Calling all hot pepper growers

October 23, 2019, 01:38 PM

Planning to start my hot pepper seeds indoors this year.
Can I use 4ft t12 fluorescent bulbs to start seeds and raise seedlings to transplant outdoors size?
Much knowledge on this forum.

October 23, 2019, 02:15 PM

Perception

I think you can, depending on how many you are trying to start. If they start getting leggy you may need to add more light. I accidentally killed most of mine in April when I had a surprise out of town trip and couldn't water them. The ones that survived basically had to start over, but they all recovered well enough to have a productive growing season.

"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
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October 23, 2019, 02:29 PM

GT-40DOC

I start all of my hot pepper seeds indoors, beginning about late Feb/early Mar. I use the "indoor greenhouse" units that I purchase from Home Depot. They are like mini-greenhouses, and once they are all set, you are not to do any watering, and not place them in direct sunlight.

Mine get indirect sunlight from the window, and the warmth from the house(68-69F). They seem to be real happy with this arrangement, along with my okra seeds, etc. Once the outside temp is high enough, and no chance of a freeze, I move the "pods" outside and plant them.

October 23, 2019, 04:01 PM

45 Cal

Peppers are slow to germinate and take a couple of months to get to a three inch size.
I start in December for late April planting
Amazon for grow lights and a auto timer so they don't get [leggy]
Catch rainwater and save it in gallon milk jugs.
Buy the best potting mix you can find[not that forest product shif from box stores.
They also sell heating pads to help them germinate and temp should be above 65 deg.
Quart yogurt container are best for me,I use soldering iron to melt nine pencil holes in those cups.
I use the clear wal-mart tall tubs that hold a dozen of those cups.
A bed of pot mix under the cups will hold moisture and keep seedling watered thru the holes you put in them.
potting mix should be 3/4 of the cup and seed only 1/4 deep.
This method works well and has served me for many years
The tubs are mobile so you can carry in and out for hardening off before transplanting.

Several good u tubes to aid your farming.

October 23, 2019, 11:14 PM

arcwelder

Can you? I guess..

Why do you want to use the florescents?

Because you have them?

Incomplete light, inefficient.

You want "full spectrum LED" and somewhere you can hang them by a chain to control the height.

Arc.
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