First indoor setup! tips and tricks wanted!

[cmeg1]

I'm confused here. Isn't PAR the wavelength(s) of the light? What does distance have to do with it (considering the wavelengths are in nanometers, not inches)?

For example, this would be a "PAR" chart of the lights I have:

View attachment 330427

Not sure really lol
I just look at my par/ppfd sensor and go by the instruction I learn and use it and see the effects.
I can safely give advice with what I have learned past two years
great board by the way!!
All I use is 4000k blue spectrum veg.Increases photosynthesis and promotes stocky growth!!! Like a way better t5 6400k.

 

[leatherback]

Isn't PAR the wavelength(s) of the light?

Photosynthetically active radiation is the amount of rediation available for photosynthesis, typicaly the light intensity between ~350 and 700 nm wavelength

 

[RJG2]

Photosynthetically active radiation is the amount of rediation available for photosynthesis, typicaly the light intensity between ~350 and 700 nm wavelength

Gotcha; I should have looked closer at my chart as well. It's a measure of the intensity in a certain range of wavelengths.

 

[RJG2]

Mine so far (first year with tropicals to overwinter; second year with bonsai in general - so nothing refined yet):

 

[Carol 83]

I use boot trays. They come in many sizes to customize your growing area. They are very tough and will last decades, but not cheap. I believe I got mine at Greenhouse Megastore. I also use some heavy duty restaurant bus trays I found at flea market. If you ever need very heavy standard trays or flats as they are called in the industry, the ones from Bootstrap Farmer are the best you can get.

I am looking into something like this for my shelves. The hauling everything to the sink to water gets old SO fast. I think the inconvenience led to less than great watering habits last winter and my trees suffered. Plus, I won't have to listen to my husband whine about getting "dirt" in the drain. Win, win.

 

[penumbra]

Plus, I won't have to listen to my husband whine about getting "dirt" in the drain. Win, win.

A win win for the whine whine. I know all about it. Thank goodness I do all the cooking and dish washing or there would be no end to it.

 

[Carol 83]

Thank goodness I do all the cooking and dish washing

Man, I am living life wrong. It's way too late to try and re-train him now.

 

[penumbra]

Man, I am living life wrong. It's way too late to try and re-train him now.

Yeah, but she is the major bread winner. She pays the mortgage and buys me a car so its a great deal.
Here are the trays I am using. Sizes are approximated.
22 x 16 x 2 31 x 16 x 2

46 x 16 x 2

 

[Carol 83]

Yeah, but she is the major bread winner. She pays the mortgage and buys me a car so its a great deal.
Here are the trays I am using. Sizes are approximated.
22 x 16 x 2 31 x 16 x 2
View attachment 330532View attachment 330535
46 x 16 x 2
View attachment 330540

Well then it all works out The smaller size looks like just what I need. Off to google...

 

[tainoson]

¡updates!






- doubled the rack space! now the trees have some breathing room. the cuttings now have their own tray with (cheaper) lighting at an appropriate height.
- fans!
- a timer!

to do (after a few more pay cycles haha)
- set up a fourth tray for the rest of the shorties still left up top.
- side lighting
- grow tent? thinking that'll help keep the humidity up, and bounce the heat and light around. not sure if the affordable options will allow two sides of access.


all the feedback and discussion in this thread has been awesome!
and i'm very grateful that i have zone hardy trees that need none of this fuss

 

[KillerButts]

