Topic: Lighting

[sandersj89]

After some research and help here, thanks Tim, I have purchased a white fire propagation unit which arrived yesterday:

http://froogle.google.co.uk/froogle_cluster?q=whitefire&oid=17196557512227343731&btnG=Search+Froogle&scoring=p&hl=en

I will be setting it up over the next day or so but it did not come with any instructions so I have a couple of questions.

1.   How high above the seedlings/plants should it be mounted, as close as possible I assume to maximise the light transmission to the plants.
2.   How long a period of lighting do you use? I am thinking about extending the daylight hours by 3 or 4  hours a day so coming on about 4am for a couple of hours and then again at 5pm for a few hours. These times will be adjusted as the days lengthen.
3.   What system have people used to suspend the lights over the plants?

Thanks

Jerry

[tim]

1. Yes.

2. I used 4 hrs at both ends. How long is the piece of string! And how many & valuable are the seedlings?

3. Wire! The ballast is hanging above.

4. The pic is only as is - just setting up today, strangely!

5. Oh, if you have neighbours (you don't do you?) shade it at night!

[sandersj89]

Thanks Tim, glad to see I am along the right lines.

It will mainly be used for veg seeds and annual bedding plants. Might try it over lettuce in the middle of winter to see if I can get a crop in the dead of winter or maybe over some strawberry plants brought in early to get a very early crop. Loads of possibilities I guess.

No neighbours that side of the house unless you count the sheep so shading should not be an issue.

I was very surprised at the intensity of the light when I tried it last night, impressed.

It seems a good piece of kit.

Jerry

[tim]

Forgot, Jerry - even without neighbours, I would still use reflective foil all around.  But make sure it's not on in daylight! I put my light on when it registers more than daylight.

It cost me about £1 to raise 60 lettuce to plantout size.

I get my stuff from growthtechnology

[sandersj89]

Yes, I am going to line the back and side of the staging, the north/darkets side, with reflective foil so I do not waste so much light.

I have looked in detail at the growthtechnology site and it has been very useful.

Thanks

Jerry

[tim]

By 'all around' I meant box-like, right up to the light, to concentrate on one batch at a time.

[sandersj89]

Would that  not prevent natural light getting to the leaves during the day?

Jerry

[tim]

Indeed! When I said not on in daylight, I didn't acknowledge the fact that I'm always up to remove it at dawn - & vice-versa!

Even without the shades, the plants would get precious little light, so they come right out during ths day. I don't have a clever system yet to ratchet up the lights. But they are adjustable by hooking the wires into links of support chains. Easier to move the plants. But wasting space, oc course.

[myrtle]

Interesting thread, this.  Because I keep Leopard tortoises that don't hibernate in winter, I have to keep them heated and supplied with 'near natural' light throughout. I have one sunglo type bulb and one like the one in the pic plus tubular heating.  These are primarily for the torts so they are suspended over their area about a foot from the floor of the greenhouse.  I use chains and S hooks and an old chrome handrail to suspend them.  The heating is on continuously and the lamps are on from 7am to 9pm.  As I am paying an extortionate amount of money out anyway, I started all my seedlings off early (toms in December which now have flowers on) and although they are not directly underneath the lamps they seem to gain enough light to grow straight and strong. Good luck Jerry with your system. :)

[tim]

Any photos?

[MikeB]

In several veg books it mentions growing under light and they suggest using a dual fluorescent fitting with one ' warm ' tube and one ' cold ' tube to give the necessary lighting spectrum.  I tried it last winter/spring and it worked fine.  Good strong healthy seedlings, this year I got to bone up on the after care bit.

[sandersj89]

Indeed! When I said not on in daylight, I didn't acknowledge the fact that I'm always up to remove it at dawn - & vice-versa!

Thanks Tim, This is waht I was planning to do and one reason I chose the white fire system was it nice compact refelctors split into two units. Far more flexible.

Jerry

[sandersj89]

In several veg books it mentions growing under light and they suggest using a dual fluorescent fitting with one ' warm ' tube and one ' cold ' tube to give the necessary lighting spectrum.  I tried it last winter/spring and it worked fine.  Good strong healthy seedlings, this year I got to bone up on the after care bit.

I believe the tubes uspplied with this system have the right spectrum for vegetative growth but not suitable for flowering. As I intend to use them just to supply me with good quality plants that is ideal for me. The sun can do the flowering bit later!!

I am looking forward to seeing how it all works!

Jerry

[MikeB]

I'm sure there is more than one ' usable ' system.  A friend of mine uses the light from an old tropical fish tank and that seems to work quite well.  I've got mine suspended from the GH roof about two feet above the plants plugged into a timer that at the moment comes on at 6am off at 8am on again at 4pm and off at 6pm.  As the GH is bubblewrapped it's not to bright in the dark

[tim]

As I said elsewhere today, the proof of the pudding is in the eating?

How much did it cost to grow X more quickly than if not? And was that realistic?

[MikeB]

If I priced it out Tim I probaly wouldn't be growing at all.  Last year I sowed my tomato seeds in dec, a bush variety, cropped in early June, seeds I sowed in march, vine variety replaced the bush type when they had finished.  So it enabled me to get two crops in, but I wasn't that impressed with the flavour.  If you remember I ran a thread on growing early tomatoes last year, you and I believe John_H both said that for good flavour and good quality forget early sowing.  Well I took your advice to heart and I haven't as yet sown any tomatoes.  We do listern.

Regards

MikeB

PS it's peppers I've got in at the moment

[tim]

In the event, it's what gives you pleasure?

Like a fish tank??

And you have no heat for growing on??? Amazing!!

My advice? Be wary!

[myrtle]

Not sure if you wanted pics of torts or lamps or plants,Tim, so you're getting the lot!  ;D

There are 3 Leopards but Edith is a little camera shy.  Nelson and Della are there though.

I agree about early crops not being as tasty but I'm just trying to utilise heat and light that are being paid for anyway.

The only thing I've had 'leggy' problems with are the 9 star perrenials.