Tomatoes under lights through the winter

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi, can someone please advise me how to do this, I have always had the odd mini plant on a sunny window but no longer have that option as I am in a North facing situation.

I have read articles on the net which suggests halide lights etc which I don't fancy doing ,I would prefer to use gro lights.

Can it be done succesfully? I am thinking mini varieties.

I would appreciate any help.

Thank you

XX Jeannine

[Timmah!]

Metal Halide lights provide teh Blue spectrum, whereas High Pressure Sodium would be for the red end of the spectrum. The HPS used more for flowering. The two in combination give a balanced spectrum of light. They can be purchased in various wattages, they don't have to be the 1000 watt big boys. There are also spectrum-adjusted HID bulbs.
You could also use a warm & a cool fluorescent bulb in a shoplight ballast. Ultimately depends on whether you want to keep them in a holding pattern or actively grow these plants. BTW, HPS & Metal Halide lamps are more energy efficient than fluorescents.

[Jeannine Anne]

Originally Posted by Timmah!

Metal Halide lights provide teh Blue spectrum, whereas High Pressure Sodium would be for the red end of the spectrum. The HPS used more for flowering. The two in combination give a balanced spectrum of light. They can be purchased in various wattages, they don't have to be the 1000 watt big boys. There are also spectrum-adjusted HID bulbs.
You could also use a warm & a cool fluorescent bulb in a shoplight ballast. Ultimately depends on whether you want to keep them in a holding pattern or actively grow these plants. BTW, HPS & Metal Halide lamps are more energy efficient than fluorescents.

Thank you but it has to be flourescents ,the 3 tier fixture I have has 3 canopies ,each holding three lights for a total of nine .They are full spectrum T8 4 foot long bulbs ,can I do it with these.

XX Jeannine

[Timmah!]

They would be fine up to a certain height, although T5's would be preferable. I mainly used them for supplemental lighting along the sides of the plants when I grew indoors using HID lighting. I would just keep those T8's as close to the canopy as is reasonable & supplement with some CFL's or something along the side of the plant(s). Gotta look up which cfl's you use, as there are different lumen/watt output models. Those T8's just don't put out as much light/watt as a T5 or even a modest HID. I'm thinking more along the lines of herbs or smaller plants if T8's are being used.

If you REALLY want to grow your plants well, get LED grow lights. The light they emit is 90% useable by plants, they put out very little heat, they are VERY energy efficient and last for many, many years.

[akgardengirl]

I have used the T12 fluorescent for many years here, one cool white and one warm light, but only use them to start and grow tomatoes for 3 months until they go outside. I have them on for 14 hours a day. I was thinking of replacing all the T12's with T8's. Am I reducing the amount of light doing that? I will check into the LED grow lights.
Sue

[Timmah!]

T5's are the way to go. t5>t8>t12. To get a quality led setup is a pricey initial investment, but it pays off over time. The cheaper ones aren't as good; like anything, you get what you pay for.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Syste...m_cr_pr_sims_t

[akgardengirl]

I don't think the reviews were very good for that particular light. I like the panels instead of the individual round lighst tho. I would need maybe 3 of the panels to equal what I have with 4-2 bulb T12's. I have no idea how to convert this.
Sue

[akgardengirl]

Here is a link to the Sunshine page. Amazon really doesn't have "free" shipping as the price is $50 something on this website.
http://shop.sunshine-systems.com/product.sc?productId=1
Sue

[Timmah!]

Originally Posted by akgardengirl

I don't think the reviews were very good for that particular light. I like the panels instead of the individual round lighst tho. I would need maybe 3 of the panels to equal what I have with 4-2 bulb T12's. I have no idea how to convert this.
Sue

You lost me on this post. The link I gave is also to a sunshine system panel. It has 4 star reviews. It ships free. ???

The thing to know about led grow lights is that they emit light in specific wavelengths needed for plant growth; not so much in the full visible light spectrum. So they may not seem bright, but they do the job.

[akgardengirl]

You posted a link to Amazon and I posted a link to Sunshine. Amazon wants 121.+ with free shipping and the Sunshine site wants $54+ for theirs. I did not check the shipping charges but for the 65.+ that Amazon wants extra, I say that the shipping really isn't free. I read all the comments and they were mixed.
Sue

[akgardengirl]

Timmah,
Do you have these units? If so, how do they work for you? You would be a better person to review these if you have them.
Sue

[akgardengirl]

Sorry, I linked to a lower wattage Sunshine LED light panel. The one on Amazon is indeed cheaper than the 28 watt on the Sunshine website. If I was to replace or use a mix of lights, how many of these panels would I need to cover what 4/2 bulbs T12 cover? Is it just a matter of figuring out the sq. ft.?
Sue

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi again, thank you for the tips on buying new lights but it is not practical for me. I have to go with what I have, the only change I could make is to replace some of the bulbs within the fixture I have, I don't have the space to put up another system.

Thank you XX Jeannine

[Linda10]

Jeannine, I grew some of my plants from the dwarf project under ordinary 4 ft shop lights this last winter. They produced fruit and were doing fine until they grew taller than my stand will allow, so it can be done.

I think the important thing is the plant variety. Some are better suited to low light conditions.

If you go Tatiana's Tomatobase (link below), she has suggestions for smaller plants that can tolerate low lights. Be aware that most of these plants are super small with cherry size fruit.

Whippersnapper is one that I grew along with my dwarfs. It was nice because it spread out more than it grew up. It also had a lot of fruit.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/C...ainer_Tomatoes

[Timmah!]

The total cost on Amazon is $123.95. The cost for the same unit on Sunshine with shipping to Anchorage is $178.84..

I have a friend who grows indoors using 3 of these panels. I'd say the rough area is about 4' X 4'. He uses some fluorescents placed vertically for supplemental lighting once the plants get over 2' tall.