Is there enough light at N38 lat for year round?

[Dank Sinatra]

I am curious if there is enough light on the 38th latitude for year round growing if you have a green house? i can't figure out where there aren't enough lumens to get a respectable yield in the green house year round.

 

[Oldmac]

Yes and no. Depends what time of the year it is and what stage of growth, immature (vegative) or mature (flowering). You will need supplemental lighting to extend photoperiod sometimes and possibly black out covers to shorten photoperiod other times.
During the winter you will also need a heating system to keep overnight temps in line.

Probably easier and cheaper to use it spring to fall and grow one crop.

 

[Oldmac]

BTW you should check out any commercial glass house operators in your area, they are a great source of info, and you can get a good idea of what they are using or doing for thier ornamentals or vegtables.

 

[Mr. Stinky]

you dont need much light at all to keep them vegging in the winter. a couple tube shoplights is plenty. you arent trying to grow them with the shop lights, just keep them from flowering, and that takes very little light to do. the sun will do the growing the rest of the day :smile:

just be sure to build your GH to hold heat. keeping the far end warm on cold january nights will be very hard with 6 feet of ganj blockin the flow

 

[2uptown]

i dont even know where that is?

 

[h^2 O]

I'm at 38 as well...year-round greenhouse no way - from Oct-March there's sun for like 5 hours a day. Mac has the idea, supplement. You're also looking into heaters, all that sheet.

 

[Ipsissimus]

you could do a spring and fall harvest pretty easily, if you veg them inside for your spring harvest.

edit - i was thinking without a greenhouse

 

[2uptown]

sounds feasable but i dont really know

 

[greenspace]

I'm at 38 as well...year-round greenhouse no way - from Oct-March there's sun for like 5 hours a day. Mac has the idea, supplement. You're also looking into heaters, all that sheet.

5hrs a day? I'm at 38 as well and the shortest day of the year is about 9hrs. Perhaps you meant there is only 5hrs of good sun (angle)? Or maybe you are at 48 degrees?

 

[nomaad]

You will need some supplemental ligthing, but I know cats pulling down 4lb plants in may in their greenhouses in mendocino @ 39. i think you could pull down a harvest earlier in the winter, but for max efficiency it pays to veg em big all winter and then,. when the amount of sun starts getting better, flower them.

I have bee thinking of playing with some wintertime autoflowers in my greenhouse.

I still have to convince myself that I am not going to lose my sun behind the mountain I am next to. A mate came over and took some measurements... told me that I should be golden, but I dunno if I trust this guy.

fisher just sent me a link to this... looks like an interesting toy:

http://www.solmetric.com/suneye.html

 

[Rose56]

I'm at that latitude and have a grow that should be ready for harvest towards the end of Dec, I definitely needed to supplement the lighting with CFLs.