Hey all. I plan on growing 3-4 indica plants in my closet. I am doing CFL's because they are more affordable. How many do I need per plant in the vegetative state and then the flowering and how many watts? I heard 3 26 watts per plant should work in both phases of growth.. is this true? thanks!
General rule of thumb is 100w for the first plant and 50w for each plant after. But really more is always better with CFLs. With CFLs really I like to say 100w per plant but that's just me.
Yeah either keep the same amount or increase them. But the bulbs themselves must change. 6500K for veg 2700K for flower. Doesnt have to be exactly that but stay in that range.
it's a different color spectrum, 6400k promotes better growth in veg and 2700k is better growth in flowering. honestly though with the amount of large cfl's you would need for 4 plants it would be more cost effective to pick up an HPS light if you can afford it. 250-400w HPs would be perfect for 4 plants....
never heard of HPS's.. how many per plant do you think? i was planning on using CFL's because LED setups seem really expensive but HPS look inexpensive. If I get them, will I have to change them after flowering?
i would suggest more research on HPS. If your doing a small grow of 3-4 plants or so you will need at least:250W of 6500k CFLs and 250W of 2700k CFLS. The easiest thing for you to do via the CFL route is to look up a bulb on amazon.com called the "Mini Lotus" or Lotus grow bulb. They have dual spectrum bulbs (includes 2700k and 6500k spectrum) that will get you through vegging and flowering. They are only like 50 bux a piece. Ive used the dual spectrum lotus bulbs and had great results. For a High Pressure Sodium or Metal Halide setup your going to need ventilation and a bunch more stuff.
so if i'm growing 4 indoor, should I get 2 of those lotuses and then a few smaller cfls? should i switch up the small ones from veg to flower?
How big is your growing area? Usually when it comes to an area like that you only need one HID light, unlike cfls where you need tons and tons of them to cover an area.
I've never heard of this lotus bulb before but now that i have i want it! i can't find any videos of it being used though. might get this for next grow..
CFL's are great as long as u pratice "Lighting 101" 1.) keep lights as close as possible 2.) reflection is a must! NO UNDIRECTED LIGHT Its a waste. Find ways to reflect as much light as possible to the plants Ive MAINTAINED multiple plants under 4(4ft) t8 fluorescents, tho more light was needed to prevent stretching
CFL's are great as long as u pratice "Lighting 101" 1.) keep lights as close as possible 2.) reflection is a must! NO UNDIRECTED LIGHT Its a waste. Find ways to reflect as much light as possible to the plants Ive MAINTAINED multiple plants under 4(4ft) t8 fluorescents, tho more light was needed to prevent stretching View attachment 1225036