, you can grow plants with a 4000K spectrum.


-Sale

[willard3]

I don't know if it's possible to effect flowering by changing light spectrum.

I run MH and HPS all the time and get plenty of chiles.

[lee]

Do you think i have to run both type lamps?

The type lamps i use is 4000K and does not have that much red light wich is important for flowering. But it has a smaller amount of it. These 4000K are more for growing because they have a lot white/blue light. Ones the plant is big enough i stop the growing a bit by adding more red and less white/blue. This way the plant will have more energie to flower and still will grow. The 2100 K has more red light and less white/blue.

Whats your opinion. I think it will work. We will see.

Reg.

I don't know if it's possible to effect flowering by changing light spectrum.

I run MH and HPS all the time and get plenty of chiles.

[lee]

Hi All,

Growing my seedlings, well guess there actually no seedlings anymore but still, is very interesting when growing them indoors. There doing great!!. I placed them under my CFL in the second week after they germinated. Wich was on August 10th.
I have made a simple timeframe picture of the growth. The text is in dutch but i guess the pictures and the numerics will clear it all out.

See Link>>
http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gezaaid27juliof3.jpg

[Sauli Särkkä]

Judging from the shape of the leaves and the stout stature it looks like a C. chinense. Hmm?

EDIT: Duh..it says right there on top of the picture page that it's a Naga.. :roll:


-Sale

[lee]

Yeah but still very good Sauli. Nice judgement!

Reg.

Judging from the shape of the leaves and the stout stature it looks like a C. chinense. Hmm?

EDIT: Duh..it says right there on top of the picture page that it's a Naga.. :roll:


-Sale

[lee]

Hi,

My mini indoor growlist

3x bhut jolokia
2x dorset naga
2x red savina habanero
1-2x Dutch habanero F3 ( Many thx to Jukka )

Will see what they do in my selfmade/designed  ''growfacility''. >>> http://img181.imageshack.us/my.php?image=duofluorkastrv4.jpg

The inside will be covered with reflectionfilm to increase the efficiency. I will have a total lumen output of 20000lm. Max. container size 3-4 liters Hope it will work!


Reg.

[lee]

New pics.



http://img110.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2541ln4.jpg

http://img110.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2552ln5.jpg

[saulir]

Nice stems on those seedlings! so strong, in so early phase. And so many leaves too!

You can set the plant to flowering phase with nutrients, i have been using Bio bizz's topmax, and it really works!

Fatalii's site has nice pictures:

http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=Topmax&id=4129

[lee]

Thanks Saulir

The CFL i am using works great probably! Good to hear that.

And thanks for your tip. I Will definitely buy Bio-bizz, if i am not mistaken its a dutch company that makes it . So easy to get :-)

Many thanks again for your TIP.

Reg.

Nice stems on those seedlings! so strong, in so early phase. And so many leaves too!

You can set the plant to flowering phase with nutrients, i have been using Bio bizz's topmax, and it really works!

Fatalii's site has nice pictures:

http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=Topmax&id=4129

[lee]

Made some new pics.

http://img514.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2592xc6.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2593xo6.jpg

[lee]

btw saulir, are you growing indoors as well. What lights do you use??

Reg.

Nice stems on those seedlings! so strong, in so early phase. And so many leaves too!

You can set the plant to flowering phase with nutrients, i have been using Bio bizz's topmax, and it really works!

Fatalii's site has nice pictures:

http://fatalii.net/chile/?u=g&c=search&word=Topmax&id=4129

[saulir]

You're welcome

Yes, I am growing indoors, and I use fluorescent tubes (3*36W) and 125W CFL.

-and part of my chiles gets sunlight from south window.

I'm not getting much crop though, because the lighting is not enough.

Maybe someday I'll buy 400W HPS to get some more crop out of bushes