Compact Fluorescent Light Discussion

[BobBong]

5 CoolWhite CFL's @ 45=150w,2800L.

5 WarmWhite Incandescents for an added red haze. notice the red hue in the pictures,the wall should be off-white not pinkish orange.

Incandscent isn't ideal obviously.. they create a lot of heat...


Yes, i'm sweating like a dog, but my plant has great airflow...:stoned:

[theweedman14141414]

VERY nice thread allive done several grows myself and have never tryed a cfl grow from what i can see it looks great...props too all and bob love ur threads....garden knowm was wondering if i could possible get a link or and info u may have on ur book? ty all for ur info and support

[knna]

Very nice buds, BB. Im very happy with mines, very good quality, but yours are so compact!:dance:

I think maybe the incans make the difference. Ive heard that in the "golden years", when HPS and MH dont exist, people growing with fluos supplement them with incans to increase yield, but ive never seen this put in practice. But what ive heard is that only with 25w incan bulbs is enough. I will try it, or maybe try with 730nm leds, because the question is the fluo's lacking of far red.

[mobay]

bob i have been checking your thread out and you have do a good job growing using cfl's. you helped me to grow using cfls, now i have 4/ 125w reds in now. hope to do well with cfl's.

[GrowinGreen23]

NICE!

GG23

[Mikey The Pothead]

Bong, how do i install the sockets when i cant plug them in the wall?

[Mikey The Pothead]

nvm Bong, can i see the pictures of how you installed your lights please? thank you

[keeko]

this is a great thread, i think this convinced me to not use an hps just yet, just a bunch of cfls

[BobBong]

this is a great thread, i think this convinced me to not use an hps just yet, just a bunch of cfls

I'm happy! sometimes , not all the time.. but sometimes people get way in over their head thinking they need an HPS and heavy duty equipement to grow successfully. sometimes the best thing to do is start small, and get larger.. this i believe apply's to all horticulture.. after all.. they do start as seed.

Here's some more pics, it's pretty dry, been hanging for 4 days..i'm going to be removing the buds from the stem and bagging the harvest for another week.

smells...good in here...

yes, my camera sucks for super close ups, but you can clearly see the sparkle of crytals on the bud.

Cheers,
Bob.:stoned:

[the image reaper]

GREAT work, Bob ... :thumbsup:

[Pothead4204life]

How many CFL's (wattage and lumens) do u you recommend on one plant....

I have a 30w CFL=2000 lumens 125 equivalent 6000k

Will that work?

[CChrisgat05]

im impressed

[Mikey The Pothead]

BobBong, why didnt u reply to my post?

[BobBong]

BobBong, why didnt u reply to my post?

Sorry Mikey, i missed your replies on at the bottom of the 2nd page there...

I've wired the sockets as a parrallel circuit, so that i'm able to turn on individual lights as opposed to having to have all on at the same time

The configuration of the bulbs will vary.

You CAN set it up in a series circuit, but i do not suggest this, as you'll need to have all the lights on in order for any of them to work. Similar to some christmas lights...

Hope this helps.. and remember to excercise caution when working with 120vAC but especially if you're in europe where the voltage is 220v . When wiring anything please use common sense... don't have any water around, make your work neat and proper...make sure that leads do not contact eachother anywhere and USE A POWER BAR WITH A CIRCUIT BREAKER ON IT.

this is helpful if you do have a short.. the powerbar will recognize the short and cut the power to your setup.

And of course.. please.. invest in a fire extinguisher... even if it's a 2lb one.

I finally bought a fire extinguisher this year... the day i bought it, my uncle had to use to an hour later.. as some idiot had thrown a lit cigarette butt over their balcony and it landed in an open box on our balcony..

Fire...is more dangerous than anyone of us tend to believe...please don't burn your place down...

Happy and SAFE constructing..

Bob.

The switches in the Parrallel Circuit are optioinal switches... this can be from the on/off on your power bar..or...if you buy on/off light sockets with a chain.

many of my lights are simply directly powered on by the power bar.. but i can turn off any light i wish by simply pulling the chain

Don't simply wire up a light socket to a cord and plug it into the wall... this is proabably not the best idea...and if you're not sure that what you've done is 100% correct before powering on, then you should BE sure...you're dealing with electricity and high enough voltage to serious harm or even kill people...so simply use common sense.. if you can't do that then you shouldn't be growing anyway

[BobBong]

How many CFL's (wattage and lumens) do u you recommend on one plant....

I have a 30w CFL=2000 lumens 125 equivalent 6000k

Will that work?

That's the proper bulb to start out with, but you'll need more than one if you expect a half decent plant out of it.

try 3..and see how one plant does, then if needbe add more

[JakeTheCorgi]

i thought about doing cfl's exclusively...but the wiring problems sort of turned me off. The 4ft shop lights at home depot are $7 and twopacks of bulbs are $3 and they plug right into an outlet strip. I asked around about utility string lights like latewood suggested but no one has heard of them. The closest thing anyone at HD could hype me to was 'clamp lights' that are a socket connected to a plug in cord with a large aluminum (sp) reflector. they were about $8 without the bulb. i'm going to get some cfls just to strew about the grow room during flower......when i get some scratch.

