Hey GC, Currently trying to plan out my first CFL closet Scrog after abandoning the idea of a bigger HPS setup as my first go. (might try it once I'm a bit more confident/experienced) After checking out a several CFL threads on here the set-up I came up with will consist of: 2.5 X 3.5 X 1.5 grow area, reflective foil insulation added to walls 4 x 105W CFL 2700k Lights (smoke a bowl for the 420, I did ) 6 Plug Surge Board 4 inch exhaust fan to home made filter A small desk fan to circulate air inside Temp and humidity gauge Fly paper Screen with 1.5 inch squares. And custom soil mix in pots. How does that look anything wrong or miss anything? Think it will work? I just got a few questions I haven't been able to 100% answer if anyone could lend me some wisdom. My seed bank doesn't have feminized seeds so the plan will be to germ 4 at a time and hopefully pull some females. Two would be ideal but if I some how fluke 4 could one 105W globe continue to support a single plant it's whole life? Or would I be better off just picking the best two and focusing on them? Is it worth mixing in one or two 6500K globes? I really don't want to buy 4 2700k and 4 6500K as I'm trying to stick to a bit of a budget. I know normal low watt CFL's have very little heat but would 105's create much more? Is my air system adequate? I was trying to avoid one of those "asking stupid questions that have been answered a million times" threads but I'm keen to get cracking and just couldn't find what I was looking for. Any advice would be much appreciated. Oscaar
all sounds good bro bar the none fem seeds (under scrog things tend to get tangled hard to remove males, would be best to deturmine sex then put under screen) and the cfls tbh, i pondered over scrogging using cfl's a while back using 420w in cfls is just a waste you would see far better results using a 250-400w hps and it would cost less/same to run
I'd shoot for 2 females, if you have to cull the weakest then do it. Even if you end up with one you can just veg longer and pull the same yield. Well, that's what makes CFL such a poor choice of lighting. You need several bulbs of each spectrum and they have to be replaced every 6 months or your growth rates suffer. Consider that they produce less lumens per watt not to mention the fact that you can't run 4 of those bulbs in a cooltube and every single benefit of CFL is out the window. CFL temps are much higher compared to HID in a cooltube or air-cooled hood. I used to run a 400w cfl array and I can say with conviction that it's less efficient, more expensive, and produces more heat than an HID in a proper setup. When you see people talking about how cfl is cooler than hps, they're talking about freaking shoeboxes and pc cases, not closets and wardrobes with 26 bare bulbs and a $6 pc fan to ventilate the whole thing. Your system will work, but it's a waste. When you realize that doubling your yield means that you can invest that much more into... doubling your yield again, your budget problems will go up in a puff of smoke. It's like doubling down on a fixed race, you can't lose. My advice, leave the CFL's for seedlings and rooting clones, make your initial investment count and you won't be sorry. Sorry for rambling, that's my $.02
Thanks mate. See that's the sort of stuff I'm talking about, I would of spaced on little things like that and it could of ruined the whole grow. The reason for the CFL's was mainly space and less airflow setup needed, I want to try and keep it as stealth as possible. I live by myself but have people over that I'd rather not get involved (or they might think about involving themselves if you know what I mean). If I could somehow achieve that with HPS then I'd use them.
Thanks mate I appreciate the advice. What your saying makes sense and I completely agree. To be honest I didn't really put allot of consideration into yield, I'm just growing for strict personal use only and aren't a massive smoker (An ounce could last a couple of months or more). How does CFL work out more expensive? For me it worked out about $500 cheaper then needing a grow tent, 400wHPS/MH Cool tube, cool tube fan, grow room exhaust fan and ducting. How long do HPS globes last?
It's more expensive because 400w of cfl just barely matches the output of 250w of hps (28,000 vs 28,500), right off the bat you're paying more in electric for the same amount of light. Next is the cost of replacing your bulbs... 105w cfls are what, $20 each and you're running 4 of them. Let's say you're efficient and have 3 of each spectrum (mixing them in each stage), that's 6 bulbs that need to be replaced twice a year. In one year you'll have spent more keeping 400w of cfl than if you had just went with a 250w hps in the first place. LOL, I didn't replace my bulbs for a year, and by the end of that year my plants had some atrocious growth rates. That can be considered another hidden cost, depending on how much you value your time. I replaced my 400w of cfl with a 250w hid and my plants thanked me in spades. Here's the minimum cost of replacing hps bulbs but for the money you're spending you could easily buy Hortilux.... High Pressure Sodium Grow Lights | HPS Grow Lighting | 1000Bulbs.com
Thanks mate, it seems not many people are liking the CFL's. I'm actually going to pick up the cupboard I was going to use for the setup today, I'll post pictures up and if people think it's not too small to use a HPS then I might go back to the original plan. It's amazing how much you learn here. Just reading the CFL threads only gives you the positives, I didn't know there was so many negatives. Why do people use them if HPS are better? The 105w I was looking at are $36 each so even more expensive then you thought.
Yea, the size of your cabinet and your ventilation will determine what size light will be best. CFL works fine in small spaces but IMO anything over 100w-150w would be better off with HID. ...can't speak for anybody else but I built my 400w rig under the mistaken impression that it would be cooler and cheaper to run. Little did I know that it only applies to small boxes with low watts, the bigger you go with CFL the more wasteful it is. That applies to the bulbs as well, 26w is the sweet spot where you get the most lumens per watt, the bigger bulbs are less efficient. So if you had the option of using 4 x 26w or 1 x 105w the 26w would be the most economical choice, they're cheaper and have better lumens per watt than the 105.
Yeah that was my impression too so I would of made the same mistake. Here's the cabinet, it's smaller then I thought so a 150W hps should be enough for two plants with a square foot of screen each. Plus a bit under a square foot for a nursery maybe.
I got about half way through explaining then I thought a picture would be easier. Excuse my rubbish paint skills lol.
That's pretty small, I'd look into T5HO lighting for that, could deck it out nicely with your budget. Maybe you could cut out the bottom of it for an extra few inches...
Something like this? https://simplyhydroponics.com.au/co...or-2ft-fluorescent-propagating-light-kit.html Didn't even consider fluro's, they're cheap plug and play too by the looks of it?
I think that's a 4 footer, you want something 2x1, there are a lot of good manufacturers out there that make high quality T5 lights for legit horticulture, high lumen output, cool temps, slim design, and the bulbs are long lived. Ill see what I can dig up when I get home Sent from my SCH-I405
Seeds are ordered (fingers crossed) and I'm abandoning the "stealth" idea so to speak. Just going to buy a kit 250w kit. 250-1000W Magnetic Grow tent Cool Tube combo with MH/HPS bulbs Timer & Yoyo | eBay 150mm (6 inch) Fan+Carbon Filter+Silencer+Ducting Combo - Grow Room Setup | eBay I realize the HPS isn't perfect but is that going to be a huge deal or should I try and get a 2700k?
if you have the spare money then yes you could use a MH bulb also but if moneys tight HPS will be fine