14w vs 42w cfls

I think you're right...

 

I dont know alot about CFL's but i would think your theory is correct. More surface area of light showing directly to the plant is definitly better but maybe theres still more lumens involved with the higher watts? Not sure, eventually a CFL fan will post ^_^
Good luck.

 

was wondering myself......alot of sockets. + how to place the blues+ reds so all plants get the right light

 

Hi CFL fan here. I don't have a source to back this up but I'm pretty sure this is true. Many 14w bulbs would give you better coverage, but you would just be spreading weaker light over the plant. 42w bulbs pump out 2700 lumens, 14w probly like 1000. So the light received from a 42w bulb would be more intense than the light received from 2 or 3 14w's. So it's more even light vs more intense light. Plus the rule of the more the merrier always applies with lighting, so one way or another I'd get the 42w bulbs. I could be wrong, take it for what its worth.

 

More lumens = More intestity I believe is what hes saying.

 

Yeah but if you had 3 14 watts thats 42 watts and over 300+ more lumens...so technically it is stronger than just one 42watt

 

I'm not even completely sure on that buger. You may be right. If you wanna go many low wattage bulbs that's actually got an advantage, since they don't run as hot as the 42w ones. I guess go with whichever way works better for you.

 

Yes, it is the lumens that really matter; to get the right number of lumens you can figure 100 watts per plant works out about right in terms of lumens with fluros so...2 42 watt cfls or 8 or so small cfls. I use a 42 watt cfl for sprouts.

 

coor i love abit of physics! id agree with everything above, but have soem things to add. firsly, buying a load of 14w flouros is expensive compared to a cfl which id say in most cases is cheaper than even 1 14w strip.

I also think that your trying to say that a strip lgiht is not wasting so much of the light, and yes 42W cfl's are slightly less efficent, but only marginally, and if reflectors are used, than the cfl's offer mcuh more value for money.I'd stress the use of good quality reflectors in either setup. if u think about it, if you dont have a reflector you are wasting around 70percent of the light with cfl's. not so much loss in strip flouros, but still significant

 

Lumens is a measure of light output at a standard distance (I think 1 foot). Lower wattage bulbs, which have lower lumens, would therefore need to be much closer to the plant for the plant to receive the same amount of light. So if you go with multiple 14w bulbs they would all have to be closer to the plant than the 42 watter in order for the plant to receive the same amount of light from either set-up.

Since you probably would have the 42 watter as close as possible to the plant you really would not have any way to get the 14 watters closer.

True that 3 14 watters will deliver about the same light to the plant as one 42 watter at the same distance, though the 3 14 watters probably would be spread around to different areas of the plant.

 

IM using the soft white 42w cfl siral lamp for my sprouting baby. Do u think that I should switch to a daylight for the vegging instead? If so, where can I find one?

 

I think that's the better choice. Even better -- get the same number of sockets as you would for the 14 watters than put in 42 watters.

 

Surface area of fluros/CFLs maybe their most important advantage over HID bulbs.

HID lumens are nice by the number but the % of light that actually penetrates THROUGH one leave down onto the next is crap.
And that tiny amount of light that comes through is mostly green, and we don't want green light.

(all HID users should now rip off a leave from their plant, and look into the HID bulb through a leave)

2nd big advantage of fluros/CFLs are their operating temps.
You can grow up to 1 inch of fluro/CFL in comparison to 1 foot for a 400W HPS.
Ofcourse low wattage CFLs/fluros have the biggest advantage.

I think it's a growing style issue.
You can grow nice christmas tree shapes MJ plants with a 400W HID bulb up to maybe 4 feet high, with some nice cola's maybe 1 foot long.
When you want those standard christmas tree MJ plants go for a HID.
HID = the sun.

But when it comes down to LST/scrogs grows fluro's/CFLs pretty much rule.
Leaves are like solar panels.
Obviously bigger solar panels = more power.
But we all know solar panels only work well in direct sunlight.
This means we need a bigass sun or many suns aka a bright sky because leaves cast shadows.
Many fluros/CFLs make a bright sky where allmost all the leaves get direct light.
fluro/CFL = the sky.
So if you wanna LST/scrog fluros/CFLs will do you very well indeed.

Personally I go for LST with flurohapiness. Check my signature's 2nd link!
8 sq. feet box with about 7 sq. feet of canapede lit up with 6CFLs&6tubes.