(i found a joint named 'the light bulb depot' on the side of the road, i'm excited to see what kind of wattage they have.....weird how growing changes the topics of your interest)

[Mikey The Pothead]

BobBong, thanks.. i have one more question how many plants are you growing under those 6 cfls, and if you use a fan what kind?

[Mikey The Pothead]

BobBong, i remember we studied Series and parallel circuits in grade 9 science, but i don't remember anything from it, so if possible can you please explain to me how do i connect my bulbs as a parallel circuit? thank you

[slowthestone]

just adding to the cfl show

[attachment=o69633]

[attachment=o69634]

[GcTooL]

about to harvest my first grow this week bob, how much did that cfl grow yeild for you im thinking about following a setup simmilar to yours for my second grow

[knna]

BobBong, have you notice differences adding the incans or you never grow with CFL without incans?

[BobBong]

BobBong, have you notice differences adding the incans or you never grow with CFL without incans?

Yes.... yes i have. I've notived a heat difference too :P

incandescents can only assist the light spectrum in achieving a more red ambience

On another note though... I've completed the grow.. bringing my present farming career to an end. It was good and i feel i've gained enough knowledge to be able to grow under many different circumstances.. using.. any kind of light. Perhaps i will grow again.. perhaps.. i doubt this will be my last grow.. but for now...

:smokin:

[BobBong]

Post cut.

[HapaPride]

when purchasing CFL's the package gives a
x watt amount but only uses x amount watts

when i see people posting they are using a 125w... are they using the lights that say "125w but only uses 65w" lights?

basically is the 125w the actual watts or is say the 65w the actual watts

[keeko]

hapapride, the way i understand it is that the 65watts is the amount of energy being used by the light, but the output is the 125w, so thats how much your plant is getting from that one bulb.......somebody correct me if im wrong though.

[Pothead4204life]

When someone says they are using a 105 watt CFL, they are actually using a 105 CFL..its Equivalant to a 400 watt incadescent

[HapaPride]

keeko thanks for the info

Pothead4204life so are you saying... for example, the package would read 400w but uses only 105w? I am not sure if you understand the question, maybe you do and i am just not understanding you

[Pothead4204life]

If the package says 105 watt CFL, they are actually only using 105 watts....if you look around the package, it will state the equivalancy to an incandescent

[HapaPride]

^^ ok ok ... gotcha... so it is being compared to if you were to use a incandescent.... thanks!

[biker0752]

Im pretty sure I read somewhere about infrared light increasing resin or thc later in flowering, was wondering if incadescent would be good for this purpose as incandescent puts out alot of light in the infrared spectrum.

any coments on this

[latewood]

Bob, Hope you don't mind, but I am going to post a link to a cfl, buying thread that has some great buys, and alot of bulb co's...latewood

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=69431

later,

[grubbygit]

Been reading a bit about 'Sunstreamer' lights from the States...is it available in the UK?.....or is there an equivalent thats available. The lighting options available locally seem poor.

[Aaron385]

hey im noticing some of these compact floros are coming with digital internals now..

so the question is now how to overdrive them like their long and skinny counterparts.. I know in the early days of overdriving regular floros you would buy two fixtures and take the ballast out of one and put it in the other.. I guess here you would have to buy two bulbs then take the ballast out of one bulb and add it to the other.. net result is 1.7x brightness with very very little if any lost efficiency (it does not draw 2x the power if I understand correctly).

Worst case if you buy digitals now then when you replace them next year you can keep their ballasts and put them in new bulbs for overdrive.. in a few years you could be up to a 4x overdrive at no additional cost.

Anyone up for comments on this?? Please no "mommy said not to play with electricity" posts.. if you dont have any idea what I am talking about dont post your doomsday predictions please.. just go search and read about it here:

http://www.geocities.com/teeley2/overdrv1.html

[latewood]

I just noticed for the 1st time Bob; You wired your cfl's on a board with common receptacles just like I did...Cool

I actually took all the pictures for a DIY 600wcfl board, like the ones in you piks, I used romex. I never posted, because you seemed to have a handle on the cfl crowd, and there were so many other grow issues to deal with to help take some of the load off Z...peace, lw:smokin:

uncle woody's tidbit:I added an inline receptacle box in the corner
to have a source for my little fans and/or an airpump. All in one convenient board.

[latewood]

when purchasing CFL's the package gives a
x watt amount but only uses x amount watts

when i see people posting they are using a 125w... are they using the lights that say "125w but only uses 65w" lights?

basically is the 125w the actual watts or is say the 65w the actual wattsNO...cfl's come in wattages from 4w to 200w, Now!:D A common 42-45w cfl you could buy at wally's for 8bucks uses 42-45 watts but give off the light of a 150watt incandescent bulb, but is cooler and uses that much less electricity.

