Kamel's CFL Guide

[Jstromz]

Originally Posted by SmknVTEC

You could go half and half all the way through if you like.

im doing that now..actually 8 soft white and 2 daylight white..

[mg42]

Can i use bright white CFL's(in addition to soft and daylight) or is their spectrum useless for growing.

[SmknVTEC]

Originally Posted by mg42

Can i use bright white CFL's(in addition to soft and daylight) or is their spectrum useless for growing.

What is the spectrum?

[mg42]

They were either 3500k or 5000k.

Also do they make high wattage daylight CFL's because i could not find them any higher than 20 watts at home depot.

[igotammo]

Originally Posted by toastybiz

You're right, it should. In fact, that's why it already is a sticky...

oh ya thanks i noticed that now ... i saw it in your sig and didnt notice it was a sticky but thanks jerk

[toastybiz]

You're welcome?

[eyec0n]

hehe, type "uvb cfl" in google.

[SmknVTEC]

eBay has a bunch of reptile UVB and UVA CFL lights. I think I might buy some and giver a try.

[InRaged]

My plan is to use use 8 30 watt 6500k lights 16000 lumens and 4 30 watt 2700k lights that's another 8000 lumens for a total of 24000 lumen's. my grow area will be around 3x3 with around 10 to 12 plants. i want to use them lights all the way thru my grow. ill be using a homemade aeroponics setup with the pump running 24/7. do you guys think i will need to add on to my lighting or just upgrade to something better later in my grow?

[SmknVTEC]

Originally Posted by InRaged

My plan is to use use 8 30 watt 6500k lights 16000 lumens and 4 30 watt 2700k lights that's another 8000 lumens for a total of 24000 lumen's. my grow area will be around 3x3 with around 10 to 12 plants. i want to use them lights all the way thru my grow. ill be using a homemade aeroponics setup with the pump running 24/7. do you guys think i will need to add on to my lighting or just upgrade to something better later in my grow?

Yeah dude you will be way short on light if you do 12 plants. Realistically, with those watts/lumens you will be at 4-6 plants and thats stretching it. If you want to do 12 plants you will need about 1000 watts or somewhere around 120,000 lumens. I take it you have heat issues or you would go HID? Check out this site. http://cheaphydroponics.com/Merchant2/wattcalc.htm

[InRaged]

so 10,000 lumins per plant is a good number to go by?

[LoverBoy]

I went to Home Depot to buy bulbs. They had 3 types of CFL bulbs, red, green and blue. The red was labeled sunlight and had a rating of 27k. HD also had bulbs for growing plants and they had regular bulbs that were full spectrum. I left confused. Can anyone help?

[SmknVTEC]

Originally Posted by InRaged

so 10,000 lumins per plant is a good number to go by?

Yeah that will be good. Figure a bare minimum of 30 watts per square foot during flower and shoot for 50-75 watts per square foot during flower if you can.

Originally Posted by LoverBoy

I went to Home Depot to buy bulbs. They had 3 types of CFL bulbs, red, green and blue. The red was labeled sunlight and had a rating of 27k. HD also had bulbs for growing plants and they had regular bulbs that were full spectrum. I left confused. Can anyone help?

Never herd of green CFL's. Usually "sunlight" and soft white are for flowering at 2700k and "daylight" are blue and 6500k. Blue for veg, red for flower but, you can mix and match as you choose. Make sure that bulbs "for plants" are indeed CFL because others won't grow well.

[Maccgyver]

I use Prolume 5000K 42 watt CFLS and I must say they are much better than the home depot units, they run cooler and give off a brighter light and a better spectrum overall. I know someone who is a lighting distributor so I get these bulbs at 5 bucks a piece usually.

[chulainn]

Hey there, just read your guide, reason I signed up.

Got some questions though, if you don't mind.. This would be my first grow.. I'm thinking something like 2-4 plants out of my closet, if I had 2-4 CFL lights running most of the time, how much would that add to our electricity bill? That's my main concern.

Secondly, seeds... where and what type would be the cheapest, since it's my first grow and everything.

Thanks for your time, complete noob(I can grow peas..),
Chulainn