Cfl or Hps for flowering??

Ace: If you live in a state that has legalized M/M, have you thought about getting a medical approval? That solves a lot of problems. Hank

 

Honestly it depends on you.

How big is your grow space? Big = HPS, Small = cfl

How much money do you want to spend? Whatever it takes to grow good bud = HPS, I'm broke = cfl

Can you put in extensive cooling conditions and order online? Yes = HPS, No= cfl


Honestly I was looking into getting a ballast and a hps bulb but, I found that If I was going to get one I personally kind of felt it to be a waste unless I got a 600w. But, Right now my state is VERY strict about Mary Jane. so I want to keep it as hidden as possible. So I just use cfl's, T5's work amazing too.

I've even had times when I was financially broke, and I didnt switch out my cfls to a different spectrum, takes a couple days extra to throw them into flower but not a lot of difference. CFL's are a good way to grow for the Financially Impared.

 

I grow with cfl's. I would like a hps but I dont have room for it.I have to keep my grows stealthy right now. If you buy enough cfl's to consume the wattage of a hps you would probably get better results with the hps but I think the CFL's would still be very close. Because they are spread out more, meaning light In more areas. not just the top. But you might burn down your house hooking up 20-30 cfl's. either way its about preferance.

Honestly If you have the money to get a 400-600 watt electronic ballast, a light fixture, the reflector, a HPS light, and a mh light. I say go for that.

But I spend less than $100 on my whole grow. I can't sell weed to make money because everyone around here snitches and I'd be busted in a week. No one knows of my grow. Once I get a job (I got layed off) I'm going to get a better setup but untill then Im using cfls.


good luck on your grow.

 

Ace: listen to Tok3master. It sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Good friends who know their shit are hard to find. Hank

 

Ace: if you're going to use the curly CFL's you might want to consider doing it like SeeMoreBuds in his book. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with the T-5's. In a tent they work fine without causing heat problems. Hank

 

Ace: temperature can be a problem with any lighting system, but it's a lots less with T-5's than my friends with HID deal with. I keep my home at 73 degrees year around so it's not a problem for me but my friends with other lighting systems have problems with the heat their lights generate. I think T-5's are just simpler.
As far as how close you can have them, I go by the 'back of the hand rule': if you can feel it, it's too warm. The manufacturers of my fixtures say 6" to 1' but I keep them about 2" of the tops of my plants. If they're all the same height it's no problem. If you have plants of different heights it can result in you having to hang your fixture at a funny angle. I hope that helps. Hank

 

Definately dude T5's are the shit. They are even less heat than the cfls. both t5's and cfls, you can touch even after they have been on for weeks at a time. If you do that with an hps, you will burn yourself. if you use cfls or t5's just make sure to set them all around the plant. The biggest problem with an hps or any lighting system that is only over the top of the plants is that unless you use a slight defoilation technique ( cutting off some or even all of the fan leaves during FLOWERING ONLY) your bottom buds wont be very big or the will be air buds. so the nice thing about cfls and T5's is that you can place them all around the plant, underneath, above, even in the middle of the plant so that your buds will be closer to size instead of having Amazing buds on top and then little raisin buds on bottom.

its the equivilant of only doing curls with one arm thinking your other arms going to get just as big. you have to have light on all the buds. not just some of them. just like you have to do curls with both arms not just one.

 

Tok3master: as afar as defoliation is concerned, those fan leaves do have a purpose, even during flowering. I would suggest trying 'aimed reflective panels,' covered with something like Mylar. I've been using it on my Aerogardens for about four years and the result has been buds all the way down to the planting deck. So far I've had good enough luck with T-5's and the reflective surfaces in my new tent but I may try it again with my new bubble tubs. I'll set up bigger reflective panels on my next grow. I know it made a lot of difference with my Aerogardens. It's only making better use , or reusing the light you already paid for. Hank

 

I don't take off all the leaves as some do, but I take some off. I have limited space. so I want my grow to be more compact. but I also want to get as much bud as I can. I want all my bud sites to get as much light as possible. I know that leaves have a purpose. But the plant can grow with no fan leaves. Just the ones on the actual bud will support the bud. I personally just dont like to have a naked plant. but I will no hesitate to take a leaf off that is in the way of making some more bud. And nice Idea on the refllective surfaces. I've used one of the mats you put in your car window so your car doesn't get hot before. Its pretty cool. Reflective side in increases the light alot. I just need to buy one of those again. I rig stuff. more than buy it. I really have to be stealthy about my grow. Cops, landlords, and Girlfriends >.> and mylar works well but I'm on a very strict budget right now.