So when someone in here says I got the 125 watt...It means they bought the bigass 125w cfl which would give off 500 watts of light, but only use the electricity of a 125watt incandescent.

does this answer your question?:smokin:

[knna]

Aaron, you can overdrive floros, but doing it is like throw dollars by your window. Its a very expensive practice.

Floros decreases its efficiency when overdriven, near to halogens efficiency ratings, and burns very quickly. No $ at pennys...

[Aaron385]

the way i understood it..

a 2x overdrive (2 ballasts on one bulb) equals 1.7 x brightness

Since digital ballasts are built for it they automatically run at less than rated capacity (~1.7/2).

You can go up to a 4x overdrive (4 ballasts on one bulb) but this will only net a 2.4x brightness level.. same deal on ballasts.. Bulbs will last over a year.. which is about as long as you probably normally keep floros on plants.. well.. its as long as I do.. haha.. my old floros replace lights in my house and fresh ones go in the grow room.. haha

The moral of my question is.. and I dont mean to call your input BS or anything.. but where did that info come from? (note: my source is listed above).

I'd hate to lose a good idea because somebody somewhere said.. something.. there are alot of people that post bad things about overdriving floros but the ones I have spoke to in the past had virtually no basis for their negativity and had never tried it.. the ones that did do it swear by it.. anyone out there overdrivin?

[mobay]

hey bob just wanted to post some pics on your thread, with using cfl lights.

[HapaPride]

NO...cfl's come in wattages from 4w to 200w, Now!:D A common 42-45w cfl you could buy at wally's for 8bucks uses 42-45 watts but give off the light of a 150watt incandescent bulb, but is cooler and uses that much less electricity.

So when someone in here says I got the 125 watt...It means they bought the bigass 125w cfl which would give off 500 watts of light, but only use the electricity of a 125watt incandescent.

does this answer your question?:smokin:
:thumbsup: thank you so much.... that answered it perfectly clear...

[hairboy 1]

I have a question, its my first time growing the 4 plants that I have can produce clones thier about 12-24 inches in height. so when cab I put the small clones into flowering?I will be using 400 HPS for flowering.

[Dutch Pimp]

Great pictures guys!
Glad to see others have good results with these CFL's.

I'd like to point out that this lighting is ideal for "Noob" grows.. If you have the knowledge,money and space to get HPS or MH , then by all means.. do. your results will be tenfold.

But.. for those who can't do the 1000watt MH in every room of your house... CFL's are handy.

I'm going on about 3 weeks to harvest
...here are a couple pics.
Whew! For a minute there.... I was getting ready to throw my 400HPS Hortilux in the garbage can. The tenfold results: I like that better. If you're going to be a bear!.......be a grizzly!

[iStayblunted]

i got a question.

what is the least watts you should use for a good crop
500 the least?

[iStayblunted]

will these do the job if so which one will be best:)

[yankeesgirl83]

Thought you might like to see these. http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=71042

I've been following this thread for a while. I can't wait to read the FAQ.

[Pothead4204life]

hey istayblunted...you don't want to use soft white..you want to use a "cool" 6000k for veg...and a "warm" 3000orless bulb for flower...got it?...good.....

[iStayblunted]

hey istayblunted...you don't want to use soft white..you want to use a "cool" 6000k for veg...and a "warm" 3000orless bulb for flower...got it?...good.....
thanks man..

[bongsmoker]

nice looking girls you got there bob.

[green goblin]

Hey Bob, I was thinking of getting a 200watt hydrofarm CFL Light. Well that be enough light for a grow start to finish?

[paranoyed42Reasons]

i just got a cfl light today and saw instant improvement granted i was using just regular 75w bulbs and i expected improvement but not this quick it might be the ferts kickingin but i think that it was the light

Thanks ALL!!!!!!!!

[noodlesqld]

CFL's give us about 45-65 lumens per watt.


just a quick question i have a few 15w cfl's that have a rating of 6500k lumens and i was wondering what equation you are using to get this figure is it, 6500k divided by 15 watts, as for me this workes out to 433.33 lumens per watt or do you use the full wattage i.e 15w =75w output, such as 6500k divided by 75 watts= which equal about 86.6 lumens per watt.

i think i might have just answered my own question there are the second equation is much closer to your results. :rasta::stoned: :D

good job bob this thread and your grow logs will be the basis for my grow keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

[Pothead4204life]

just a quick question i have a few 15w cfl's that have a rating of 6500k lumens and i was wondering what equation you are using to get this figure is it, 6500k divided by 15 watts, as for me this workes out to 433.33 lumens per watt or do you use the full wattage i.e 15w =75w output, such as 6500k divided by 75 watts= which equal about 86.6 lumens per watt

no...your taking the color temp dividing the wattage...what you need to do is take the lumens and divide it by the wattage....2000lumens/30watts=66 something lumens per watt

[noodlesqld]

thanks for that :dance:

[weedheaduknow]

hey istayblunted...you don't want to use soft white..you want to use a "cool" 6000k for veg...and a "warm" 3000orless bulb for flower...got it?...good.....
what should i use for just the germination process until flowering?? and the bulbs that u described, is that good enough for just one plant or how many?? thanks in advance!!

