Question
I have written you in the past about my stunted habanero plant. I have since planted new habaneros. One from seeds, and two plants that I bought at home depot that are about 5 inches tall. Since I live on the west side of a condo buidling in Miami, Florida, where the plants only get about a half days worth of sunlight, should I use a grow lamp in the evenings to give the plant a few more hours of light? If so, what kind of bulb should I use and for how long? Thank you!

Answer
Although grow-lights are great for young seedlings, they will not do as good of a job with mature plants. The reason is the intensity of light and vitamins the plants need and receive from the sun. However, if you are supplementing the sunlight for just a few hours per day, it will definitely help.

Peppers need a minimum of 8-10 hours of sunlight per day for strong growth and production. You will need to determine how much sunlight the area gets now and then make up the difference to supply a full 10 hours.

In regard to the type of light, most garden centers sell grow-lights. You can also use a fluorescent fixture with one cool lamp and one warm lamp, which in combination closely simulate the spectrum of light from the sun.

Good luck, and enjoy your weekend.

Regards,

Mike