Lights

I have 2 very big lights - 1000 watt high sodium bulbs each. I know - blinded by the light -. My question is - because I am working with such a high wattage - can I reduce the number of hours that they are on. This is in a 20x20ft area. Right now they're on 12hrs. Can I reduce this to 8-10 hrs?
Thanks - Liz

Hi Liz...are you growing in an enclosed area, like a garage? Or are you growing in a greenhouse where the plants get exposure to natural daylight? (I first ask this because some sodium lights don't offer any of the blue spectrum light rays. However, if your plants are getting a bit of daylight then they get the blue light spectrum from it.) Also, do your lights have a reflector to guide the light rays down to the plants? Also, it is important to let us know what you are growing, i.e., flowering plants, foliage plants, etc. Will be watching this thread ok? Or feel free to email me directly for more pertinant info.
H.

Thanks Horseshoe - the area is enclosed with plastic under a 20 x 20 deck. Double layer of 600mil plastic. It isn't dark and the light comes through from the east and south. This time of year we can't count on much sun in the PNW.
I have Brugmansias and Passifloras in there. The big Brugs are elsewhere going into dormancy.

Howdy Liz, if your plants are getting a bit of daylite and you are just trying to keep them alive it would seem to me to run your lites 12 hrs a day is not necessary. Let the natural daylite do what it can do, then just run your lites to expand you daytime. Am not too familiar with your Northern climate (and the number of hrs you get actual daylite) but I'd just run your lites so that you get around 12 hrs (or 14, for continued active growth is you temp in there is adequate) of lite per day.
I say this more for established plants. If you are trying to propagate seedlings you may want more light, and heat...just not familiar w/your setup.
Feel free to offer more info, okay?

I think what I'm asking Horseshoe is that if people can get away with a few 40watt shop lights for 12 hours a day can't I shorten the 12 hours when I throw 2000 watts at them?
My cuttings are rooted elsewhere - under the shop lights. Once they're rooted they get moved to the GH. The temp is 60-70F. I'm a zone 8-9 in Vancouver, rarely freezes, rarely snows, But cloudy, rainy in the winter.

Liz it is understanding the it isn't the brightness as much as it id the hrs. that is as long as they are getting booth reds and blues and in the green house they would be the clouds wouldn't stop that

Alright - I'm getting it now
Thanks - Liz

Hope you keep us updated on how it all goes Liz!
Brugs and passifloras, eh? Save some passiflora seeds, okay? :>)

You got it Horseshoe - The plan is to crosspollinate the brugs all winter long. So far the sanguineas have bloomed non stop since last spring. Have to catch up with some of the brugnuts over on the Brugmansia forum. LOL
Thanks - Liz

Wow, what a great project! Hope you are keeping good records! I just recently got into brugs, many thanks to Calalily (she sent me some cuttings).
By the way, I just bought a "light mover" for my g-house lite. It is a bar with a little motor on it and moves your lite 9 ft over (you can also get 6 ft bars)...it moves slowly (23 minutes to run the length) then hovers a while, then moves back the other way. For what it does it is fairly inexpensive. Just thought you might like to know what is out there and available.
Good luck!

Liz
Dave719 is correct. It os the lenght of thime the plants are exposed to light not the brightness of the lamps.

Question did you notice your electric bill go up much when you started using the 1000 W bulbs.

Haven't gotten the hydro bill yet - they only went in a month ago. Did have to upgrade from 120 to 220 for that area though so we wouldn't blow anything when we put on other lights in that area.

Hi Liz..I can vouch for the bright dazzling lights in Liz's house(plant room)..the first time I was there..I had to wear shades!!! beautiful system>>>ciao! Elaine

Hi Elaine - I didn't know you were here too!! Raining hard enough for you?

In the green house here we have certain plants that only do well or only flower under long days. That is what you are trying to acheive. We run plain old 100w incandescent bulbs on something called an interrupted schedule. This tricks the plants into thinking the days are longer. We run the light from 10PM-2AM. All commercial green houses use this schedule. I learned about it in a grower guide. Don't know why, but it works.

HAH! Cala, I did the same thing with my chickens! The longer days help them to lay thru the winter months!
I just recently got a sodium/halide lite system (mentioned above) but was planning on it cutting on just b4 it got dark, then turning it off around 10 or so. But it sounds like it is better to let the plants have natural daylite till evening dark, the "natural dark", then turn the lites on during the nite? Never thought of that. Will give it a try tho. Thanks.
BTW, glad you're back and hope your trip was a nice one!

Thanks Shoe, It was a good trip.
Using the lights on the 10pm to 2am schedule works for us with Non-Stop begonias, Persian Shield and other stuff that needs the long days to do what I want them too. One of our neighbors uses lights in his hen house to keep the hens laying all the time. He leaves them on for a few hours in the evening.

My hens layed all winter with lights. I set a timer to turn the lights on about 2 am and off after it was light outside. My theory was let them go to roost naturally and wake them up with the lights to extend their "day". I will have to remember this thread when I get a greenhouse (soon I hope).