I have alot of seeds to plant, some sitting in the fridge since 2005. I tried the rocks method with about 15 ketchup cups, the rest I soaked in the hydrogen peroide solution right in their plastic baggies, have been changing the water every 3 days. I am amazed at the numbers that are germinating. Some radicles/nubs started showing within 24 hours! Many look like they are plumping up [the older ones]. I am starting to plant now, and will do lots of planting this weekend. I have never tried the peroxide method before, just always soaked them in warm water and a bit of ivory liquid and always got some to germinate. The shoebox method would probably be easier, but it seems that presoaking would help germination, and it sure seems to be working. Do you poke holes in the shoebox/sweater box or just keep the soil damp and top mist it? If no holes are poked, it would seem the soil could sour and the seeds rot....would enjoy hearing more about this. Would also enjoy seeing photos of any seedlings growing and grow methods. Judith

Yes, naturally I've thought about what the difference between incandescent and metal halide (and/or HPS, florescent) before, even when the lumen output is exactly the same. But from what I've read that's actually about the spectrum of light it produces that makes the difference. So naturally I wouldn't be using incandescent light to grow plants with. With that in mind, wouldn't it be safe to assume that the "par" and "mole" output of a 400 watt MH would be higher than that of a 100 watt MH (assuming it's measured at the same distance). At the same time the lumen output of the 400 watt MH would be higher than the 100 watt MH (respectively). One thing I haven't exactly found an answer for is, why the lumen drop is significantly more the farther away it is for florescent lights verses MH or HPS. What I've concluded is that it most likely has to do with the wattage. Kind of like water coming out of a hose, the higher the pressure, the farther the water will reach. And just by using more florescent lights to increase the overall wattage, that wont increases the wattage (pressure) of each individual bulb (therefore, light intensity of that bulb). I'm particularly interested in LED lighting. And again here is a place that I have not yet found any reliable info from researchers and/or university's on the subject yet. And I recently read a news story about a new high intensity LED lighting, but after over an hour of trying to find anything else about that new "high intensity LED light" I found nothing. I used different keywords, and not even refining the results to .edu sites (but including any sight). All I found was a a link to the manufacture, and even their info is extremely limited. Here are the links Recent advancements in LED technology This supposed to be the manufacture I'm mostly interested on LED because of the reduced electrical costs. I would like to learn enough about them where I can build my own lights. But I have never found an answer to my first question, is there a particular type of LED needed (not referring to color). Or will any blue/red ect. LED work. I know what manufactures will say, they don't want you to build your own, so getting the truth from them would be extremely rare. My guess is that not all blues/reds etc. are the same and that there is a specific spectrum/s of LED color needed to work correctly. Anyhow I have not had time to read that document I printed out yet. It's on my desk in my room right now, but I have something else I need to complete before I can concentrate on it. That will most likely be in about 2-3 days.

andeew first you need a load calculation for both heating and cooling. what is size of existing unit? did it cool adequately or did it ever struggle to keep you comfortable? don't you have reasonable electric rate? if so, i would add a properly sized heat pump. and if this was my home I would replace everything, both inside and outside unit with Carrier's Performance 15 HP (25HPA mdl) and Infinity two stg var speed furnace with Infinity Controller. whay is brand,mdl,size of existing furnace? And a Manual J is HVAC jargon and refers to the software package that professional dealers use to accurately size new residential HVAC equipment. let me know if you have any further questions. IMO

Hey, I love days when the post office has to pull into my drive way and honk! Thankfully, I just finished making the Delce de Leche Cheesecake and the table was completely cleaned off for me to open my awesome caterpillar box!!! I got to touch every single one of those packs of pepper seed!!! Most of these types, I've never heard of, being new to the world of peppers. I can't wait to look them up and get to germinating. You helped rock my Christmas Eve. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Merry Christmas Johnny Pepper Claus and Family!! Promise :)