[Pothead4204life]

use cool for seedling and veg..

[sailfish7]

SO here it is please let me know what you guys think.. Im growing in a 2ft by 2ft by 5ft space. Im using 1 105w cfl 5000k, 1 43w cfl 2700k, 4 23w cfl 2700k and 2 19w cfl 5000k. supernatural 20-20-20 supernatural 11-31-15
superthrive.. whole area is lined with mylar top to bottom.. my wuestion is should i chang these lights around . i thought of getting another 105 w and another 43w and doing away with the smaller ones or puttinf them on the sides any inputs

[Pothead4204life]

i say keep them all...if room permits

[kdspecial]

I have a box right now with a light T5 sunsystem 2ft 4 bulb fixture. Its working well for growing right now and the guy told me as long as I have mixed bulbs 2 red and 2 blue I should be fine for flowering as well. but I want to start another box and wanted to use Home Depot as my light source instead of 280 CAD for another T5 light.

I like the Fluros cuz the Heat factor so I wanted to use them will they be as effective as my Light from the plant store? Or should I look into getting a 150W Hps which i saw at home depot to mix with the CFLs

one more question I can use Cfls for both cycles Warm lights for flowering 2700K and Colder lights for growing? 6500K or should I keep a mix of them through both cycles? The Hps bulb is tempting and Im pretty sure It fits into a reqular socket 125V 660W As I have herd Hps is better for bigger buds. but if its going to mean more hassle from heat than I dont want to bother.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

kd_special

[Dazed4now]

i read somewhere that if your using CFLs you shouldnt bother adding co2 because there isnt enough lumens for the plant to process it.
Is this true?

[BobBong]

i read somewhere that if your using CFLs you shouldnt bother adding co2 because there isnt enough lumens for the plant to process it.
Is this true?

That is right. a co2 generator will not work with low intensity lighting.

Look for co2 soil suppliments (if they exsist in your area)

[BLaQLiGhT]

This CFL light stuff seems pretty good, Nice grows BObBong :thumbsup: . I have one question for you man, What type of lights are you using? The warm, soft, or cool light CFL? I was looking almost everywhere to see if you posted it already but i couldn't find it...

[scottjamez]

Item: FC85/S65
Name: 85 Watt - Full Spectrum - High Definition - 6500 Kelvin - Compact Fluorescent - 85W/SPRING/65K
Description:World-Class Full Spectrum Designer Phosphors Guarantees High Lumen Maintenance And Excellent Color Rendering 85 Watt
Full Spectrum High Definition
Approximate Incandescent Equivalent: 350 Watts
Save 265 Watts in Energy
Color or Hue = Stark White, 6500 Kelvin

[BLaQLiGhT]

That would be a VeG light man, I got my question answered and found that the Warm white lights and from flowering and The one you have now would be for VeG. I think the Warm white light could do a good veg to though :p . notorious P.O.T is only using " a daylight 42 watt cfl @ 6500 kelvin and a soft 50 watter thats at 3500 kelvin, and his grow is doing better then perfect. " I just bought one 42 watt Warm white lights @ 2700 kelvin ( I plan on getting another ) from my local home depot and One 30 watt Soft white @ 3000 kelvin I already had from lowes. I have one plant that is doing just fine @ day 16 of flowering I think. PiC at bottom... I would say all you need now is two or three 42 watt warm white lights now and you willl be on your way to growign your own bud :thumbsup: ...
Here is notorious P.O.Ts' grow : http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=70383

[orangeman]

I'm actually considering just growing with strictly CFL's. BobBong got a fuckin good yield. I wouldnt mind substituting a HID light with those CFL's Bob's using :).

[Kaparski]

Hey I got a question for you all. Ive done research on the net and here and found a good bulb that I can buy nearby. BTW: my plant is a seedlings at this point. The bulb is called a Philips Daylight Twist 27W ($15 w/tax for 2).

Stats:

Compact Flourscent
5000k Cool [Spectrum]
100w/27w Equivilant
Lumin = 1600
CRI: 82-83

Now the issue is that I called up their support and I mentioned that I was growing plantation and they mentioned that it wasnt suitable for growing. Something to do with wavelengths (which I thought the 5000k was for). Then she tells me they sell Incandescents that do that sort of thing. Frankly, I thinks shes dumb but I need a second option. I dont wanna plop another 15 for bulbs....

[iwantFUEGO]

that will work for vegging.

[orangeman]

Bob, I think you should do a grow with just CFL's and not the incandescents. I'm really curious to how it would effect the yield. Because with the yields your getting I might just grow with CFL's and might not buy a HPS. It seems less suspicious to purchase CFL's and they save electricity and from your logs they seem to give a pretty good yield.

