Ok so i am going to grow, i know the basics but need help on the lighting. My two choices are Cfl's or Florence. I know MH and HP are better but its not in my budget. I have a closet that is 35x22 and 8 ft tall. So if i was to use flo i would only be able to use two ft bulbs. I want to try and grow two plants. So which is better and what kind of bulb would i need to be looking at, at either lowes or home depot? How much lighting would i need? And do i change to diffrent bulbs for veg to flowering? And if i did what would i need for each? Thanks
hey there if ur not going with HPS/MH id say your best bet is CFL's (but im bias as i grow with CFL's lol) you can get CFL's in home depot/lowes etc. for veg you want a colour spectrum of 6500k & flowering you want 2700k or you can use a mix of both, with CFL's they have on the box something like 23watts = 100watt etc the low number is the actual watts used & the num u want to pay attention to so 4 of them would be 92watts not 400w a good general rule of thumb is 100watts for the first plant & 50watts per each extra plant but more is better thats just gives an idea
Thanks man. So the cfl's work good for you? Are there any tricks or anything that could help me with this? OK so i got everything you were saying except the 6500k for veg and the 2700k for flowering. is that day light and soft white? Which do i use for each? For two plants would u tell me the best cfl combo and break it down for me to get it set up? How much lighting works for you? Thanks
HID not in the budget? Have you checked craiglist? You can often find HIDs for $20 each. They are high-bay lights so the bulb is orientated vertically, but the plants do not seem to mind that... GL!
Hey What is your budget for lighting? That might help us out on what setup you should do I know A site you can get 600w HPS Ballast/hood/bulb for less then 200.00 New.
yea the CFL's have worked great for me i use just over 400(actual) watts for 2 plants but i use a massive 1 footer(300watts) plus smaller ones for side lighting, if they dont have the numbers on the box (27k etc) they will have warm white or daylight on the box i cant remember which is for which i think the warm white is for flowering & daylight for veg but i may have that wrong way round some1 will correct me if i have lol, what watts are the CFL's u got or are getting? as then i could tell u how many id recommend, like if u get the 23w ones id say realy u want atleast 4 per plant(5+ is betta) but if u get the 43w ones u could get away with 2 per plant(but 3+ is better) if u get me? some people will say u can use alot less(& some will say u need much more lol) but really u want some kinda decent yeild
In your small space, heat could be an issue...so going with fluoro's is not a bad idea. I just finished a grow using T5's...and I was pretty darn happy. I'd look into a perhaps getting a 2' T5 with 4 bulbs for the top (you can search around, and check Craigslist...I found a 4' x 8 bulb T5 for $125). And the advice about different spectrum bulbs is good, use the "blue" ones for veg'ing, and the "red" ones for flowering (bulbs will run you $12-$15 each). (As a reference, I had a 4' x 8 bulb T5, grew 3 plants, took 3 to 3.5 months from start to finish, and each plant gave me a couple ounces. I did nothing fancier than put them in soil, water them and give them nutes during flowering. That was it). But with only 2ft bulbs (they are lower wattage), I would also consider some CFL's to put on the side of the plants, too. Add another 100 watts there. Because fluoro's don't penetrate deep into foliage, I'd consider topping your plants, too. You can read up how to do it. Last, but not least, I'd really consider getting feminized seeds. Since you are growing only 2 plants, you don't want to take the chance that one, or both, end up being male. That would suck, and would waste a month and a half for you. It costs a little more, but feminized seeds make sense when you have a small grow, and don't want to risk ending up having to start over after 1-2 months because both end up being male.
Thanks for the help! SO in the eastern side of usa where could i order seeds cheaply and safely? (Feminized seeds) I only need two but caint afford $40 a piece, and i know they get up there! And i will look into floro's and if not then cfl will have to work. And whatever the highest wattage i can find at lowe's or home depot. Proble 26w is as hight as i have found. So only daylight for veg and warm for flowering? No kind of mixture? Thanks so much guys or gals. +rep
As far as CFLs go, the 2700k (soft white) are for flowering and the 6500k (daylight) are for veg. With CFLs, the more the merrier. For 2-3 plants, there's no problem with using 6-8 bulbs. They don't put off as much heat as a regular bulb, and can be placed within a few inches of the plants without burning. Check out Kamel's CFL thread at the beginning of this section. Good luck!
For cheap feminized seeds check out: https://www.seedboutique.com/store/index.php?currency=USD&manufacturers_id=77&sort=4a I ordered Big Bang, 5 for $32 after shipping, and they arrived in 3 days and I live in the midwest.