Fan Question

[Jetstar]

Guys last night I switched things around I put the plants on a 2nd row of a small plastic 3 shelf rack. Watered and fertilized with 1/4 strength all the tomatoes then watered the new pepper seedlings that have just sprouted, I put the grow box in the closet as from this point on I wont be starting any plants from seed this spring. I had enough room to add a small fan because so many here use one. So I have the fan hooked up to the same timer that controls the LED light 16hr on 8hr. off should the fan remain on 24/7 or is having the fan set up to the light gonna be ok?

[oakley]

Depends on your humidity and grow room. I run mine 24/7 but it is a small fan and I move it
to those just watered, bottom watered. (my temps are on the cool side, 62-65º)

Basement grow room and raining for the next two days, so they say. I may even move my
dehumidifier to that room if the rain keeps up....

[Jetstar]

Its my 1st year I don't have a dedicated grow room there right here in my small upstairs computer room, like you Oakley I'm using a tiny 5" 1 speed fan to circulate the air. I was told a fan would make the stems thicker that's the main reason I'm using a fan but the added plus of better controlling moisture after I water them is a plus I never considered... Thanks

[AlittleSalt]

I used a 12" fan from a 8' distance from my tomato seedlings this year due to limited space. It worked.

I normally use a smaller osculating fan a few feet away in a different room than the one I used this time, but that room was being used as a bedroom. I miss my plant room.

[Jetstar]

Alittlesalt my 5' fan is propped up on the edge of my 22"plant container, the breeze it creates is just enough to get the leaves on the plants moving, Here's a pic of my tiny set up.

[AlittleSalt]

Jetstar, I am far from a tomato growing expert, but getting your plants ready for windy conditions seems logical to me. Your setup looks very good to me. You do what you can to get those plants ready for growing where you grow your plants. That is the best advice I can give you.

[Jetstar]

Thanks Alittlesalt, everyone here has solid advice and they willingly share it with the less informed, I've recommended the site to all my friends that garden!

[brownrexx]

I only have a small light set up and I never use a fan but it looks like your light source is not fluorescent so it has to be farther away from the plants to avoid burning them with heat. I believe that this may lead to leggy plants reaching for the light.

Here is a pic of my little set up. The plant color actually looks greener than the pic shows but the fluorescent tube causes the pic to overexpose.

20180412_104708 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

Here is another pic showing the color and the stockiness of the stems better

DSC02108 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

[PaulF]

I have two 8'X4' growing tables with 6 flats on each table and use two oscillating fans on pedestals, one for each table. They are hooked up to the lighting system that is on timers, 16 hours on, 8 off. Both fans are on low speed. Every couple of days the trays get turned around so the wind blows from a different direction.

[carolyn137]

What is the purpose of using fans as so many do?

Most will say, and correctly, that the seedlings are more stocky,etc, and that is true.

This has been known for a long time, and yes, for tomato seedlings and here's some background info.

Cornell Ag agents where I used to live near Albany,NY would visit farmers,help with disease ID's, etc. And when grown in greenhouses to get the plants going,the aisles were very narrow and the plants growing next to the aisles were always better plants. And that's b/c as a farmer would go down those narrow aisles watering she/he would brush against the plants and make them better plants.

So the agents said to take a broom handle and pass it over all the plants and do it twice a day.

So better seedlings =thigmotropism

https://www.google.com/search?q=thig...&bih=815&dpr=1

Carolyn, who learned more tomato Dx from the agent who visited her field than you can ever imagine. I hadn't called to ask for one but I showed her one day a strange situation with my tomato plants still in the falling down Greenhouse.She was baffled and told me to call Dr. Tom Zitter at Cornell,who was a world expert on tomato diseases. He told me he thought it was due to an abberant strain of Early Blight and wanted me to spray spores of true EB on my plants and said he would provide the spores,I thanked him and that was that and told the agent I was not going to deliberately infect my plants and to tell him that..

I was going to say the same to M, Banadoura since he saw the lower leaves browning and falling off at the bottom, but he says he's solved the problem.

Here is Dr. Zitter;

https://pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/people/thomas-zitter

Carolyn

[Jetstar]

Your right Brownrexx its not a florescent its a 100 watt equiv. LED 6.500 kelvin and 1,600 lumen its 4-1/2" from the plants and I've noticed no burning. Your set up looks much nicer than mine, but I'm doing this on the cheap. PaulF I also have the fan and light on a 16hr. timer, and Carolyn137 you provided me some great info on tomatoes... Thanks to all.

[brownrexx]

Jetstar, I thought that it was a regular incandescent bulb which would be hot so that is why I thought that you were being cautious about being too close and burning them with heat.

I generally keep my light source 1-2" above the plants.

[Jetstar]

4-1/2 gives them all a good taste of light.