Lots of good info here already but let me say I think you are off to a great start. Be careful though, because indoor gardening is very addictive. I have 36 lights currently hanging and am currently taking up about 300 square feet inside. My electric bill in winter exceeds that in summer and I heat only with wood. Wife won't let me have a greenhouse, but I will continue to work on her. Its a sickness I tell ya.
Fan is paramount, maybe more important than amount of light for simply keeping things alive. Wick system is useful and egg crating is excellent. There is also wicking fabric as seen in picts. The fabric will not work with elevated pots but the wick will. Most bonsai pots are elevated. Light, you just have to play with for awhile to get it right. While it is darn near impossible to have too much light, some plants can get by with quite a bit less than others so use your lights wisely. Mylar backing on walls is also very helpful to take advantage of reflected light.
The best advice I can personally give for indoor growing is to try to visit every plant every day if you can. If you can't (and who can) do your best. Sometimes problems can pop up in the plant there in the back that is seldom seen and the problem can spread. Also, don't use granular organic fertilizers in these growing conditions or you will end up with fungus growing in and on your soil. For inside growing I much prefer liquids.
View attachment 329723View attachment 329724
First pick is wicking reservoir, second is wicking fabric for flat bottom pots.
View attachment 329725View attachment 329726
My indoor "garden". Not quit full yet, more plants coming in today and two new lights as well.


View attachment 329727View attachment 329728
View attachment 329729View attachment 329730
View attachment 329731View attachment 329732
Some of these areas will have mylar added this year and a few more lights.

That’s a lot of Gollum’s . Have you had any success making tissue culture’s? I am currently trying for the first time.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Example of cheap butt set up in garage for wintering over and growing out mostly Satsuki whips (and a few maple seedlings in Seattle! Someone said I couldn’t grow azalea whips out up here, someone said I could. We’ll find out!

All shelves 5/4 decking ripped and chopped to size.


Two shelves for total of six trays. Upper deck will get at least one SF2000 (cost twice as much as the entire set up did!) really soon, cuz it’s on the shelf!


Cheap butt double dome greenhouse as July cuttings are between 4,5 and 6” now. I figure I can tape on another two layers if needed! I cure the added boost of a 2-4 hours of after noon sun helps quite a bit, so I rotate trays. Garage is pretty drafty, but I put in a floor standing fan an a timer when it feels stuffy.


Once all liners get delivered, this area will be filled up and heat mats and another Inkbird 306T thermostat w/probe will be installed. A few little south facing windows give a boost, especially on clear days Three more trays worth. Up to 32 liners/tray x 9 trays total Capacity. In a couple years I foresee having a Satsuki sale!

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[LittleDingus]

¡updates!

View attachment 330668 View attachment 330667


View attachment 330665 View attachment 330666

- doubled the rack space! now the trees have some breathing room. the cuttings now have their own tray with (cheaper) lighting at an appropriate height.
- fans!
- a timer!

to do (after a few more pay cycles haha)
- set up a fourth tray for the rest of the shorties still left up top.
- side lighting
- grow tent? thinking that'll help keep the humidity up, and bounce the heat and light around. not sure if the affordable options will allow two sides of access.


all the feedback and discussion in this thread has been awesome!
and i'm very grateful that i have zone hardy trees that need none of this fuss

I have a couple of vivosun grow tents. Mine basically unzip and unwrap around 3 sides. I found it awkward to use daily so typically left it unzipped and open on one side. With it all zipped up, spot intensity readings went up about 15%. I didn't feel that was enough to be worth the hassle for light intensity only.

I did have a second one in the garage that was much cooler so didn't need daily watering. That one I did leave closed but more to keep the humidity higher.

 

[tainoson]

Example of cheap butt set up in garage for wintering over and growing out mostly Satsuki whips (and a few maple seedlings in Seattle! Someone said I couldn’t grow azalea whips out up here, someone said I could. We’ll find out!

All shelves 5/4 decking ripped and chopped to size.

View attachment 330670
Two shelves for total of six trays. Upper deck will get at least one SF2000 (cost twice as much as the entire set up did!) really soon, cuz it’s on the shelf!

View attachment 330669
Cheap butt double dome greenhouse as July cuttings are between 4,5 and 6” now. I figure I can tape on another two layers if needed! I cure the added boost of a 2-4 hours of after noon sun helps quite a bit, so I rotate trays. Garage is pretty drafty, but I put in a floor standing fan an a timer when it feels stuffy.