[BLaQLiGhT]

Bob, I think you should do a grow with just CFL's and not the incandescents. I'm really curious to how it would effect the yield. Because with the yields your getting I might just grow with CFL's and might not buy a HPS. It seems less suspicious to purchase CFL's and they save electricity and from your logs they seem to give a pretty good yield.

Happy to see you are considering Converting to CompactFluorescentism :p ...

[scottjamez]

Okay, thought this would be an appropriate thread to ask for opinions...

Just received an order for bulbs I placed. Here is what I got, please tell if you think I am off on the Kv scale with the colors. Also, how much space do you think these lights will fill?

2X 85W/SPRING/65K

and then swap for these when flowering...

2X 65W/SPRING/30K 65W, 3000 Kelv

The 3000 KV bulbs are 300 watt equiv.
The 6500 are 350 watt each.

BTW... These bulbs are HUGE. Like maybe 10 inches each and 6 inch wide.

Thoughts?

[noodlesqld]

seems like you are on the right track mate :thumbsup:

good luck cant wait to see a grow log :dance: :dance:

[scottjamez]

With a 350 watt cfl, how close should it be kept to the top of a baby seedling?

[Blunt420]

wat kind of bulbs should i use for vegging, someone said it gives off a red sort of light?

[BobBong]

wat kind of bulbs should i use for vegging, someone said it gives off a red sort of light?

if you search around the answer is all around you. literally. i believe even in this thread.



I'm going to be cleaning up this thread over the next few days.. you'll notice i've merged 2 other threads into it... hence the jump in number of replies and views.


This will be much more informative..and condensed.. like a true "faq".

[the budster]

im new too this site and am currently growing 1 plant its about 2ft and all the small leaves are starting too shrivel up and die can u plz help me , is my plant dying or wot.

[slowthestone]

GE has a new CFL on the market, to the tune of 1600 lumens @ 6500K.

Sold in a two pack at wally world for $6.44...which is a good sign that 6500K bulb's prices are coming down. I've purchased single bulbs that are 6500K, for more than the two-pack costs.

[xkamikaze9x]

Hi all, I just registered due to this thread. It's been enormously helpful in setting up my closet.

I'm using bagseed which I germinated in a paper towel. I've got one that has germinated thus far and is planted, but had some questions.

So far I have 4 x 42 watt CFLs giving off ~2600 lumens each. I plan on expanding this to 6 bulbs soon. I assume this is adequate for a 2' x 2.5' grow space? Also, having just planted one of the seeds under the soil, how much light should it get? I have a timer setup so I can make it 18 on/6 off when I actually see a plant emerge, so should I stick with that now or leave it on 24 hours? Lastly, where are you guys getting your color spectrum info for the bulb. I looked all over the packaging and couldn't find it. It's the 42 watt CFL sold at Home Depot under the name Commercial Electric.

I bought Miracle Gro organic soil to plant it in, but saw it recommended mixing it with ordinary topsoil. Anyone have experience with this? Are there going to be too many nutes for a baby seedling?

Any advice would be appreciated. I'll post pics once the Mylar I ordered comes in and the closet looks all nice and neat.

[quantumgod]

hello bob. i would just like to say thanks for all the information you have passed to all of us who have been following this thread so closely. if i had just one question to ask you, it would be about your germination. did you really germinate your seeds directly in the soil? is this a practice you plan to continue using? this is how i also germinate, but i've been considering other alternatives. i've noticed alot of noobies seem to have alot of trouble with germination and tend to blame it on the seeds. any isight would be helpful. thanks bob. we all love you and appreciate you. mark.

[qdavid]

I'm veryimpressed. My setup is simiiliar to yours. I have four
42w cfl, mylar, computer fan, in small 32"x27"x16" cabinet. I just need the seeds ordrered (from two different places). I can only hope I do half as good as you. Congrats! I'll try LST first grow, then I want to clone a girl and ScrOG. My concerns right now are watering and nutes. My impression with that right now is "less is more" ,or "moderation in all". Good job!

[quantumgod]

hey qdavid, if i may offer some advice on seeds, then allow me to recommend the seedbank review. i think u just go to seedbankreview.com. but i got burnt more than once online. seedbank review lets u know if they really ship international or not. always got burnt from those who ship in cd cases. it never worked for me. always got letter from airport saying "cannabis seeds confiscated and destroyed". but i did receive seeds from some others. and they're good seeds. i wish u luck. p.s. if u ordered from 2, u should get atleast 1 of them.

[Tupamaro]

now is there any important CFL's you need to buy for flowering and vegging? or is it just CFL. for reg. flourescent it's cool for vegging and warm for flowering, correct?

