Question by Erna, regarding light discussion.

Hiya Erna,

Erna asked me in an input which can be found in comments about what kind of light I use and perhaps even more, why?

Regarding light for plants. It is an issue that is well debated. And the gentlemen and ladies who are growing peppers have a difference of opinion when it comes to this subject. Lights for plants is and will never be a problem. That is if you have a lot of dollars in your backpocket and ready to invest some of them in a good light source.

If you like to have some form of echonomic thinking and also perhaps an enviromental thinking then a good suggestion will be to continue to read this pathetically large input.
I have chosen what kind of light I wanted to use for my plants with different aspects in my mind. Some key elements were important to me.

1) Plants will survive, adults as well as seedlings.

2) Echonomic factor.

3) Light therapy effect factor. Can light tubes used for plants be used for us humans?

4) Space and heat issues.



Plants will survive, adults as well as seedlings.

The fact that plant will survive both as adults as well as seedlings is without exaggeration probably the key element that is most important.If this plan is not fulfilled then we can kiss our precious hobby goodbye. I checked different pepper forums and went for 2*36 W light tubes that prooved to be sufficient. This was for seedlings and adults. I was not sure that it would be sufficient. But it prooved to be so.



Echonomic factor ( enviromental factor)

The echonomic factor can be important. Especially if your pockets are not overly stuffed with Dollar bills. While it can be so that some can create their own jungle with 600 W armatures. And maybe perhaps even design their own bizarre version of a tropical Amazonas in a snowy midwinter Sweden.  Then some of us will simply not go for these luxurious fantasy plans. That due to the fact that high electrical bills will not be justified. But also because the enviromental factor will perhaps inhibit the conception of a vast indoor greenery . Do you want to have a jungle indoors during winter, or do you just want the plants to survive through the winter for the coming season? I went for the latter. The electrical bill was taken care of as well as having the ability to be able to say to future children ” Uncle Salemsson thought of the enviroment as good as he could. And he was not exaggerating with the electric consumption.”

What I do know is that the actions of my life will be judged by my concious when I lay at deaths door one day. It is inevitable should it not be so that I change personality somehow. The enviromental principle is not something we can be socially fanatical about. But it is a principle. I am a man of principles. And therefor important to me and perhaps even more so for future generations. I guess it is enough for politics in this input.


Light Therapy effect factor


Light therapy effect is a fun part to investigate. I actually invested 8-10 hours investigating this issue. It ended with me making an unexpected visit to Karolinska Hospital in Huddinge near Stockholm. I knew they had a light therapy room. I explained to the nurse and doctor that I just wanted to see what kind of light tubes they were using. Were they some kind of ”magical” light tubes? The background was that I have tried light therapy some years ago because of winter weariness. The effect of light therapy on me was when I tried it that it felt like 2-3 cup of coffees. But a funny side effect was that I wanted to go down to the lake of Drevviken to see if the pikes were copulating. Something I usually do at spring if time allows it. I obtained such a need through this side effect even though it was in January. Which made me speculate wether one of  the possibilities was that it might be so that us humans ( subjective conclusion and should not be viewed as anything else but an opinion ) have some kind of Biowatch built within us. It felt like this Biowatch of mine was moving from deep midwinter to very early spring after the 8-9 th day of light therapy sessions. Though when you stopped going there the effect went away pretty fast. What I needed was the same type of light in my room and fulfil the fact that these light tubes are being useful for the plants. Huddinge Hospital light therapy room used 5500 K temperature light Tubes. The difference to that cave of light and my shady room is that they had like 24-30 light tubes while I have 2 of these. I let the enviromental and echonomical aspects be of a higher priority for me in my personal case. But it is possible I will buy another armature to replace my regular undesireable ceiling lamp.

Last year I did not felt any winter fatigue at all. I made an interpretation of my surrounding that year that a lot of other poor Stockholmers could have some trouble with winter fatigue. Though that was my interpretation of my own observation. I did not have that problem and will gladly try to continue to not to have it as a problem. As such, the method I used last winter before I will continue to use. I guess that growing peppers have a lot of good sides. This part in the input could be considered as the health part.


Space and heat is of course an issue.


People can create a jungle with as many lamps that is needed for such a cause. But question is if they wont get a heat problem. And maybe a space problem. Some will solve the problem of too much heat with having a heavy blowing fan. While that is one way of solving it. It is also a way of raising your electrical bill and using even more electric consumtion. The space problem is obvious and I will leave that subject.


My own conclusions lead to that I bought 2 *36 W light tubes having 6500 K ( they work good enough as a light therapeutical purpose if you use full day light spectrum). Its lumen were together like 7000-8000 Lumen ( can be read about here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit) ). I know that I have checked what it was comparing to. If my memory dont fail me I think 100 000 lux ( 100 000 lumen/ m^2 ) is equivalent to a Swedish Summer day. With that said it means my light tubes are approximately like 1/12 of that.
All this lead to the fact that I bought an armature that did not emitt so much heat. 2 light tubes with 6500 K. The reason why I did not buy for example 4000 K light tubes is that I do not want to promote flowering purposes during winter season. I have no need of it. I just want my plants to be able to make sure it can produce energy for itself and not waste it on creating fruit. Focus should be, with poor light conditions, to maintain life in the plants. Other aspects are just plain hubris ( too weak of a joke attempt? Perhaps a sympathetic laugh at least? Moving on...)


A type of people that are very knowledgeable on this field happen to be, funny enough, the "Stoners". I read some forums. Their extensive detail descriptions about light for their precius cannabis plants surpass this input with an ease.

I hope this will answer some of your questions Eerna. Thanks for asking and stimulating my brain with questions.


Yours respectfully,

Michael Salemsson