Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

Hi everyone!

I think I have enough photos and blooms to conclude that it is possible to grow hibiscus and have them flourish under 100% artificial light.  What I found most interesting about my experience using artificial light is how little light is actually required to get flowering.  Some of the plants that are budding and blooming are a few inches to the side of the T5 light fixtures and over a foot below it.  It is pretty interesting to say the least!

Specs:

2 4 tube 4 foot T5 fixtures, using 6400K bulbs (bloom bulbs in the 5000k spectrum are not needed to get lots of blooms from hibiscus)
2 clamp on lights with basic daylight bulbs you can get at any hardware store

Photoperiod:

14 hours of light 10 hours of dark

Nutrients:

Epsom salts (1/2 tsp per 1 gallon pot) once a month
1/2 tsp of Foxfarms Biogrow hydroponics per gallon for every watering

Temperature and humidity:

It varies from 68-72 night and day. 
Humidity hovers at around 60%

Pest management:

The occasional spraying of hort oil to control spider mite breakouts. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do on a daily basis!

Looks fantastic Chris!  Great job and enjoy it every minute you can, I know I would be living down there most of the time if that was my digs....

Farmer D

Thank you Darren,

I wish I had a nice big yard to plant my hibiscus in the ground, but this satisfies the obsession for the time being :)  It is nice that you can control most of the parameters in an indoor setting so no worries about crazy weather.  However, I will never be able to get large sized plants with tons of multiples like you have in your yard :(

Here are a few bloom pics from today,  Arabian Princess was unbelievable,  I can see why Charlie loves it so much.

Wow Chris, that is incredible.  How many plants are you growing under lights in your basement?  Those blooms are beautiful.  I wonder if a variation of your setup would be practical for overwintering some of my collection in the house.  I have too many plants and not enough windows so many of the plants get a bit leggy by the time it's warm enough to move them back outside.  I need to come up with something to supplement the natural light which apparently isn't enough for many of them.

dave

Hi Dave,

I think that T5 lights are a great investment to overwinter your plants.  I have found that my plants are very compact (nutrient regime is in low nitrogen), while still seeing lots of nice blooms. The 4 foot 4 bulb units are only 150ish and very energy efficient.  

Chris, thanks for posting your "artificial lights" only technique. I'm sure there are other people out there who either are or could be growing hibiscus this way.

Charlie

I am glad that the indoor "growing" industry has taken root, as I could not have hoped to achieve positive results like this without advancement in these technologies.  I hope that they will continue to thrive under these conditions. 

Chris
The T5 lights that you are using are they the High Output ones or are they the standard T5s . The High Output ones are 55 watt per bulb where the standard ones are about 32 watts . I have some high output ones , they put out quiet a bit to heat if I run them all day , mine have 8, 4 foot bulbs .
The reason I asked is because I took some of my plants in and have them in a spare room the temp. for the next week or two is 100 deg. or higher and some of them don't like it .

Mike, I have a sealed room that has about 40 of the old style 4 foot fluorescent fixtures with 2 bulbs per fixture. You wouldn't say by touching them that any one of the fixtures puts out much heat but I have to run 2 air conditioners in this room to keep the temperature from hitting 115F which is enough to kill young hibiscus. The ACs, which have thermostats, keep the temp at a steady 80-85F all the time. I never have to add extra heat even when it is 35F outside due to the heat from the fixtures.

Fluorescents are much cooler than Metal Halide and HP Sodium lights but are still warm enough to need some cooling in certain circumstances.

Charlie

I would love to see some pictures of your grow room charlie!  Is this where you strike cuttings?

Three podmates all budded up at the same time and bloom on the same days,  pretty interesting how these three are all in sync.  

Good bloom day today in the grow area!

Whoa Chris... It's Bloomapaloosa at your place! Awesome!!!  :o

Nice, Chris!  I love your fish curtains.  Haha.

Wow, Chris, gorgeous!!!! I was so busy updating the store on the 4th that I didn't see this post. Very cool what you can do with grow lights in a basement these days!
Cindy

Thanks Cindy, seems to be a great environment for growing and blooming.  I never expected to get as many blooms with good size indoors with no natural sunlight. 

A picture today, It's a Wonderful Life  and Silver Dragon taking center stage. 

The basement plants seem to really be taking off!  Unfortunately I have been having issues with the humidity being too high! I was having issues with black spot fungus forming on the leaves, but I think adding a fan 24/7 has helped with it, now we are down to 70% humidity.

Here are a few shots from today,  Moonstruck, IAWL, Silver dragon and Braveheart all blooming happily. 

Wow, Chris! Beautiful!!!!!!!! School just started and I missed all these pics! It looks like you solved your humidity problem! I'm impressed, and all under lights! Way to go!

Cindy

Hi Cindy!