[bluntman2006]

now is there any important CFL's you need to buy for flowering and vegging? or is it just CFL. for reg. flourescent it's cool for vegging and warm for flowering, correct?yup that right,has any one used a bulb like this 105 Watt Compact Fluorescent Spiral Light Bulb 5000 K it says it have 6900 lumens wow!

[dookieface]

Hey, i was wondering how big did you grow the plant? oh yea, and what did you do about the smell??

[BobBong]

Hey, i was wondering how big did you grow the plant? oh yea, and what did you do about the smell??

Hey dookie good question. It was hard to control in a small apartment, and made me fairly paranoid for a while. I kept my window open all the time. and Incense was kept going almost all the time but mainly at peak smelly hours like the start of the day and end of the day. :stoned:
Ozium Helps....Ionized/glycolized deodorant air sanitizater. I'll find a picture for you (there is one kicking around i know it.)

other than it was generally luck, I minded my own business and didn't make it know that i was growing .. well, besides here. A general level of paranoia comes with growing... which can either work for.. or against you.. depending on how well you handle it.
Just be smart. The plant only really stinks for a few weeks.. and there are simple ways to mask and deodorize it. just research. I know it seems silly..but we could very easily write a cannabis.com growing book given the amount of information collected on growing. It just needs to be found. It's right infront of you :)

Besides, everything i learned. I learned here and from a growing book that a friend leant me (I know know more about growing than him). Observing. understanding simple science helps.. math... I mean, i hate to say it...some people just simply should NOT grow, given their circumstances.

Never grow in your parents house without their knowledge.

Please..

It's insulting.


There is no and never will be one said, one given or one proven way to "grow". Every seed, every plant, every strain, every grow and every growER... are different.

Some plants will smell from early veg stages, some will never smell up until the day you cut them.
It's nature,baby.:rasta:

I hope i didn't ramble to much for ya. I know i don't pay enough attention to this thread as there's almost a daily flow of viewers.
And again, i appologize...but hey, you know how it is.

I will continue the cleanup and refining of this thread and soon hope to post a very informative recipe on how to make CannaButter for medicinal and recreational consumption.

Cheers all, stay stoned. ( you can always find me in the chat )
Happy Growing,
Bob.

[medicinaluseonly]

Are those little flouresent lights all you use to grow, and what strain of plant is that, I use 2- 3' florescent and a 250 w. hps, mine are about 3 mos old and only 18" high, white widow>< going on to 12-12 now, first time indoors.

[White Widowmaker]

Can anyone tell me whether it is worth buying feminised seeds for £35?

I want a second generation in some way or another, so can this be acheived with all females, taking a cutting from my best plants?

Plus I don't have a clue about the sex of plants. I always thought they were asexual...if I were to have males and females growing in the same area, could someone advise me what risks are present (in terms of spoiling the crop) and their recommended precautions to counteract them? Do I even need males to enter the equation in order to harvest in the future, using just the basic 10 female seeds bought from the internet?

If males are anywhere near females they will pollinate them and this is NOT good, right?

When people say cuttings, do they basically just meant a branch of the plant cut off and stuck into a fresh pot?

Someone willing and divine please divulge their omniscient knowledge of this complex matter:D

[White Widowmaker]

I have a cupboard with a floor area of 1.1m x 60cm, which extends to over 5ft in height.

Could anyone tell me how many plants can safely be grown in this space, and whether I should use the normal method or the sea of green method?

THX

[oliwog]

hey white widowmaker i think its defo worth buying feminised seeds especially at £35, i paid £40 for mine i spent the same on 20 unfeminised seeds and ended up with 1 female which was really shit you dont want males they will pollinate females if they are in the same room as the pollen is spread from plant to plant in the air circulation (wind)
the plants arnt asexual they are either male or female although you may get mutations which can make the plants both sexes doesnt happen a lot tho this is called a hermaphrodite
i grow mine in a small clothes wardrobe probably about 1metre in lentgh across and bout 2m in height its not very wide tho i can get 10 plants in there comfortably
its up to u if u get feminised but id rather spend that lil extra to garuntee they are all females
people say that the sex is genetic and cant be changed i feel this isnt true as if the plants get a deffiency or too much of something or stressed jus before you flower they is more chance they will be male
oh and if you leave males in there and they pollinate the females youl jus be left with a fuck loada seeds and no bud
throw away any males you get asap unless u want to get seeds to grow more plants

[White Widowmaker]

Cheers oliwog,

I think I am definately gonna get all females. Did you use a Sea of Green in your small cupboard?
Or do you think I should utilise the height of my cupboard for better results? Iv'e heard that indoor plants get thin and weak when they grow too tall and I obviously don't want to risk ruining their structure.

[Horsefeathers]

I'm starting my first grow. I've been reading as much as I can about closet growing techniques and have been an outdoor vegetable gardener for some time so I have experience with a lot of the basics.
I've also assembled an assortment of regular fluorescent tubes and CFL.

