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dormancy or grow lights???

Different types of T5 light. i assume when people say T5 they mean T5HO, you can also buy T5VHO, which is a stronger light, and you need a T5VHO fixture.
Halagen lights and other lights used for marijuana will do well. A 4 foot T5 gives off 5,000 lumens, T5VHO gives off 7,200 lumens. One problem is it runs hot. But you don't need to be as close. I have 4 lamp fixtures of both. 8 lamp fixtures are around too.

This winter I will be bored (lack of expected vecation time) so started 4 new varieties.

Its alot of work keeping those gnats at bay..

White light is not just white light.....
There is what is called cool white and warm white.
Both put out different colors from the color spectrum.
One is bluish tint one is more orange tint.
I build my own LED grow lights from parts easily found on ebay.
They have them so simple now that you can buy the LED chip
and the driver to go with it.
No special training needed.
Just common sense and follow directions.
This year I'm running 2- 100 watt LED chips that
produce 24,000 lumen each.
This winter I plan on building another LED grow light assembly.
Using and assembling from only cheap parts on ebay.
I may put up a thread on how to do it yourself and safely.
I'll see how much time I have...

Doug

http://www.bestlightingbuy.com/color-difference.html

As a few more experienced people pointed out, it is absolutely possible to keep your figs growing over the winter.  All you need is a warm room and grow lights.  But the question is should you grow over the winter?  For me, 4 hours of spring sun in a single day un-did all the benefits of the entire winter.  Once the leaves got sunburnt, there was nothing to be done but watch them slowly dry, brown and one by one fall.  Then there was a month where I thought the plans were dead before they began sprouting new buds.  Three months later at the end of summer, all the plants survived and look great, however, I missed out on a year of figs all because of that 1/2 day of sun.  If you have fruiting trees and these are an experiment, go for it.  But if these are all you have and you are new to fig growing, you might want to take the safer route.
To make matters worse, I will have to pick a hundred plus un-ripened figs off the trees in a few weeks while still not tasting a single one.  Actually I got 2 from another tree.
Good luck and let us know what you choose and how you make out.

The thing to consider is if you can provide enough light and care for the plant to thrive for all the months of the winter.  As was mentioned, cuttings will out grow the fluorescent light systems in 1 - 2 months.  I imagine it would be the same for an LED as well.  Here's a list of some good HID systems that are inexpensive.  Only a 1000 W HID or other system with over 100,000 Lm provides enough light for the height your plants are going to get after a few months. 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=apollo+hid

Moving them outside is not hard at all if you allow them to adjust to the sun gradually.

The fact is that you can start cuttings, transplant and grow a bush
before march in my zone where I then plant straight in the ground.
I've been doing this over 5 years and I have 73 fig trees in my orchard as proof.
Figs grow in areas where they do not go dormant, but they thrive.
When I grow indoors it adds months to it''s first year growing season.
Many many cuttings try to grow figs their first summer.
Winter growing has great benefit, if you use the right lights with
the right color spectrum.
Stay away from HPS lights as these put out a color used for flowering plants
not growing. Although some have used them, they just produce leggy plants.
They have the real orange fall type lighting color.

Soon I will show how to spend $30 and assemble a 100 watt LED light.
Nothing extra needed to produce 100 watts of LED power.
Just assemble parts already made.

Doug

edit
If there is no interest in making a LED grow light, I won't bother.
I have been growing indoors for 15-18 years total. It will not help me any.

Aporto gave some really good advice. Also one should mention, at least to many of us, figs in the house smell like cat urine. I have some young figs, I'm going to let them go dormant all the same. Only one I'm bringing in for awhile to fruit, then slowly expose it back outside, or at least into dormancy. Acclimation can be done without damaging plants, leave them outside in the shade a week. First full sun for 15 minutes, 30 the next day, 45 the next etc. Your plants will not lose any leaves. I have to do this with all figs every year as mine overwinter in the dark. It can be done just no instant karma, you need to do it slowly.

I use cheep Walmart shop lights they work well. And gnatrol for fungus gnats, you can find it on eBay cheep. I would use lights but slowly transition to the sun in spring like hardening them off.

SCfigFanatic:
"edit
If there is no interest in making a LED grow light, I won't bother.
I have been growing indoors for 15-18 years total. It will not help me any."

Yes, interested!

I could use some supplemental light to my grow lights, so yeah I would like to see how you do it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SCfigFanatic
If there is no interest in making a LED grow light, I won't bother.
I have been growing indoors for 15-18 years total. It will not help me any.


Count me in, I would love to learn...

Ok, have contacted seller of parts with specifications request.
Will start a thread after his response.

Doug

Quote:
Originally Posted by drew51
Aporto gave some really good advice. Also one should mention, at least to many of us, figs in the house smell like cat urine. I have some young figs, I'm going to let them go dormant all the same. Only one I'm bringing in for awhile to fruit, then slowly expose it back outside, or at least into dormancy. Acclimation can be done without damaging plants, leave them outside in the shade a week. First full sun for 15 minutes, 30 the next day, 45 the next etc. Your plants will not lose any leaves. I have to do this with all figs every year as mine overwinter in the dark. It can be done just no instant karma, you need to do it slowly.


My wife complains about the smell. But what I don't get is why some figs smell stronger than others? Mine rarely smell bad, but I've bought a few that Snell worse than the cat litter...

A ionizer running in the room eliminates any odors.
I have one and had good results.
They can be found online fairly cheap.

Doug

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