When to start peppers?

[LizzzyJo]

Not to derail, but what grow light do you use?
This will be my first year starting seedlings inside. I have a full spectrum aquarium light, or a pink grow bulb I got for pond plants. Think either of those would make a difference?

I'll check tonight

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

T5 high output fluorescent are very good for starting seeds or rooting.

I use T5 myself, but I prefer LEDs. Easier to use in my opinion unless you already have the fixture for fluorescent.

 

[Brooks_]

I use T5 myself, but I prefer LEDs. Easier to use in my opinion unless you already have the fixture for fluorescent.

I have heard very good things about the LED's

 

[21hens-incharge]

I use the T5 myself. I get great sprout rates and very fast sprouting even on things aid to take longer to get going.

 

[Brooks_]

I would like to add that there are other plant growers that use these type of lights. I prefer to pay cash locally for these supplies.

 

[My2butterflies]

The pink grow bulb would probably work for germination but the full spectrum would work better for actual growth. The main thing that determines if they will work well for you or not is size and ability to move them up and down. Basically you will be limited by the amount of area that your light can illuminate fully, as any plants on the parameter will get leggy or simply fail. Placing them closer to the light at first (by moving it down or putting them on some kind of platform) will help prevent legginess. After that you'd just move them down (or the light up) as they get taller.

I can make anything work. I just wasn’t sure what I should try first.
I do have a nice long fluorescent light that I didn’t even consider using. It would be sure all plants are fully lighted. The led full spectrum light would also fully cover everything. The pink light would be the spotty one since that’s just a round bulb and not a long light.

Thank you for explaining that. I’ll try using the different lights as I go.

 

[3bird]

We are growing about 20 varieties this year (from all five commonly cultivated spp), and the start time really depends on the variety. Generally speaking, the hotter the pepper, the earlier we start them, as those seeds can take a long time to germinate. Using a seed germination accelerator (i.e., potassium nitrate (KNO3)) can make a big difference. So can a heat mat, and controlled cold treatment. Eight weeks before hardening-off is the "standard" answer for when to plant inside, but it really does vary. We switched to full spectrum LEDs this year.