Alright well Im thinking of starting a small cfl grow in a place such as my closet. I've been researching for a while and have gathered that this is what I need for a succesful CFL grow. (1 or 2 plants) 4-6 23w+ (higher watts the better) 6500k Daylight CFL lights. (Vegging) 3-6 23w+ 2700k Soft White CFL lights (Flowering) A small fan going. Plants in pots in a small space such as a closet. Dark material over the soil so the roots don't receive light. Lights should be 1-2 inches away from plant (Judging from how long ill be gone, so the plants dont grow into the lights etc) Water the plants every couple of days (I don't give them gallons or anything, just dampen the soil basically) 12/12 off/on light stages for flowering. 24/0 on light stages for fastest possible vegging (Every few days Ill shut it off for a while) Im not sure if Im going to use ferts. Probably. (I need a suggestion for a brand of soil, thanks) I was thinking about using these lights from Wal-Mart to do the trick: 26 Watt PL-T 27K Energy Saver Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb - 230458 at The Home Depot This is for the flowering stage. (If I decide to get CFL's soon, Ill end up putting my vegged plant under the 2700k lights 12/12 for flowering) I suppose I could use these maybe? They are 6500k but only 20w. I can't find any 6500k lights at 23w+ for some reason. Shop Bright Effects 4-Pack Bright Effects Daylight 75-Watt CFL Twist at Lowes.com cfl I guess thats it, do I need anything else? In the grow closet? Do I need sockets to plug the lights in? What else? Thanks.
Keep your daylight bulbs running the whole time and you'll be happy you did. Mixed spectrum produces some fantastic results, and the 6500K and high wavelength bulbs will provide gentle, constant, UV lighting which will increase trichome production. I think that 4 day light bulbs and 2 soft white bulbs is a great spectrum and I've gotten surprisingly fantastic results with that mixture.
Right now I have 2 23watt 6500k and 1 23 watt 2700K light and a 16w 6500k light. and so far veg looks good so far. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-growing/640202-first-grow.html#post7981766
You have 1,100 posts at a Marijuana forum over the last 6 months and you haven't figured out what you can grow in? Really? Do you need sockets for you bulbs? Really? C'mon man. You need to step up and be a grower and just do it. We're not here to pick your equipment and where in your place that you grow in. It's your choice and you know better than we do when it comes to your own grow.
Lol. Why not be ready? I would like to first master it in my head before trying it for real. You know? Like how to first think of what your drawing, then put it on paper? If I know everything I need to do, theres no need for error, and errors can be expensive, time-consuming and annoying. The only reason I asked about the socket was because I heard alot of people saying you need a Y socket to use the CFL's. I was just wondering if this was true. Want to know anything else?
Just finishing up my grow with the same stuff you have outlined. Went with limited space this time [rubbermaid] and had 2 ladies in the box but one hermied. The remaining lady is approx. 3 weeks from harvest and will probaaly give 1 1/2 oz of some stickyness. The smaller the space the bigger the heat issue, dont skimp on the fans, yes plural... FANS!!!! I went with MG Organic and it's nutes are mild, great aeration, and holds water for 2-3 days when in full flower which is great. Wish I had used all FoxFarm or AN nutes but I will next time. This little ol' bagseed of mine is looking awesome with some buds 2" in diameter & 8" long. It is a little fluffy but I think better nutes would have solved that. BEST ADVICE >>>>> READ< READ< READ< --- GC was & continues to be invaluable -- Most of these folks know what they are doing & are more than willing to help a noob grower. best of luck
Honostly, you should just throw your self at it, the best way to learn is by your own mistakes. Yes, its sad if your plant die, but you hopefully learn something from it every time it goes wrong. So my advice is, you learn best from your own mistakes. Best of luck with the plant
I would use the Y sockets. They let the plant use more the light since the bulb is at an angle. I would deff just go for it. Just take your time doing things and learn from your mistakes. And read as much as you can on this site. I ussually skim through the posts on most of the growing pages each day and I read a thread if something catches my eye in the title. Read a lot of grow journals and everything will fall into place.