Lighting for Pepper Plants

AlittleSalt · February 4, 2016

Last year, I used two florescent lights (four 40W tubes) and the plants grew well. This year however, those two Florescent light fixtures are in use elsewhere, so I need to come up with some other lighting.

Sure, I could go out and buy a couple more fixtures and lights, but due to unexpected extra health care cost - money is a problem. I have an idea that I got while reading another thread about providing lighting for rabbits.

I have a brooding light and a hooded clamp-on light. I was thinking of buying these http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Valu...L-4pk/21778167 Great Value Light Bulb 23W (100W Equivalent) Spiral (CFL), Daylight, 4-Pack

Do you think this will work for pepper plant seedling lights? If so, how far away do these lights need to be away from the plants? (The plants are still in seed cells for a while before being potted up to solo cups.)

Worth1 · February 4, 2016

Salt they will work just fine.
I kept mine about 1 inch away any closer and they will burn the tips.
later in the season I had everything mixed in and had the lights farther away with no ill effect.
lets look at it like this.
You were using 40 watt tubes now you are using 100 watt lamps.
You are putting out 60% more wattage than you were before per lamp.
Don't even worry about lumens because the plants cant see the spectrum lumens are measured in.
How many are you going to use and how many seed trays and how long.
If it is one tray you can get by with 2 lights on it.
If you can you can also pick up those splitters so you can use two lights in each fixture.

Worth

AlittleSalt · February 4, 2016

Worth, there are almost 100 pepper plants in two flats. They are at the 1-2" stage.

Sense plants cant see the spectrum lumens . I'm thinking that using the 70W equivalent should work as well. That would be more useful because we could use those light bulbs in the house after they aren't being used for pepper plants later in the year.

Worth1 · February 4, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Worth, there are almost 100 pepper plants in two flats. They are at the 1-2" stage.

Sense plants cant see the spectrum lumens . I'm thinking that using the 70W equivalent should work as well. That would be more useful because we could use those light bulbs in the house after they aren't being used for pepper plants later in the year.

I would still go with the 100 watt.
Is there a reason you dont want the 100 watt lights in the house for other use?
How big are the trays they are in?

Worth1 · February 4, 2016

Look t it like this one 100 watt bulb for every 36 cells if you have the square starting cells or 2 100 watt bulbs for the 72 cell tray.

Worth

AlittleSalt · February 4, 2016

The seed cell trays are exactly the same as yours. The 72 cell ProHex ones I bought last year.

I also only found these at .com http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Valu...L-4pk/21778157 Soft white. The lights would be used in our kitchen.

Worth1 · February 4, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

The seed cell trays are exactly the same as yours. The 72 cell ProHex ones I bought last year.

I also only found these at .com http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Valu...L-4pk/21778157 Soft white. The lights would be used in our kitchen.

I wouldn't use them they are only 2700k and dont put out any blue light to speak of.
Some people do but you will get far better results from 6500K.

If it is wattage you are worried about none of these lights will burn up your wiring.
As for brightness I personally like a bright daylight for work areas such.
In any case the 2700K will still work but not as well and you wont get stretching I dont think.
Worth

AlittleSalt · February 4, 2016

We are going to go with the 100W equivalent. a brighter kitchen would be nice. And you wrote above - the 6500K are better. We have a lot of inside barn lights to use them in too.

Worth1 · February 4, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

We are going to go with the 100W equivalent. a brighter kitchen would be nice. And you wrote above - the 6500K are better. We have a lot of inside barn lights to use them in too.

On a side note Salt.
Where I worked at they replaced the regular reaing lamps in out rooms to CFL lights they were nice at 2700K.
Then the idiots decided to replace them with LED lights.
What they bought was 100 watt equivalent bright daylight LED bulbs for a reading light.
Are you kidding me I needed sunglasses to read.
So I went down and stole yes stole every older CFL 2700k bulb I could find in lamps and stashed them.

Every time I left to go home I would put the super bright LED back in the lamp.

Worth

February 4, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Salt they will work just fine. I kept mine about 1 inch away any closer and they will burn the tips. later in the season I had everything mixed in and had the lights farther away with no ill effect. lets look at it like this. You were using 40 watt tubes now you are using 100 watt lamps. You are putting out 60% more wattage than you were before per lamp. Don't even worry about lumens because the plants cant see the spectrum lumens are measured in. How many are you going to use and how many seed trays and how long. If it is one tray you can get by with 2 lights on it. If you can you can also pick up those splitters so you can use two lights in each fixture. Worth

February 4, 2016	#3
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Worth, there are almost 100 pepper plants in two flats. They are at the 1-2" stage. Sense plants cant see the spectrum lumens . I'm thinking that using the 70W equivalent should work as well. That would be more useful because we could use those light bulbs in the house after they aren't being used for pepper plants later in the year.