Bought a 4 pkg of 23w micro mini cfl's at Lowe's for $16.98 to add some more light to my pvc frame fixture. Less room needed But will they distribute as much light as the full size.Btw their 1640 lumens compared to 1600 full size. I think I have about 200w in a very small grow now.this will allow me room for couple more cfl's.
To clarify I'm asking if there is any down side to using the micro mini type as opposed to the standard size cfl lamp considering their the same wattage and lumens.
You should be able to do 2 plants in a small space no problem. Try a 70w hps they have better penetration and the ballast bulb and e27 bulb holder only comes to around £25-30 on ebay. I have one I am using for veg seems really bright compared to a few cfl and cheaper to run or even go for a 150w which is about £10 more altogether.
The answer is NO , You need ACTUAL lumen . How much are you trying to get as reward for 2-3 month of work? 5 grams ? Is it really worth your time? I am not trying to be an ass, just trying to save you time and money . I hope you realize that few bulbs are not just everything that you need .....
I guess I confused everyone. I have around 360w total actual watts. I'm adding the mini micros to existing fixture. Just allows more room for more bulbs. I'm far from being a newb.just haven't used these smaller bulbs b4. Sorry for the poor wording and thanks for your response.
If you can keep them very close to your plants 2-3" (no more than that) then you can do that if you planing to keep them farther then it is probably going to a waste of energy... there is a nice sticky about the light(bulbs) on the very top of the "light section", you might find some useful info in there .