I am so glad you like the photos, its been a bit of a challenge growing these plants under lights, but I am getting good size and color so I think that means they are happy. :)

Check out what Fly me to the moon looks like under the lights.  Big 8 inch size and always budding/blooming since it started last month. 

Janys also does well under these conditions, the metallic lavender is really intense. 

Fantastic colors, Chris. I'm hoping for a lot more plants of Fly Me To The Moon next year.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie,  FMTTM is one of my top favorites, it seems to be setting seed well if you wanted to bring one into your hybridizing area :)

I am getting colors on some of these plants I didn't were possible.  Check out Dark of Night and new seedling.  No completely black hibiscus yet, but maybe a combination of these CV's gene pool might get us closer.  

Tons of blooms in the basement grow area today! 

Some more from yesterday and today :)

Chris,  I'm sold.  I'm about to order a T5 high output 4' 4 bulb fluorescent unit plus light hanging stand for one bedroom setup.  If I like the results I'll order a second unit for another bedroom.  This should also solve overcrowding issues in the greenhouse during the summer months as I should be able to keep several plants inside year round.  I also have an entertainment center that's top is about 34 inches from the ceiling that may also yield some more space for smaller plants with the use of a single bulb 4' setup. Great news for Charlie and Cindy, I'll be able to order a few more plants. LOL!

dave

Hi Dave,

Sorry I didnt get a chance to respond to your other post.  I am very happy with the t5 lighting system, the 6400k stock lights have worked fine for me as far as getting lots of blooms.  The "bloom lights" are not really necessary with hibiscus as they are tropical and do not really need the shift into the more red spectrum to induce flowering.   The company I bought my lights from is called global greenhouse lighting, and they have a great product and customer service.  Check them out here: http://www.humboldtwholesale.com/ggl/.  I would also invest in a small fan to keep the air moving around the plants, the lights can get a bit warm as the plants grow closer to them.  Some more heat sensitive CVs like Heartbreak hotel, would drop buds if the lights were too close, adding a fan helped eliminate this problem. 

You will also need to change your feeding regime a bit, pretty much decrease the amount of nitrogen you are using currently and increase the potassium and magnesium.  This has worked well for me, with loads of blooms from all CVs I have tried using this system.   

Chris, thanks for the info and link.  I changed my other post, it was so long it put me to sleep. Then I remembered this thread.  I still have some HVH booster and fulmag of Magnesium so I should be good to go once the lights get here. I'm already using a few small fans to try discouraging mildew on my African violets.


dave

Chris would I be correct in assuming since Humboldt is a wholesaler they don't do phone or internet orders and I need to find a local retailer for their products?  Unfortunately the closest retailer to me is apparently in Phoenix about a 3 1/2 hr drive.  I've been looking at 2 systems at ACF Greenhouse's website.  They don't mention anything about warranties or what country they're manufactured in.  Anyone familiar with or have experience with either UltraGrow or Sun Blaze T5 lighting systems?  


dave

I am currently using an ultra grow t5 sytem i think -i bought it for my orchids and have sticking my seedlings next to it as they sprout.  seems to work fine - the orchids love it, the hibiscus seedlings, it has been working well so far - but they haven't had the prime spot under the light.  course my light is only one 2 foot set of 4 bulbs...  I have to get another one at the very least, as i have more seedlings that have to be indoors until the spring again.  too bad i have to wait for xmas to be over to set them up ( the tree has to go in the spot i want to put the plants...

Thanks Merkity.  How long have you had the system?  I can certainly relate to your space issues.  I no longer have any room for a Christmas tree.  I suppose I could decorate one of my hibiscus.

dave

Hi Dave,

I have also been using 6400k T5 lights in the house and they have worked very well in growing hibiscus from seeds during this past winter/spring.  Due to space constraints I have two 4 bulb 2 foot light fixtures I found on amazon.  This works well for me as I like to light each shelf as the plants above block the light from the higher level.  This is all inside a zippered plastic covered plant rack that I insulated the bottom with bubble wrap to keep it moist as my home gets rather dry during winter.

This winter I am moving it to the garage for more space and freedom to spray supernova as I also have a lot more seeds to germinate this time around.

Good luck and have fun!

Farmer D

Hi Dave, I am pretty sure Humbolt is the wholesaler, sunblaze and hydrofarm seem to be fine companies too.  I guess I really like the daisy chain feature and long product warranty of GGL.  The most important thing is having the right spectrum bulbs and having the plants 1 foot or closer to the lights.  You will notice that certain CVs bloom and perform just fine with indirect T5 lighting (not directly under the lights) and others need a prime spot under the lights to do well. 

Here are a few pics from my set up where you can see the positioning of the lights and fan.   

hehe  decorate the hibiscus -could start a new trend there.   I have had my lights for almost two years now. so far no issues with them.

