1st grow, and using CFL's. Advice on lighting.

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by Vaporsmooth, Mar 5, 2010.

  1. I've got a couple of questions. I'm going to be doing a grow (my first) pretty soon, and I was given a few things to get myself started. Keep in mind, with what I'm about to write, that CFL's are going to be my only option (for a couple of reasons), so I have questions about what would be my best use of light, and would like to know if i have enough light in there to get some decent yields if used properly.

    This is my light "inventory", so please give some feedback on if I need to scale back on plants, or how I should use them best. Also keep in mind that with what I list, these are REAL watts, and not "converted". If I say I have a 200w bulb, it's a real 200w bulb.

    1 x 200w CFL 6500k w/reflector
    1 x 200w CFL 2700k
    2 x 24" T12 balasts
    4 x T12 6500k tube fluoros
    4 x T12 3000k tube fluoros

    So, that being said, I've got 3 fixtures, 2 of which are T12's, and 1 of which is a mogul socketed CFL fixture w/reflector. Basically, I've got 2 "sets" of lights - 1 for vegging and 1 for flowering.

    My cabinet is a 6' tall, 18" deep, 28" wide, rubbermaid cabinet, lined with mylar. Being that it's a rubbermaid, I have to keep the temps down so I make sure it doesn't get too hot in there, which isn't an issue with the CFL's.

    Obviously, I've done enough reading to understand that CFL's will not get me the same yield as a HPS/MH setup, however, this is the route that I've chosen to go as it keeps the temps down considerably, and the lighting equipment was free from a friend, so I'm working with what I have.

    The way I have the lights mounted now, is by using the 200w CFL to hang above the plants, and putting 1 T12 fixture on each side (front and back) of the plants to get some decent, up-close size lums further down.

    I'm going to be given 3 clones from a friend, and was wanting to know if this will be enough light for all 3, or would I be best to scale back to 2? Also, would adding another mogul socket/reflector combo so I can use both 200w CFL's (of both spectrums) at the same time be of any advantage? I know that each spectrum is targeted for different stages, but would it help at all to just use both CFL's at the same time for the sheer sake of extra lums?

    Keep in mind that a HPS/MH fixture is not an option for me at this point, so CFL is going to be the way I have to do it, so please keep the "Just get a 400w HPS/MH" comments to a minimum, as it's not a consideration. Please don't ask why, as it's just not.

    Thanks for reading, and advice is much appreciated. Keep in mind, that with the agreement from the GF, that 3 plants is the max I'm "allowed" to have, so scalability in terms of expanding to more plants isn't a concern.
     
  2. ya run them all, a full spectrum is alway's best in any stage of growth anyway, the extra light and Lume's will be great to...
    other than that sound's good i'd go 3 possibly 4 in 1-2 gallon's or 2 plant's in 3 gallon's...
     
  3. Ok, sounds good. I figured so much as plants just can't get enough light. I was just a little concerned about unfavorable results if I had nearly equal amounts of each spectrum. Any suggestions on placement for either 200w CFL? I'd like to ensure that I get good growth throughout the entirety of the plant. Which I guess would lead to another question.... Is it best to focus the majority of the growth on the top? Or is there a certain spectrum that I should focus further down?
     
  4. yes...def put both cfl's over head together creating that full spectrum then use the uv's for the sides mixing the bulb's up to get a full spectrum from every angle...
    mixing the spectrum's is best...full spectrum's work perfect...about the best you can do...
     
  5. Since you only have 1 socket for a CFL, you should hang the 6500k for vegging and the 2700k for flowering (2-4") above the plant. And I'd advise cutting back to 2 (I like 1 sq ft per plant).
     
  6. i'm currently vegging two plants in a mylar lined grow box using just 1 6500k 125w CFL grow light and it is working great, i almost cant keep up with them...the amount of light produced by just that one light and a good reflector that i bought with it is more than enough for two good sized plants and a few clones that will soon be joining
     

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