View attachment 330671
Once all liners get delivered, this area will be filled up and heat mats and another Inkbird 306T thermostat w/probe will be installed. A few little south facing windows give a boost, especially on clear days Three more trays worth. Up to 32 liners/tray x 9 trays total Capacity. In a couple years I foresee having a Satsuki sale!

Cheers
DSD sends

i like it! i wish i had the garage room to set up in there for my hardier plants. i also appreciate the carpentry in making your own shelves, my other hobby is wood craft. i just felt the crunch of the first frost and wanted to get a good setup up and running.

I have a couple of vivosun grow tents. Mine basically unzip and unwrap around 3 sides. I found it awkward to use daily so typically left it unzipped and open on one side. With it all zipped up, spot intensity readings went up about 15%. I didn't feel that was enough to be worth the hassle for light intensity only.

I did have a second one in the garage that was much cooler so didn't need daily watering. That one I did leave closed but more to keep the humidity higher.

good to know! thank you i was looking at some of those. i think the big appeal is for me to keep a lower humidity in my basement but allow the trees to stay in the 50-60% range.

 

[Cable]

Timer to turn lights on and off, I did not see anyone mention this. I recommend an 18 hour day and a 6 hour night. You can to some extent make up for lower light intensity by using a longer day length. Most tropicals and sub-tropicals are not sensitive to day length. This means they don't use the day length to determine whether it is growing season or not. So using long day length will not "harm" your trees in terms of bloom times. There are exception, but really, relatively few.

Interesting that several of you are doing 18 hour days. I decided to go with 12 hour days last winter an my BRT grew like gangbusters. My Gmelina went to sleep as usual but the BRT was perfectly happy. I now have a Desmodium to winter indoors, too. Maybe I'll add some light but I don't think I'll go to 18.

 

[penumbra]

Interesting that several of you are doing 18 hour days. I decided to go with 12 hour days last winter an my BRT grew like gangbusters. My Gmelina went to sleep as usual but the BRT was perfectly happy. I now have a Desmodium to winter indoors, too. Maybe I'll add some light but I don't think I'll go to 18.

I have used day lengths of 8 to 24 hours over the years for different plants and different purposes. As I stated in another post recently, I do 14 hour days typically for tropicals. Having done 22 and 18 hours days, I have seen very little difference. Figure tropicals, equator day is 12 hours. I know the light is quite intense so I give them as much as I can.

 

[leatherback]

Figure tropicals, equator day is 12 hours.

Yup, native day length is what I go by.
Last winter I added a bit of light to mine, starting at 5AM to 9AM giving the trees nearly 12 hours of light

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Ok, I feel once again that we've now all entered into the world of Alchemy once again on all these past posts about length of light period.

It seems to me like I'm seeing a mix of magic, practical knowledge, with a hint of nutmeg added for flavor.

Can folks provide any actual growth vs light period data on trials links?

All I can find is if you are growing cannabis in the vegetative stage its best to run lights for 18 hour on 6 off. Yet if you desire the cannibis to flower its 12 hours on 12 off.

Now, don't get me wrong folks, I'm absolutely not encouraging a plethora of pothead knowledge and whimsical lore to come into public view! After all, I'm an asthmatic and that would be like waving candy in front of a child who's hand is gonna get slapped by Big Daddy in the Sky every time she/he reaches for it!

What I'm wondering is where's links or literature with some actual data from a reliable source for Maximum growth or best health (whatsoever that means) pertaining to the discussed plants.... Tropical plants, Trees, azalea cuttings, Cannabis (no scratch that part!) and what not else we all can hang our hats on.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[leatherback]

What I'm wondering is where's links or literature with some actual data from a reliable source for Maximum growth or best health (whatsoever that means) pertaining to the discussed plants....

It is not straightforward, and varies from species to species.

A review:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14620316.2005.11511882

 

[RJG2]

What does everyone do regarding fertilizer when they bring in their tropicals? Keep the full schedule? Reduce a certain amount?