Hey guys! I'm starting my first grow of one, maybe two plants in a 6' tall, 4' wide, 2' deep cabinet that's split in half vertically, maybe for a flowering area and a veg area. In a perfect scenario where stealth/heat wouldn't matter, I would use an HID. In another world where cost wasn't an issue, I'd use a high quality LED. In other words, I decided to use CFL bulbs. Since I'm starting out only using one of the sections, I only need enough light to illuminate a 2' x 2' area as I move the lights up as the plant grows. Do you think these lights would be powerful enough? 3 of these: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/6052/FC65-S65.ht... . They're 65 watt 6500k CFLs for my veg stage. 3 of these: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8255/FC105-S27OD... . They're 105 watt 2700k CFLs for flowering. I plan on raising them as the plant(s) grow, so height isn't an issue. I can mix-match lights, like 3 6500k and 1 2700k for veg stage, if that matters. And 3 2700k and 1 6500k for flowering, so the plant has enough of both spectrums. Since basically everyone here has more experience than I do, I would be very thankful if someone could put in their 2 cents
What I've experienced with CFL was nothing but wasting money and the time which is actually more valuable than anything else If you can use HID, go for it and you won't regret, and if you can't, just "try" the CFLs but be very careful to not get into that CFL swamp(neverendless-bulb-buying-process). Oh, by the way, there are some myths about "HID heat" or "CFL running cooler" which is nothing but some inaccurate measuring and just "it seems so" guessing.
I would definitely use HID if I could, but unfortunately that's not an option. Also, electricity is one of my limiting factors, so HID is definitely out of the question. How often would I be replacing my CFLs? If it is a ridiculous amount of time per "season" then I might just save my money and get an LED.
Edit: Now that I think about it, maybe a bunch of CFLs isn't right for me. For the money that many bulbs would cost over a year, I would probably be better off buying an LED. Can anyone recommend me a good LED suitable for one plant? I'd prefer not to pay hundreds of dollars on one light. Apparently, no matter how many LEDs or CFLs I have, it's not equal to any HID light, but HID lights don't have the stealth I need.
You can use them for ~10 months but it depends on many factors such as heat, wattage, ventilation, hours-per-day, etc. but they'll definitely work perfectly for at least 2 seasons. Personally,I have no prior experience with LED grow lights, but as friends(here on board and IRL) suggest, cheap LEDs are not the way to go, and if you can't spend some bucks for a high quality LED, then you better go with something else. But again, I really dunno anything about them and everything I say about them is just what I've "heard and seen"; So you may grow some real dank with cheap Chinese LEDs from ebay or aliexpress or something. Also, do not be disappointed about CFLs, I do have some love for them but just as a "experiment" and "small grow practice" There are some folks here and there who did some real crop with CFLs(vegetative of course) which was really interesting and acceptable. Just make sure you have some perfect reflecting walls/materials surrounding your area and the distance between your bulbs and plants is "correct".
So I've heard. I think i might buy the CFLs I mentioned before or get this LED: http://www.amazon.com/Roleadro-Light-3watt-Plants-Panel/dp/B00RWQ4B50 . It has good reviews and a pretty good cost. The CFLs would be a tried and true method, so if i went that way, at least I would know what to expect. Who knows, maybe I'll get the LED and supplement with the CFLs.
That looks cool. Go for the CFLs and if you're up to saving some money, get only those 6,500k and I hope by the end of your vegetative stage you'll have enough money for that LED so you won't need to flower with CFLs. That's just my opinion and you can get all of them at once(in case of discount or free shipping or something) so it's just up to you and you're the only person who's going to work with them in the end. Happy growing
check out my thread bro. If waiting 2-4 weeks for shipping is an option then these lights would be perfect for you http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1390... If your in the US then you want to look at the 110v lights. Very cheap free shipping great lights and you shouldnt have to replace them for at least a year (ive had mine for 8 months) 11$ for veg and (until i find a cheaper one) 25$ for veg. All free shipping. 1 will do a plant fine but i have 2 for 3 plants. Hope this helps. I also couldn't afford the LED lights. I feel yah, moneys tight nowadays. Good luck dude.