So I recently discovered the 8 CFLs I bought for my first Micro grow are only 13w 6500k 860 Lumen outputs. Obviously far too small to provide light to 2 or 3 plants in my 2 drawer file cabinet. MY QUESTION IS!: Seeing all these high wattage CFLs on Amazon, (Ex: 85w 6500k equal to 350w Incandescent) what would the ideal setup be for a set up my size?? I see most people going with 26w 6500k bulbs for veg. (Sometimes mixed with 2700k, not sure why I see this, isnt 6500k ideal?)
6500k will work fine for veg. 2700k are for flower. 23w cfls are the most efficient in terms of the watt to lumen ratio. I use 12 x 23w and I great great results with like 6 plants
Thanks so much for your help, I Suppose I'll be looking for those. I was looking for 26w 6500k but can't find them anywhere. Hopefully Ill be able to fit 8 23w 6500k's. Using an extension cord with socket plug ins/ Y splitters. There will be 4 lights on each extension cord. not sure how this will work out.
It'd be beneficial to use some sort of reflector and get the bulbs down as close to the plants without burning them as possible. It kind of depends on your grow area and type of grow rather than number of plants, and I've always heard to aim for 10,000 lumens (6 23w bulbs) per square foot of grow area in flower... less for veg. But of course, you can still grow with less than that... the plants just might not be as big or finish as fast.
I'm using a mix of 45w and 55w 6500/2700. Two 45w 6500k, one 55w 2700k and one 45w 2700k. So I'm right at 200 watts in a 2x1x2 area. I have the advantage of being able to regulate the cab temp in an enclosed but outside air fed environment. My plants are extremely thankful for the great lumens they get.
very nice. I may have to steal this setup from you since thats about what my space is! Thats your veg setup right?
Veg and early bloom. I'll probably go to 3 x 55w 2700k about 2 weeks into flower. I'll keep 1 45w 6500k in there for the full spectrum. Also keep in mind that heat may be an issue depending on how well you can control the outside room temp. If I had my cab in a 70f room all day my temps would hang around mid 80s. Now my cab is in a room that I can control the temp in separate from the rest of the place. Makes a big difference to be able to open a window or turn on a heater to control temp.
Hi all. I'm using 14 23 Watt bulbs from home Depot and have awesome results so far. This is my first grow song think I'll take advantage of Scrogging next time to more efficiently use my space. I use a 3 light bathroom fixture that's like $12 at home Depot. I'd like to fill the cabinet more next time though.