hey i went to walmart and bought 2 of the 75 watt grow lights ( the $10 ones ), I also have 2 ge cfls, soft white 2700k, 750 lumens, 65 watt replacement ( energy used: 15 watts ). iam only growing 2 indicas in a rubber maid container. i will be set with 24" plants. Do i need more lighting?
I am new here.. And to growing in general, but here are the rules for CFLs as I have come to know them: 1 - Always count watts by the actual wattage. So a 100 watt equivalent light is generally around 27 actual watts. 2 - You want about 100 actual watts per plant. I also read it somewhere as 100 watts for the first and 50 for each additional, but I believe 100 watts each is probably best. 3 - Use 5000k or higher (daylight bulbs) for vegetation. Use the 2700k < (soft light bulbs) for flowering. 4 - Keep the light 3-4 inches above the plant. Make sure the light source is above the plant as it will grow towards the light wherever you place it. Placing the lights too high will cause the plant to stretch, causing a longer and less fruitful plant (I made this mistake on my first plant that I have going right now). My current setup is 6 x 27 watt 5000k CFLs. That is really only 150 watts or 75 watts a piece and I will probably be putting in another two lights tomorrow. Give me a few and I will update my grow journal and link it here.
Exactly!! Use as many lights as you can until your temps get too high. You will never have too much light. The 2 GE Cfls you have are too small. They won't accomplish shit. Get at least 24watt bulbs.(actual wattage used not equivalent). The bigger the better. I bought a 85 watt Cfl at my local light bulb store for 32 bucks. It's friggin huge! Here it is [ame="http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-85-Compact-Fluorescent-Daylight/dp/B001MIGLZW"]85 watt Cfl.[/ame]
thanks man, so should i keep the 65 watts for the veggie stage and get 4 x 27 watt for flowering? now just gotta find a place to buy good soil, all they have if fucking miracle grow by me
I haven't looked into flowering with CFLs enough to advise you either way as I am aiming for a 600 watt HPS by flowering. From what I understand is the 2700k is the right range for flowering, I just don't know how many total watts you need. You are only going for two plants, so I am sure you don't need an incredible amount, but I couldn't say without doing more research. Try searching phrases such as 'CFL flowering watts' around the forums and google and see what you come up with.
found the answer from kamel's cfl guide: Types: CFL's come in mainly two flavors, Soft White (color temperature 2700k) and Daylight (color temperature 6500k). For a complete grow, you should use both. Soft white mimics the spectrum of a HPS light, and is best suited for flowering. Daylight's color spectrum is like that of metal halide lights, and is excellent for the vegetative stage. (This applies to tubes too. Around 6500k for veg, around 2700k for flower.) There are also tubes labeled plant and aquarium. I haven't seen them in CFL form, but they have no real color temp, so I'm not sure on their efficiency, but I've used them and it's rather slow growth for the watts. -There is a large difference in vegetative growth when going from soft white to daylight. Therefore I recommend you use daylight CFL's for vegging, even if you are flowering with a HPS light, because they do not stretch the plants. You don't need much light for good veg growth, especially when using 6500k CFL's. If power savings are a priority, 30w per plant can suffice to a decent size, but more is always better. -Of course, use 2700k soft white for flowering. I have no results to back it up, but I like to use a single daylight bulb while flowering too, just to balance the spectrum. Whether it helps or not, it's more light nonetheless. -I wouldn't recommend using any CFL under 20w, because it's just too damn small. (Remember, when talking CFL wattage, refer to the actual watts used, not the incandescent equivalent, i.e. 26w CFL = 100w Incan.) Lights of America is a cheap brand, and while they work, they don't last as long and fail prematurely more than other brands. GE and Phillips are big names, and make a more reliable and slightly more powerful product since they have a name to uphold. Monster CFL's 65w and up work great too, either a self-ballasted screw-in type, or the type that needs a special fixture with the ballast built into it. They can pump out lumens like a HID. Again, my Lights of America 65w Daylight burnt out in a week, but it was 11 bucks and easily replaced.
i was also told just to get a 400watt hps for flowering and call it a day. but iam worry about how hot they my get and due to the fact that iam already in a hot as hell attick. or should i just stick to 4 27watts cfls?
There is a h u g e difference in a 400 watt HPS and four twenty-seven watt CFLs. You could probably keep it cool enough with a cool tube and a good exhaust fan. I don't know about where you live but some attics like mine in the summer get too hot alone without any lights to grow well in. You may need an air conditioner either way. =/