 

Tok3master: what I've done in the past is cut down plastic recessed florescent ceiling light lens covers from The Home Depot and glued Mylar to them. Then I arranged and aimed them around my Aerogardens to recycle the light back up to the lower parts of my plants that were usually in shade. I got the same effect, if not better, than my friends who strung extra lights. I've only had two grows in my tent so far and the reflective surface of the tent seems to be a lot better than I anticipated but I'm thinking of increasing the size scale of the reflectors to cover my two bubble tubs and take better advantage of the light that's normally dissipated. The real trick is to adjust the aimed angle of the reflectors so that the light goes back up to where you need it. It's been almost forty years since I took Physics in college but I seem to recall that: "The angle of incidence equals the angle of refraction." On a budget, the shiny side of aluminum foil worked pretty good too. What do you think? Hank

 

I only have one plant right now. 1 Super Lemon Haze it came up from the dirt 5 days ago. I have 3 cfl's on her (Feminized) right now. I don't have ANY money at the moment. I have just been using what I have left over from my other grows and what I could find. I live in a really small town and work is hard to find. I'm trying to find some kind of reflective surface that Will save the light but will still let me place my fan where I want it ( high powered fan and only a small plant, so I have to place it kinda far away.) anyone know of something that I might have around the house that could do that.

I got layed off froom my job about 6 months ago. one of the reasons I haven't been able to smoke any weed in 4 months, other than almost everyone getting busted.

Hopefully I will get a job soon. Then My grow will get a lot better.

 

Toke3 master: I feel your pain. A buddy of mine got laid off after 12 years at Cisco Systems. He was a systems engineer and he had sterling reviews. I know because I read them and they're one of the richest companies in the US. He's been out of work for three months and stands a good chance of losing it all. Thank God I'm retired. A lot of people are getting screwed right now. Hang in there buddy. Hank

 

Thanks, I would like to get some good product off my Super Lemon Haze grow. I've NEVER sold but I'm kind of thinking about it. Of course I would say that I bought the bud from someone and just sell a little bit. I would normally never consider this (I'm Kind of against making money on nature.) But being in an area where I can't get a permanent job I don't really see an alternative. I know everyone that smokes, I'm really laid back, and Like to hang out with everyone. I'm already going from job to job doing petty yard work, Just to eat. Its definately hard, But I could possibly make it easier if I can sell a little bit.

 

Toke: Ed Rosenthal is someone I've come to respect for his knowledge and in his book he gives good advice. He advises us that you shouldn't unless you can afford the legal hassle that you're liable to get from 'big brother.'

I live in a state where it's legal to grow if you're approved, within limits, and some friends who grow for a collective have urged me to but I just can't see that under the present prohibition it's worth the risk. Sure, the money would be nice but I fear that I have a lot more to lose than I would gain.

I live on two shitty pensions that give me about two grand a month after taxes and I make close to another thousand working part time, and I still can't afford to buy it. I'm 70 years old and my body is all fucked up for working for 55 years. The doctors were feeding me addictive codeine for the pain but it wasn't working. They wanted to send me to a pain clinic where they could prescribe higher dosages of stronger medications.

A friend took pity on me and suggested I try M/M and with the help of his doctor I did. I haven't had to use the prescribed pain meds for over three years, and that makes me a criminal? I thank God that I live in a tolerant state that makes more sense than the assholes we have in Washington.

I know a few guys who lost their jobs and are venturing into the commercial market but if they get caught with 200 plants in their attics, legally, they won't have a leg to stand on. I think that's what Rosenthal is talking about and, personally, I would advise against it.

I think a history prof I had in college in the late sixties was right, "When they find a way to tax it like cigarettes and alcohol it will be legal." If the economy gets any shittier they may have to. Then it will be like home brewing beer, and it will be legal in half the states. Hank

 

I am thinking about buying some of these 150W systems w/ integrated ballasts and hanging them vertically, assuming they work in any orientation and having them surrounding the mid/lower areas of my plants for lower light penetration in addition to 600's above the canopy. I figure I could hang one on each side as the equivalent of an additional well dispersed 600W.

I wanted to go with pendant style lights or just bare bulbs if I can put something together in a very inexpensive fashion and avoid having the bulk though. I think these would make great supplemental side/low lighting.