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Using the Sansi LED floodlight for growing a pepper cross

I earn commissions from purchases made through the following links, at no extra cost to you. This helps support my website and YouTube channel.

I’m growing a Malagueta x Khang Starr White Thai under the Sansi LED floodlight. Both the parent plants were grown under this light also. I’ve been using this light for almost a year now. Although it isn’t marketed as a grow light, it actually does a great job for both vegetative growth and fruiting. I’m also using it over two Kratky grown peppers, a ‘pepper in a can’ and some succulent plants. I noticed they have a newer one that is twice the size and power. I might try it out in the near future.

Note: Sansi sent me this light for free to evaluate.

I’ve been giving my office plants a mix of Masterblend 4-18-38, Epsom Salt and Calcium Nitrate. Check out the article I wrote that shows you everything you need for mixing Masterblend nutrients.

The following products were shown or mentioned in the following video.
Sansi LED Floodlight – https://amzn.to/2NlnbXm
Masterblend nutrients – https://amzn.to/2LpLJMp
Air pump – https://amzn.to/2XAAszf
Air stones – https://amzn.to/2Xcb17U

Other videos I’ve made on this Sansi LED floodlight:

Sansi LED floodlight test

Sansi LED floodlight 10-week follow-up

Sansi LED floodlight update 3

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27 gallon Kratky tote – restricted root experiment

27 gallon tote restricted root setup
27 gallon tote restricted root setup

I earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my efforts to provide content.

I want to see if restricting the root size to a reasonable area will encourage early fruiting, or if the plant will stay in extended veg mode. Last year I grew two plants in a 27-gallon tote, and they took forever to fruit, and the yield, although good, was not great.  There were a lot of green pods on them at the very end of the season when it was turning cold. So eventually they would have produced more.

This year I’m using the same 27-gallon tote, but with one plant, and that is in a 5-gallon bucket insert. The bucket has small holes at the bottom and larger ones at the top (for air flow). The idea is, the roots will mostly be confined to the smaller container, while still having access to all the nutrients in the large tote. Andrew Higgenbottom did a similar experiment but used a much smaller inner container. I’m hoping the 5-gallon size will mitigate the issues he ran into. This isn’t a perfect experiment, as I’m not growing the same kind of plant side by side as a control, but I’m just comparing against what I saw last season. Last year I grew a StarrRacha Bonnet and a KhangSta Red in the same tote , both were in the extended veg mode most of the season. This year, in the root restricted setup, I’m growing what is supposed to be a KhangSta Red but is producing yellow pods. It’s from the same seed stock that Khang sent me, but I think it’s either crossed or just a yellow mutation of KhangSta Red since it’s still a little unstable.

I’m using Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 at just over 1 tsp/gallon, with ppm around 500. The tote has a float valve already installed, and I can hook up a reservoir later when needed to maintain a static nutrient level.

5-gal bucket with holes
5-gal bucket with holes
KhangSta Yellow plant
KhangSta Yellow plant
Bucket inserted into tote
Bucket inserted into tote
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Sansi 15-watt full spectrum grow light – version 2

I earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you. Also, for full disclosure, Sansi sent me this grow light for free for the purpose of doing a review, but my review is unbiased.

Sansi has sent me the second version of their 15-watt full spectrum grow light.  In the video below, I show the unboxing and setup, as well as power and light tests. I have it set up over some succulents and will post a follow-up video showing the progress, after 30 days.

The following items are shown in the video:
Sansi 15 watt grow light version 2 – https://amzn.to/2VXnPxn
Sansi 15 watt grow light version 1 – https://amzn.to/30af1Ul
2 x 2 grow tent – https://amzn.to/2Ykf3ac
Killawatt power tester – https://amzn.to/30ehQUs
Hydrofarm PAR meter – https://amzn.to/2VgZQEZ

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Sansi LED Floodlight grow update

Sansi LED Floodlight
Sansi LED Floodlight

I earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost you.