Darren, Chris, and Merkity thanks for all your input.  Chris your pics are incredible.  It appears that GGL may be the best T5 systems available but I may have difficulty finding them in my part of Arizona.  Did you get yours online or were you able to buy locally up there?   There is a hydroponics chain in Tucson (which is at least in my driving distance) that may carry them, I'll give them a call, otherwise I'll need to make decisions on whether to buy Sunblaze, Hydrofarm, or UltraGrow probably on line. One thing I'm fairly sure of is I'll need three 4ft 4 bulb systems and one 4ft 2 bulb system.  I don't think I'll need the daisy chain feature as each system will be going into a different room though I may find out otherwise after I start setting it up. One feature the UltraGrow has that I really like is two switches so you have the option of running 2 or 4 bulbs.  Haven't found out if any of the others have that feature yet.   I try to post some pics of each area over the weekend.  What would really help me out is if I could find an economical way to heat my greenhouse, then I wouldn't need to move so many plants inside for the winter. I had a rather nice bloom display today and never got around to taking some pics.  Low 40s or worse coming any day now and I'm not ready for it yet.  Good grief!!

dave

Dave and all, I noticed that these newer type fixtures are trickling down to big box stores now. The other day I saw Home Depot had a 4 bulb, 4 foot long T8 fixture for $50 (not including bulbs). Not sure the brand but the reflector seemed OK if not state of the art.

Charlie

Oh - that is good to know - i have to get at least one more this winter.  I ordered mine online from ACF greeenhouse (I think- at least that is what i have bookmarked).

Thanks Charlie,

I can at least check our local Home Depot and Lowes and see if they have any of the brand names I'm considering.   I like what I'm seeing at ACF Greenhouses and they appear to have a good reputation.  Their link was provided in a couple of posts on this forum.

dave

Chris and Deb,

Do you have any idea how much your artificial lighting adds to your electric bills each month?  I just ordered two 4 foot 4 bulb units but I have spots for three more that would really alleviate my space issues, the caveat being the additional cost to run so many of them. Oh the things some of us do to keep this hobby going. lol

Next, a way to tighten up the very porous greenhouse so I can possibly heat it.

Thanks,
dave

Hi Dave,

They are pretty low wattage still, my power bill only went up 10 bucks a month and I run them on a 16 hr photo-period.  Power overall is pretty cheap up here though, since it is mostly hydropower, so I do not know how much more it would be where you are in AZ. 

Heres a shot of the new seedling "Nightcrawler" under the lights.

Thanks Chris.  That doesn't sound bad.  A large number of those low wattage bulbs will add up I imagine.  I think my rates are probably higher here and our city wants to tack on an extra 2 percent tax on it to make it worse.  I'll need to see how it goes.  I'll probably order an additional two units if I'm happy with the results with these first two and the electric bill doesn't go up too much.  Our first shot of winter is coming this weekend so all the collection needs to be coming inside the next few days which is a shame since I'm getting my best blooming right now.  Our upper 70s to lows about 50 is about to go.  Wish I already had my lighting set up.

I've seen some of your other posted pics of Nightcrawler.  It's a beauty.  Wish I had the room to dabble in some hybridizing.

dave

Hi Dave, I hope it works out for you!  Be sure to post some pictures of your set up when you have it going.

I had a bunch of seedlings flowering today as well as a large Fly me to the moon tucked away in the corner.  Too nice to no snap a few pictures of the grow area!

Wow Chris those are some nice blooms.  I've finally got my lighting set up and have taken some pics.  Now if my back would cooperate so I can sit at my pc long enough to post something.  Hopefully in a few days.

dave

Great day for dark blooms today and unusual colored ones!

Those blooms are spectacular, Chris! Very, very, VERY cool!
Cindy

Thanks Cindy!  Although it presented its challenges at first, growing hibiscus in a controlled environment is turning out to be really fun.  Because radical shifts in temperature are not really a problem, ive been able to get lots of CVs to set seed, that usually are a bit stubborn.

BTW where are pics from YOUR indoor jungle :)

just curious because I'm assuming that you have  them down  there 24/7. Do you have some sort of fan or oscillating  wind down there or is it all just stagnant. And what  is  the  temperature 

O, and is there any issue with mold or rotting because of it's fixed environment? Or spiders?

Brenden, I think Chris moved to another house since he posted this, and is finding it harder to grow hibiscus. I heard a rumor that he is into aquariums now.

He did grow some excellent plants down in that basement, and got some surprisingly bright and colorful flowers. I don't know if he had a fan but mostly likely he did. Good air circulation is important when growing indoors. I know Chris used some good lights because there were no windows but depending on the situation you can use lots of artificial light or just a touch. The more light the better, generally speaking.

Charlie

If you check out one of the photos on the previous page you can see a fan in the background.  And from what I remember Chris was a big fan of killing spider mites with simple water blasting action.  I don't believe he used pesticides and he added a generic potassium supplement to his feeding regime that I believe was in conjunction with the Special Blend fert.

Farmer D