first time grower using only CFLs for all stages

[sitjaspliff]

hi i have decided to grow a plant for the first time so any help would be nice but i basically want help with the light situation this operation is going to consist of all cfls for vegging and flowering. budget among other things has stopped me getting other lights. but this is my idea and please correct me if im wrong or doing a stupid thing in anyway. ok these are my options for set up
VEGETATION
(A) using 125w=625 cfl grow light with 6400k and 5 or 6 household cfls.
(B) using just the 125w=625 cfl grow light?
(C) using 125w=625 cfl grow light with 6400k and 5 or 6 household cfls AND 125w=625 cfl grow light 2700k (red spectrum)
FLOWERING
(A) using only125w=625 cfl grow light 2700k (red spectrum)
(B) using 125w=625 cfl grow light 2700k (red spectrum) and 5 or 6 household cfls. (will this cause problems with colour temperature if using the same household cfls as in the vegetation do i need different ones?)
(C) using 2 125w=625 cfl grow light 2700k (red spectrum) and 5 or 6 household cfls and also using ONE 125w=625 cfl grow light with 6400k
(D) this might be silly but....... could i use 125w=625 cfl grow light with 6400k and 5 or 6 household cfls AND 125w=625 cfl grow light 2700k (red spectrum) but just have the 6400k (blue spectrum) on a little less than the 2700k (red spectrum).

NOTE: this is a small grow space 3 foot * 3 foot.>>>>>

any help will do please let me know if any of these ways will work.

[Roughrider]

First--and this is most important--you're probably not going to have enough light using CFLs. CFLs work very well for areas up to about 2' x 2'. Above that, and the number of CFLs you'll need will generate enough heat to wipe out any advantage over HID lights. Also--CFLs are both less efficient and have less canopy penetration...so when you have a larger area, you need a lot more of them...and they don't do as well.

For your setup...you've got 9 square feet. Doing the easy equation...5000 lumens per sq. ft. = 45,000 lumens that you'll need. That 125w CFL will put out around 8500-11000 lumens. A typical 23-26w household CFL puts out around 1700-1800. You'll need at least 20 of those household CFLs in addition to the big 125w bulb to get enough light for a 3' x 3' area. It's going to get hot in there.

A 3' x 3' area is perfect for a 400w HPS...that bulb will give you 50,000 to 60,000 lumens. Plenty for that space. And 20 x 23w + 125w = 585w of CFLs gives less light and less canopy penetration. I'd definitely go with the 400w HPS for flowering.

However, a 125w CFL and a few (like 4 or 5) household bulbs would be perfect for vegging enough plarts for that area. Use about half the space--1.5' x 3'--and you'll need about 275 watts of CFLs for good veg coverage. Start in 16 ox cups, and then go to 1 gal square pots. You can fit at least 12 1 gal square pots in an area like that, and that will take you through 3 plus weeks of veg. When I make the final transplant into 3 gal pots, I veg for 7-10 days under a MH light (to get them used to the stronger light source), then switch to the HPS when I start flowering around 5 weeks. (If you can, get a switchable ballast light--they're worth it.) 12 3 gal. pots will be a tight fit in a 3' x 3' room, but once you flip them and you start to see the girls, you'll probably end up with 5-7 females...and that's good for a 3' x 3' area.

No matter what, go for the HID lighting system. You can get a good switchable ballast 400w set up with both bulbs for under $175. If it's too expensive, then get a $125 400w HPS light, and use the HPS for the last week of vegging and all of flowering. Keep in mind that to get enough CFLs to cover that are, you'd need a 125w bulb and ballast (at least $70), and 20 more CFLs (about $50, minimum) and fixtures for all of them (much more $$). The HID lights will be cheaper. I'd suggest getting a couple of 10" clamp lights and some y-socket adaptors for your first week or two of vegging...a couple of those set ups will set you back less than $50 and will be a great way to start 12 16 oz. cups in the all important first days of veg. If you're going to grow in a 9 sq. ft. area, a total of $200 to $225 invested in lights should do quite well.

If you can't afford that, then cut back the size of your grow area...go to 2' x 2'. CFLs are great for what they do...but they are not primary light sources for larger scale grows.

[sitjaspliff]

i only plan to grow 1 plant for now.. so thats why i wanna stay with cfls. can i flower with them?? also have you got any info on ballasts. whats there purpose??

[Roughrider]

A lighting ballast controls and regulates the electrical current that runs into a bulb. HID lights (MHS and HD) require a ballast to start and stay lit. Without a ballast, the amount of electricity going into the HID bulb will vary, and the bulb will short out. The ballast for an HPS or MH light is in its own rectangular metal box that is separate from the bulb area.

CFLs are "sell-ballasted"--that, is they have a ballast at the base of the bulb. The bigger the CFL, the bigger the ballast will be. Check out the base of a 125w CFL. It's huge...it often has small vents on it. That's to keep the ballast inside from overheating.

It sounds like you're just getting started in growing. I have made the same suggestion on several different threads to other people. If any of this is too simple for you, sorry...just trying to get the information across. This is, IMO, the best, cheapest, and easiest way to grow 1-2 plants.

Get two 10" clamp lights at WalMart for $10, and get three Y-Adaptors for each of the lights (about $1.50 each). Buy four 26w Daylight CFLs (around $10 total). Starting with one of the clamp lights and one Y-adaptor, veg four plants in 16 ounce Red party cups. Daylight CFLs are ideal for this...keep them an inch or two from the plants, and have them on between 18 and 24 hours a day. (Different people prefer different amounts of light during the beg period.) As the plants get larger--past about 2 inches in height--transplant them into 5 or 6 inch square pots, and add two Y adaptors to the one you have in your clamp light. You can now use all 4 Daylight CFLs to keep vegging your plants.

When your plants are about 6-8 inches tall, transplant them into 3 gallon pots. But four more Daylight CFLs and make a second clamp light with four lights. Keep vegging until your plants are 10 inches tall, and then switch your daylight CFLs for 23w to 26w Warm white CFLs (about $10 for four) and "flip" your lights to 12/12. After a week or so, your plants will show signs of sex (check other threads on here for how to determine that) and you can throw out the males and concentrate on your females. Using Warm White CFLs, you can flower your plant until harvest. One of those clamp lights with four bulbs is fine for one plant; if your plant is tall (over 24"), you might want to use the other light to give some side lighting. CFLs aren't so good for canopy penetration. One clamp light with four bulbs can flower a plant well; this set up of two lights/eight bulbs will double that. You'll end up with a nice 22-30" plant or two.

Total lighting cost

Two clamp lights--$20
Six Y-adaptors--$10
Eight Daylight bulbs--$20
Eight Warm White bulbs--$20
TOTAL--$70

[sitjaspliff]

thanks man great tutorial. would love one of those wal-marts here seem to have everything. thanks man.

[bigtopsfinn]

I'm guessing your in Europe... I don't know about over where you are, but CFL's here in Finland are expensive, we don't have the Y socket splitters, nor do we have those clamp light fixtures. For me, it was more reasonable to spend a little extra money to get the HID setup...

Udopea | Headshop | Growshop | Shishashop | Shishas | Bongs | Pfeifen | Pflanzenzucht - Einsteiger-Sets (http://www.udopea.de/index.php/cat/c529_Starter-Kits.html)

Add in a cooltube and shipping, probably about â?¬300 total, and you will grow a really nice plant. You can use the hps from about week 2 of veg to finish.