Some 6500k
Total lumens = 9514
Total watts = 280

And some 3100k and 2700k
Total lumens = 9200
Total watts = 380

I understand using the 6500k for veg stage and the 3100k and 2700k for flowering.
I'd like to use them all for veg and flowering. That would give 660 watts total.

Would the 3100k and 2700k help at all during the veg stage and would the 6500k help for flowering?

P.S.
BobBong, your information has been invaluable! Without it I would never have seen how easy it can be to grow some fine bud. I feel like I owe you part of my first crop! (I'll need to save some for research purposes:rasta:)
Thanks, thanks, and thanks again.

[Horsefeathers]

I just returned some of my tubes and picked up more CFLs

Now I have:

6500k
Total lumens = 17,385
Total watts = 780

2700k
Total lumens = 5400
Total watts = 300

That's quite a bit more 6500k. Is there any reason to add the 2700k to the veg time? I'm trying to grow two lovely ladies from bag seeds.

[Horsefeathers]

Would the 3100k and 2700k help at all during the veg stage and would the 6500k help for flowering?


Actually that's a pretty dumb question :o seeing as BobBong basically exclusively used something similar to 6500k for veg and flowering.
I guess my question would be, would the 2700k be beneficial at all to the veg stage?

[iceybuds]

i see u have 3 42w compact fluorescents and everyone else usually has 400 watt hps
did u add an hps light or did u keep the compact fluorescent lights the whole way, even through flowering

i dont really kno wut im talking about im just trying to learn so i can start my own plant

[DaBoyWeb]

A 600W 88000 lumens a 400W 55000 lumens

[GreenShamen]

hey bobbong.. great grows and info.. really lookin forward to ur next grow.. any plans to have another one soon?

[iceybuds]

i was wondering how u got so many crystals on there i dont see anyone elses anything close to urs

[Cornelius]

I just ordered 2 warm white odor control CFLs

http://www.fresh2.com/light-bulbs.html

as I understand it these are for real

23w (~100w)

2700K

[kblovr]

BobBong are you still around You are truely my new hero. I have just read every thread going back to april 05. I am new to forum but am amazed by your results. I am sitting here over wealmed by the cost of getting things rolling and you have "brightened" my day. I Do have a few questions though that i could not find in the threads.
1. Is there a difference good or bad in using 2 ft tube fl vs. cfl
2. Would this light source work for hydroponics (electrical risks not included)
3. Where did you get your Weed grower degree!!! Some people are thankfull for people in the military social workers firefighters... To hell with them you truely make our world a better place... at least helping to forget we live in it.
Thanks for the detail and updates its amazing you find the time us "potheads" are not very good at remembering or doing what we plan while enojying fruits of labor.

[BobBong]

BobBong are you still around You are truely my new hero. I have just read every thread going back to april 05. I am new to forum but am amazed by your results. I am sitting here over wealmed by the cost of getting things rolling and you have "brightened" my day. I Do have a few questions though that i could not find in the threads.
1. Is there a difference good or bad in using 2 ft tube fl vs. cfl
2. Would this light source work for hydroponics (electrical risks not included)
3. Where did you get your Weed grower degree!!! Some people are thankfull for people in the military social workers firefighters... To hell with them you truely make our world a better place... at least helping to forget we live in it.
Thanks for the detail and updates its amazing you find the time us "potheads" are not very good at remembering or doing what we plan while enojying fruits of labor.

:)
Thanks alot bud, you made my day "brighter" to !

In response to your 2ft. tubes vs. cfl it could really just depend on the output of the bulb. The 2ft tubes are high output if i'm not mistaken and if you have the room for it.. it may not be a bad idea. You would want to compare the difference in specsifications on the bulbs.. kelvin temp, wattage, lumen are all things to be considered. The nice thing about the CFL's is the size and ease of which you can set them up. most of them use a medium sized standard socket wich can be setup very easily using parrallel circuits and ceramic fixtures. Or even pre-fab'd fixtures.. as we've seen. CFL's can be cheapers, but aren't always.. there are varying size of CFL also, going as high as 125watts+ in one bulb.
Fluorescent lighting CAN be used for hydro, i've recently learned this from talks with specific growers..(although may not be news to some) As long as you have a light source that can support the plant in the proper spectrum.. the difference between hydro and soil is in the medium. Not the light.

Now weed growing degree here :) Just simple understanding of physics, science and nature.

Understand what the plant needs.. and you'll know exactly what it wants.

Cheers and stay stoned,
Bob.

[BobBong]

Actually that's a pretty dumb question :o seeing as BobBong basically exclusively used something similar to 6500k for veg and flowering.
I guess my question would be, would the 2700k be beneficial at all to the veg stage?

You want to give the seedling and plant as much blue as possible.. this means keeping as much red away from it as possible..until you begin flowering.

Hope this helps.

Bob.

