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do i really need a grow light
http://byap.backyardmagazines.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19637		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  rqutub [ Nov 22nd, '13, 03:54 ]
Post subject:  do i really need a grow light
I have my hydro and aquaponic systems installed in a small balcony where the direct sun light hit directly the plant for couple of hours only a day, but there are sun light - not direct - all day long. I am growing tomato eggplant pepper beans cucumber..
Do I really need a grow and blooming lights?
Author:  rqutub [ Nov 22nd, '13, 04:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
I am currently using normal florecent lights.. is that OK?
Author:  tgradert [ Nov 22nd, '13, 04:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
Based on the plants that you are trying to grow, many of them need 4-6 hours of direct sunlight in order to perform optimally. Peppers in particular seem to be able to soak up as much light as you can provide for them. However, the current Jalapeno plants that I have were grown under a 600W Metal Halide light for the majority of their lives, without any real sunlight. After moving them to full sun, I found that I not only had more jalapenos, but the fleshy part was thicker, resulting in greater fruit weight. Eggplants and Cucumbers would probably respond similarly, I have less experience with them, but over the summer I grew them with 6+ hours of full sun and had a good crop of both.

The short answer is NO, you probably do not NEED lights in order to grow the plants and get some amount of produce, however they will probably produce a greater amount and grow faster with supplemental light. "Normal Flourcesent" lights does not give me an indication of the bulb type, which makes all of the difference in the world with Fluoro's. T5 HO lights are the best flourcesents when you examine the power to light output ratio. In order of descending power Fluoro's go from T5HO, T5, T8, T12. I Sometimes use T8's to start my seedlings. Also remember that the power of light dies with the square of the distance from the source. HPS and MH will have better penetration and higher lumens per watt.

In addition you will want to research the difference between Warm White vs. Cool White bulbs if you are going to stick with Fluoro's, as well as the spectrum that plants use. Use Red (HPS, Warm White Fluoro) for Flower/Fruit and a stocky stem, and use Blue (MH, Cool White Fluoro) for Leaves.
Author:  Yavimaya [ Nov 22nd, '13, 05:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
dont use lights.
they are a waste.
Author:  IRONMAN79 [ Nov 22nd, '13, 05:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
I have an indoor system that gets almost no sunlight. I just replaced my Philips 75 watt br30 aggro flood light with 4 - 24 WATT 6500k veg grow T-5 bulbs. Based on everything I read here and on other grow sites the T-5 florescent gives off the best amount of blue, orange and red light.

I did this yesterday so I will update here again if and when I see a difference.

I got the idea to use work lights from Keith's indoor system 2 on here. He seems to do great with a huge system in his basement using florescent s.
Author:  Journeyman [ Nov 22nd, '13, 13:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
Maybe try setting up a reflector to give them more sunlight?
Author:  keith [ Nov 23rd, '13, 04:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
Yavimaya wrote:
dont use lights.
they are a waste.

unless you don't have any other choice... :think:
Author:  bioaquafarm [ Nov 23rd, '13, 17:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: do i really need a grow light
with 2 hr of sunlight you can get away with some herbs and salad, forget any fruiting crops unless you want to produce expensive veg, or if you have free or cheap renewable resources than it's probably still better than the imported veg option.
T5 or T8 won't break the bank but are extremely fragile and bulky to fit, CFL would be a good option as they are compact and long lasting.
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