howdy fellow blades, working on my mostly DIY first sog cfl closet grow. just planted my taps in generic organic potting soil. i only spent around 70 bucks on everything so far including temp/humidity gauge, 4 42 watt cfl bulbs, all the wiring and sockets, soil, containers, etc. etc. the only problem is i purchased 42 watt "general purpose bulbs" i know you need 6500k light CFLs for the vegetative state of the plant but the packaging doesn't give you very many specs. they are 42 watt general purpose general electric energy smart CFL bulbs with a helical twist. they put out 2700 lumens per bulb. Which spectrum are these? I was planning on getting more bulbs of the opposite spectrum but I don't even know what i have... let me know any tips fellas. happy growing
Those are 1600 lumens... and I'm pretty sure that color packaging for GE is 2700k... so they would be better for flowering, but ok to mix in a couple during veg. However, most should be 6500k Edit: sorry just noticed you said yours are 42w
Usually on the base of the bulb it will tell you the color temp of the bulb... you can get a general idea visually as the 2700k have a more yellow orange light... and the 6500k are much whiter/bluer
thats what i was worried about. ATM i don't have any 6500k bulbs. After i sell this book back I am thinking about ordering 2 6500k bulbs off a website. I also have a emergency blanket coming in the mail that I'm going to line my DIY reflector and walls with. Would this setup be enough for 1 or 2 small healthy plants to scrog?
It all depends on what your expectations are... In veg you can get away with less light, but in flower you need more if you want nice dense buds... I'd get at least 2 42w 6500k bulb, and still use your 2700k bulbs... you can easily add more light as your budget allows and your plants require.
sounds like you knew my plan already haha. Its rather a tight grow budgetwise but its something i've always wanted to try. Its a work in progress Will i get enough of a yield to cover my initial investment and would this experience make it easier for possibly a more complex garden afterwards or do i still have a long ways to go