Cfl's Or Hps For Flowering?

[MajoR_TokE]

I have heard of people getting really good results using cfl's for flowering. If you use 10 42 watters (150w equivalent)thats 420w, you can position the lights closer because they don't get as hot. Positioning the cfl's closer will make the light more intense, therefor lumens arn't lost. Also sense the are 10 of them you can place some around a bit lower where the light doesn't usually shine. This would be for a space 8sq.ft. with 3 or 4 plants.

What do you think?

[BrazyJay]

yes it makes sense in theory, but trust me, u do not want to use CFL's for flowering... it gets frustrating when u need to move your plant, so glad i got my HPS now i have noticed so much growth in the 2 days ive had it. I will never go back to just CFL's...ever.

edit: u will spend about the same on 10 42w CFL's (about $11 each here) so thats $110 + tax, when u can order a 250w or 400w for $150.... complete system with remote ballast. check htgsupply.com if u decide to go that route. they are the best people ive ever dealt with, ship fast too, there is a topic about them around here somewhere.

[MajoR_TokE]

I'm a first time grower and am seeing alot of different ways do do this. Lots of people saying you need a HPS if you want any buds and cfl's or tubes are only good vegetative growth. On the other hand i got just as many people telling me that they swear by cfl's and 1 dude was saying he got 9 ounces from 3 plants using eight 42w cfl's. http://www.rollitup.org/general-mari...sing-cfls.html


There is a Y in the road.... which route should i take?

[mister2]

trust me, if you can flower using HPS then do so. Me and a good friend planted at the same time. I have 1 plant flowering under 125w envirolite, and it is TINY compared to his wich is under 250w HPS! Its unreal how much difference their is! I'm getting a HPS for next grow.

[MajoR_TokE]

I was considering a HPS.. well i still am thats why im asking. This grow is in a basement i would have to rig up a better ventilation to extract the heat. How hot do those lights get? What size fan would i need, how many cfm?

[MajoR_TokE]

Sound like HPS so far... thats what i thought.

[Num]

after using 250w sonT for years, i got a few enviros & eventually upped it to 325w blue & 900w red.
Also invested in 400w hps for a separate cabinet & can stand up & say hps buds shit all over enviro buds. Fact.

enviro buds are like flowers compared to the tight resiny nuggets u get with hps.

I will say tho that imo enviros are unbeatable for vegging

[Flow_DOC_Duece]

Originally Posted by Num

after using 250w sonT for years, i got a few enviros & eventually upped it to 325w blue & 900w red.
Also invested in 400w hps for a separate cabinet & can stand up & say hps buds shit all over enviro buds. Fact.

enviro buds are like flowers compared to the tight resiny nuggets u get with hps.

I will say tho that imo enviros are unbeatable for vegging

Envirolites suck!! 1 out every 5 you purchase will actually work, lol.

The best light for veg is most def Metal halide, no questions, hands down.

I use floros for seedlings/clones cause you don't need much light as they're trying to grow roots

[MajoR_TokE]

I got some 45w 2900lumen CFL's that i will be using for vegging. I was planing on hanging 1 CFL above each plant.

Would this work okay?

How many inches away from the plant should they be?

[mrtwomuchskill]

Damn this couldnt have come at a better time I have 250 watts of blue spectrum floro's and wanna buy a ballast kit since I lost my ballast long story but anyways my vortex is loud and might wake the people in the next room. Should I just buy the 210 watts of red spectrum or get the ballst kit also does anybody know how to reduce the fan noise those duct mufflers cost too much.

[Num]

Originally Posted by mrtwomuchskill

anybody know how to reduce the fan noise.

Hang the open ended fan in ur growspace with the filter outside. Can hardly hear my rvk 150 now.
dont mount ur fans to walls or use metal brackets.
Not sure about proper speed controllers, but dimmer switches will slow the fan down, but u get quite a bit of humming :/
Also available is lagged ducting which makes a big difference.

I can hear my airpumps over my rvk so it all works

[MajoR_TokE]

Compact flourescent lights (cfl) can and do offer a very viable alternative to HID and HPS systems in many smaller grower situations.

There are three distinct disadvantages to HID and HPS lights in relation to the newer cfls -

1) They're more expensive to run in terms of wattage used;
2) They produce a lot more heat build up, requiring more expensive and sophisticated extraction and ventilation systems;
3) Whilst lumen output is high, a lot of those lumens are lost through not being the correct light spectrum and having to be positioned so far away from the tops of plants due to the heat. The further away a light is from its target the less lumens it receives.

The new Envirolite compact flourescents overcome the traditional drawbacks to flourescent lights by providing much higher lumen outputs than have previously been available, but just as importantly provide the correct colour spectrum output in the two versions available for vegetative and flowering growth. In other words, all the lumens you get with envirolites are used by the plants. Current Envirolites come in two sizes and two 'colour temperatures' -

Blue for vegetative growth (350 – 500 NW) in 125w (12,000 lumens) and 200w 18,000 lumens)
Red for flowering growth (600 – 700 NW) in 125w (12,000 lumens) and 200w (18,000 lumens)

The other advantages to these Envirolites is the ability to position the lights inches away from the tops of plants due to the much lower heat output - thus the plants receive all the lumens available.

It's not hard to see that by using 2 x 200w Envirolites positioned close to the tops of plants can produce a lumen output of around 36,000 lumens, which compares very well to that of a standard 400w HPS or HID system outputting 50,000 lumens but having to be positioned 2 feet away from the tops of the plants. Not only do the 2 200w Envirolites provide a similar lumen output to the 400w hps (when distance is factored in) they're also cheaper to run and produce far less heat output.

It's fair to say that the cost of a 2 x 200w Envirolite system (2 x 200w blue and 2 x 200w red) + hood is probably around 30% more expensive than an equivalent HPS system, that extra money is easily recouped by the lower operating costs in terms of wattage used over a period of their use.

[ISTANDALONE]

if heat/ventilation is going to be a problem then go with a 250w hps. they still get right warm, but nothing that isn't managable. 400w puts out WAY more heat.

[MajoR_TokE]

It's not expensive to purchase HPS - it's expensive to run! The Hortilux bulb only outputs about 50% of it's lumens in the PAR spectrum plants can use that means you're paying for 50% operating costs you're not using. Factor in how far the bulb has to be used from the plant tops and you lose even more lumens, at 2 feet away a Hortilux bulb outputting 100,000 lumens at 1 foot of which only 50,000 are in the PAR spectrum reduces to 12,500 lumens at the plant tops.

So you're paying for a 100,000 lumen HPS system and only actually using 12,500 of those lumens, that's 87,500 lumens you're paying for you're not actually using!

Now, do you think that's very cost effective?

[mister2]

i LOVE my envirolites, they rule for vegging a plant, but it jusn't seem enough for flowering, though im only using 125w, check my journal in sig