I’ve been using the Sansi LED floodlight as a test grow light since August of 2018. This light isn’t marketed as a grow light, it is for general utility, illumination. Sansi sent me this light for free to review. The color temperature is 5600K, which I think is great for growing. I suspected it would be only ideal for vegetative growth, but my plant test subjects have both fruited under it, not once, but twice.

Here is a video of the update:

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Easy, cheap, DIY wicking cups

I earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my website and YouTube efforts.

This year I’ve transplanted most of my sprouts from the AeroGarden Bounty and my DIY system, into Styrofoam wicking cups. These are super easy and quick to make. They are nice intermediate vessels for the plants until being moved to their final location. These setups also provide more flexibility than standard double cups do. For instance, you could remove them from the bottom cup and set in something larger for the plant/s to drink from.

Watch my video below to see how I make them.

Items that are shown or mentioned in the video:

– 20-ounce styrofoam cups ( You can also pick these up in the grocery store or places like WalMart) – https://amzn.to/2Cz2O1m
– Microfiber clothes – https://amzn.to/2WkSLUO
– HLG-100 grow light – https://amzn.to/2HVsCbv
– 48″ x 48″ x 80″ grow tent – https://amzn.to/2U5MxuJ
– Coco coir – https://amzn.to/2TuOi05
– Perlite – https://amzn.to/2uocFm7
– Dyna-Grp 7-9-5 – https://amzn.to/2uqDeH4

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Hydroponic DWC seed starting system – DIY AeroGarden

DIY AeroGarden with plants
DIY AeroGarden

I make commissions off purchases made through product links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support this website.

I built this hydroponic deep water culture system for starting pepper plants. It was very inexpensive and easy to build and works well. It uses a small air pump, air stones, one-inch net cups, AeroGarden sponges (although just about any kind of growing sponge would work, ie BioDome, Rapid Rooter, Root Riot, etc… It has a built-in light stand with a Sansi 30 watt grow light.

Parts showed (or equivalent) in the video:

Commander XL 5 gallon tote – Get at Lowes
Air pump – https://amzn.to/2XNpXpB
Air stones – https://amzn.to/2TtfFfG
Sansi 30 watt grow light – https://amzn.to/2XPc8H7
Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 – https://amzn.to/2XOKz0T
Air tubing – https://amzn.to/2NV3LFI
1-inch net cups – https://amzn.to/2NV06r7
AeroGarden sponges – https://amzn.to/2TqEn0m
or
Rapid Rooter (cut these in quarters the long way) – https://amzn.to/2XOKzxV
1-inch bit – https://amzn.to/2NT804t
1-inch PVC pipe – get at Lowes
1-inch PVC tee – get at Lowes

Here are pics of some of the plants I transplanted out of this system.

Aji Lemon Drop
Aji Lemon Drop
Fish pepper
Fish pepper
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Sansi 40 watt LED Daylight grow light review

Sansi sent me the light for free, to review it.  Also, I will earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support this site and my YouTube channel.

Sansi 40 watt LED grow light
Sansi 40 watt LED grow light

Sansi recently sent me their new 40-watt Daylight spectrum LED grow light for review.  This is a very nice light, with good, even distribution of light. The PAR values were not bad, considering the power draw of 35.5 watts.

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Mr Hua 200 watt cob grow light update

Mr. Hua reimbursed my purchase of this grow light for an unbiased review. Also, I earn commissions for purchases made through the following links. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my site and YouTube channel.

This is a two months update on the Mr. Hua 200 watt cob grow light. The light does very well, but I think the specs are a little exaggerated, as far as coverage area, and light intensity they claim. The plants I’ve had under it have responded well though. They advertise it as a 600 watt, but the actual power draw is around 200 watts. You can see my video update with time-lapse below.

Unboxing and setup video

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HLG-100 from Horticulture Lighting Group – grow update

Horticulture Lighting Group gave me this light for free. My review is honest and unbiased though.

Also, I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my site and YouTube channel.

I just want to share an update on the pepper grow using my HLG-100 quantum board LED grow light from Horticulture Lighting Group. This is an awesome grow light and I highly recommend it.