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keyboarg

Chost and scorpion peppers indoor?

Keyboarg
11 years ago

can I grow these under a metal halide light? can I other stuff with it as well, or should it only be peppers. Sorry I'm new.

thanks

sean

Comments (19)

  • mbellot
    11 years ago

    Depends on what you mean by "grow".

    If you're talking about seedlings, then no problem.

    If you want to have mature plants flower and bear fruit then you are in a totally different place, light needs are huge. I've never done it myself, but I've read that a 400W MH will be enough for 1 - 2 plants. You also need to keep the plants relatively warm, but if you get the lights and the plants in a confined space the bigger problem is usually getting rid of excess heat.

    Poke around here and on Google, you'll find lots of people with setups. You're only limited by the space you have and your wallet (fixtures aren't cheap, neither is powering them for 16 hours a day).

  • DMForcier
    11 years ago

    If you're serious about growing producing plants under lights, investigate growing marijuana. The requirements are very similar and growing dope is *much* better documented and supported.

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    Yah, what DMForcier said. Just keep any eye out for the black helicopters hovering overhead.


    Bruce

  • DMForcier
    11 years ago

    That's not so far-fetched. One way the brain police find secret grow houses is by analyzing patterns of electrical usage. The interactive meters most utilities are deploying make that easier.

    There is, however, the small matter of the use of nuclear peppers as military weapons. An embarrassed DA could hold the grower for suspicion of terrorist activity...

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    Plants might grow indoors.... :)
    7 Pot (X?) SR F4 or 5...

    {{gwi:1237754}}

    {{gwi:1237755}}

    {{gwi:1237756}}

    {{gwi:1143697}}

  • Keyboarg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thanks for the replies guys. smokemaster_2007, what are those panel looking light at the bottom of your plant?

    I'm looking at getting this to start out

    http://www.amazon.com/Autopot-Easy2grow-Autopots-System-Reservoir/dp/B002HJC1QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353443282&sr=8-1&keywords=autopot

    what should I put in it? Coco? pebbles? What?

  • mbellot
    11 years ago

    Those panels are LED lights.

    Looks homebrew to me, but very cool.

  • DMForcier
    11 years ago

    > "I'm looking at getting this to start out "

    $105 ? Spend that on lights and you'll be making a much wiser investment.

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    LED Baby pics

    {{gwi:1237757}}

    {{gwi:1237758}}

    {{gwi:1237759}}

    {{gwi:1237760}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1237742}}

  • Keyboarg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thanks for the advice DMForcier. I will now spend more on light rather than that easy2grow pot system.

  • avidgardener25
    11 years ago

    Very impressive set ups you have there, smokemaster. I only have a 6'x8' greenhouse with a couple of large grow lights haha. It looks quite amateur compared to the set ups above.

    -Preston

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    Amazing setup smokemaster, would you mind to tell me how much did you spend for those led lighting?

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    5mm LEDs were about $30.00 average for 2500 LEDS.
    10mm LEDS were about $.49 each,some a little cheaper.
    Stars were about the same as 10mm LEDs.

    Perf boards range from $2.00 - $7.00 each.

    Sheet aluminium 1/8" X 16" X 16" was about $20.00 each or less - heavy to ship.
    Probably half that price if you have a metal supply close by.
    I won the $ so I didn't keep track of cost...

    I have enough stuff to make 13 star panels with 100 LEDs on each one.
    17 10mm panels with 125 LEDS on each.

    I have no idea how many 5mm LED panels I made/have.
    lots of them from when I was playing with Wave Lengths in separate experiments...

    {{gwi:1237761}}

    {{gwi:1237762}}

    I used 4in. X 3 1/2in. perf boards that have 100-125 LEDs on them.
    Takes about an hour to solder each 3X4 board.

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    Thank you for the information, smokemaster, keep updates it is very impressive.

  • Edymnion
    11 years ago

    If you plan on doing LEDs, make very sure you pay close attention to the watt equivalency of the bulbs. Anything below 1 watt (as in 60 of them would be the equivalent light to one 60 watt incandescent) is fairly worthless as the light isn't bright enough to properly penetrate the leaves. Anything over about 2 watts is overkill as they don't really supply that much more compared to the drastic increase in cost.

    1 watt is right where you want to be at.

    Personally, I just get daylight CFLs.

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    Don't go by watts that a panel uses in general.
    Watts per Lumen would be better.

    I go by wave length ,LED angle and Lumens.The lower the watts the slower your meter spins.

    The more Lumems the better,40 degree and up are what I use mostly.
    The tighter the angle, the farther away you can put your pannel,in general.

    I have 1 watt LEDS that put out 35 Lumens and ones that put out up to 100 +/-.You can also get 3 watt LEDS that put out the same Lumens.
    Want to use 1 or 3 watts of electricity to put out the same 80 lumens?
    Since 1 watt LEDS put out less heat,I can put up to 50LEDS on a 16X16inch panel instead of just 30 or 40.
    The more LEDS per panel,the more wave lengths I can use.The more wave lengths in plant usable stuff per panel the better.

    The only problem I have with penetration is that the canopy gets so thick I have to put verticle panels around the plant because the plants get very thick because they love the light wave lengths I use.
    It has nothing to do with what light source you use,any happy plant gets too thick for any light source at first,when it gets the light it wants.

    Current plants undeer fluoros and LEDS.
    They would be under only LEDS if I had the room...

    Not all store bought LED growlights are the same.
    Most of the commercial ones are junk and or over priced.
    I make my own out of 10mm and 1/2-1 watt LEDs.

    I don't have to cool them and can place them closer together than higher watt ones so I can get more wave lengths per panel.
    My shelves will eventually be all LEDS and I'll not use any more Fluoros.
    A LOT of the stuff on the net is pure BS that is about LEDs.It is stuff taken out of context or just crap written by snake oil salesmen to sell a product.
    A lot is comparing apples to oranges or using different light sources in a way to make their favorite light source look better than any other.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wave length info

    This post was edited by smokemaster_2007 on Thu, Nov 29, 12 at 19:22

  • DMForcier
    11 years ago

    Sun? We don' need no steenkin sun! Vamanos muchachos!

    ---

    What do you use for power supplies?

  • smokemaster_2007
    11 years ago

    See pic of red hydro setup next to the microwave.
    2 different supplies.
    Computer supplies from surplus store.12v 12 amp or 24volt 2.5amp.
    technically I've been told these supplies put out power that is regulated almost as good or better than a driver.
    You could run enough strings to equal the amp output and not use resistors or power regulators BUT if a string went out you would loose the whole panel instead of just 1 string.
    Also LEDs don't always break the circuit when they fry,sometimes they short so it can fry as many LEDs as it can before the curcuit is broken.
    The more that go out by shorting,the higher the volts etc. gets over what you need.
    It could get expensive...Do ya feel lucky?

  • wichitachief
    11 years ago

    Nice Smokemaster! You should do a thread. I love led's but trying to sift out the BS like you said is tough. I like the link. I'll study it in depth later. Not trying to hijack the thread.