Hello everyone, so I've recently bought and hooked up a 125watt 6400k 8750lumen CFL. Its on a hanging reflector above my plants, its about 6inches off the top of the plants, is that close enough? Will it provide them with sufficient light for vegetative growth? I cant post any pictures here cause they are already posted on my journal, feel free to look there to see pics of the set up. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1165782-first-time-indoor-cfl-closet-grow-10.html Any input/advice is welcomed, thank you for reading.
Anyone? I am concerned because it seems to be common knowledge that CFLs light intensity diminishes at a much shorter range then most other types of lights. I have mine farther away from the plants then I'd like but I just can't move it any closer due to heat issues, I am almost considering moving it another inch or 2 away....
Need more as it gets bigger. This where I'm at and I'd still like to add more lights. This is 19000 lumens.
Oh yes, I'm ready for that. I have a 200watt 2700k 14,000lumen CFL waiting for flower going to switch it with my current 125watt 6400k 8750lumen. As of now I'm running 259watts and 18,200lumen. So I'm thinking that will be good for them then. Just need to work out a way to lower the temps.... mmmmmm.
I cut holes in the top of my set up to allow the get to escape and the fan seems to keep it at about 76-78. Could put a small fan at the top, pointing out, so it draws the heat out and a small fan on the plant.
I think you are good. I too am in my first grow and was initially worried about the distance of my CFLs. When my grow started I had the bulbs literally 1/2" away. I've found that as the grow has developed the plant has still responded well even though the lights are now 8"-10" away. I'm not debating that having the bulbs closer helps... I'm sure it does. But like I said I'm getting good plant response with a little distance. -FragileBob
computer fans set up at the top of your box bloweing the hot air out will be fine 2 of them you can hook them up to old phone chargers
Yes, I've thought about this, unfortunately I live in an apartment and my closet has one of those built in wooden divider systems and I am not allowed nor do I have the tools to modify it. I did however mount a fan to the wall blowing air through the light hood and out the closet. Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about there's the answer I've been looking for thank you. Sweet yes I've had my bulbs a little far away over the past couple days and growth seems to be keeping up still, I know the closer the better but I'm fighting a heat battle right now and in an area small as like 1' x 1' x 1' I am pumping in almost 18,200lumen so I think I'm okay. Yes I've heard good things about them PC fans, always been to sketched out to make one, I'm also starting to worry that the plants get too much wind, is that even possible? Thank you all for your helpful advice! feeling much better about my setup and think these plants will definitely take off under these conditions. They are already pretty massive for being a week old, so thanks again everyone, I'll probably post any further questions I have here.
1'x1'x1' does sound a little snug. Sounds like a fun challenge. PC fans are super simple. As stated in a reply above you can use just about any left-over wall plug for power. Standard PC fans (both 120mm and 60mm) expect a 12v dc power to run. Of course a full 12v is full power, if you find a lower 5v-9v adapter it will run the fan slower. It will sacrifice from of the fan's lifespan, but they are dirt cheap and usually free from any leftover PC that someone wants to get rid of. You are correct that you don't need to have the little sprout in a wind tunnel, but a soft wisp of a breeze is fine. There are two reasons for the fan: 1) to circulate air in the box. Not allowing CO2 to settle and help move fresh air around. I also find it useful to move air (over the bulbs) and towards the exhaust fan to assist in cooling. Even a small breeze helps with temps / humidity. 2) to strengthen the stem of the sprout. A small amount jostling from the fan air will help the stem stiffen-up. A third reason that I personally use them for is to help dry the soil out after waters, but that's just me. -FragileBob
ya i find i had a 8" oscalting fan in my flower box dryed soil out in two days have to watch soil dryness little info [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9DMTQ2e7oM]how to wire computer fans to plug into a wall - YouTube[/ame]
im a cfl grower and will go to hps as soon as i can take the heat but im using a six bulb cluster per girl on top using "ys " to form a ring hanging flat 3" above with additional on the sides. i use a total of 32 (yep thirtyfukintwo) 2700k 26w bulbs for 4-5 girls, over 50k lumens.
Cool cool. I've already got a few desk fans going so I don't have much more space for stuff how would I go about mounting one of those PC fans to a wall? Would that even be plausible? Oh yea, my main reason for having such intense fanning is to keep the bulbs cool, its a constant heat battle in there, I find my plant are especially sensitive to temperatures above 80f.
Also thats a cool idea with the soil, my fans don't seem to help dry the soil at all, I watered like last thursday or friday and the soil is still like wet. xD
Actually I find rigging them on the pot containers themselves is a nice place. I've also seen 16oz soda bottles used to mount them on their caps. Physically mounting might not be best. I like to keep them mobile. -FragileBob