[kblovr]

Thanks for the reply
Ok well I am pretty much ready i guess thank you. I only have 2 other things if you know. What light to plant ratio is a safe bet. I want to use an 8 pot hydro setup in a modified shower!! who needs to be clean as long as your high. I am almost 30 so not wanting to have a crazy amount but you know. Also way off topic but have you used a seed bank or know of people who do this is 90% of my paranoia so any reassurance would help. Once again Thanks
R U currently working I havent seen a new batch in a while.

[kblovr]

also are actuall mirrors in a room a good thing? light reflecting purposes

[kblovr]

oh and 1 more thing then ill burn in hell i promise what was your average yield per plant under cfl

[Horsefeathers]

You want to give the seedling and plant as much blue as possible.. this means keeping as much red away from it as possible..until you begin flowering.

Hope this helps.

Bob.

Thanks Bob.

[Horsefeathers]

I found this posted at
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=10956&page=2



From The Cannabis Bible by Greg Green:

CTT in Kelvin (K)/ Light Color/ Effect/

5000 to 8000/ Deep blue/ Encourages excellent leaf and stem growth.

4000 to 5000 / Light blue/ Encourages good leaf and
stem growth.

4000/ Neutral white/ Promotes normal growth.

3700 to 4000/ Warm neutral/ Promotes rapid growth.

3000 to 37000/ Warmer yellow neutral/ Highly active
photosynthesis for all stages of growth.

1500 to 3000/ Hot orange or red/ Promotes flowering.

[dsm711]

Don't use mirrors. The best thing for the walls is flat white paint.

[duckfool]

woot, just picked up a 105w (400w eq) 5000k bulb , and a 23w 2700k bulb for a pair of lowryders. im excited. the 105w is huuuge... over a foot long.

[kevbro]

hi i am new to this site so bare with, im doin my 2nd crop and am 3 weeks in and was wondering what sort ov hight the light (600wt) should be from the tops ov the plants? and since its big bud im growing ppl have told me to get a crop suport net is this realy a must? will the bud realy get that heavey?--repleys welcomed -thanks and cud use sum big bud photos if anyones growing it out there?:rasta:

[kblovr]

thanks for the replys guys anyone ever tried a 70w hps? only 50 bucks whoo hoo but i figured i find out if it was worth the effort first

[mistyganjatree]

hey what do i know, but,the compact flouros i have are large units!,, i mean large, the most common are agrolight, they kick arse, those look like white light mix compacts, and i would want to mix it with some grolux coloured lamps between, the agrolights come in veg and flowering bulbs, although i wouldnt recomend the flowering abilities of them, i just wonder what sort of light mix those are! they look almost like the type used in the lamps in my house,,, which are not IDEAL for growing, not enough blue!,,thats why i think the suplement of a growlux would make for very interessting developements growth wise!, a UV light or several would also be good!
but like i said what do i know ,

good luck man, stay cool.

[HeartCore]

I love this thread, very nice work and very informational.

[MacTruck]

Recently ive been thinking about doing an indoor grow with floros for cheap and I was looking at your setup and i had some questions about the way you wired your lights. Do you wire all the lights to a single cord? are they grounded? can u possibly show a pic of how they are wired

[JEFFAR420]

I got a fixture with 3 lights all wired up to 2 wires, then i had to buy a cord (which belonged to a halogen light) I had to cut off that connector and stip the the rubber casing around the wires so i could actually see some wire. Then i took the 2 wires from the fixture, and the 2 wires from my modified cord and twisted left with left and right with right, covered it up with electical tape and it works fine

[scottw225]

ok, I have a hypothetical question for you guys.. Lets say we have a grow box, 4'Lx 34"wx5.2'H. Lets say they used a 400w hid, but couldn't afford a vented hood, and due to privacy issues, they tried to enclose my box and the heat got too high, so they had to keep the front open. The garden, would be a sat strain, that requires many lumens, with the 400w hid was very successful and very very nice fruit. But due to privacy and secuity issues, we would use a pure Flouro Envoirment.

Lets say, there are 4 4' shop fixtures on each side of the box, 1 40w warm, and 1 40w cool in each fixture. So, 16 tubes, producing 3000+ lumens each. On the top, 3 150w cfl in clamped sockets producing 1700+ lumens each. Here is the question. In your experienced opinions, do you think it would be a successful endevor to grow a Sat strain, in the following envoirement?

If both 4' walls were covered with 7 4' shop lights each side with 1 ea warm/cool 40w, in a fixture. At one end there would 4 maybe 5 more shop lights, and that would add 8-10 more bulbs. The plant would be lst'd, so it would be bend toward the back, ---> Now, the top would be a Bat Wing reflector attached to a 2x4, Homedepot, sells little clamped light sockets that would be clamped on and the lights would be under it and adjusted to use the bat wing as the reflector. It would be adjustable, to be lowered and raised. Each side would be 3 socket with adaptors to hold 2 warm 150w cfls, for a total of 12. So lets do the math...
Each 4' side would have a totol of 14 bulbs @ 3000 lumens = 42000 lumens. so Both sides would be a total of 82000 lumens. The back side would add a minimum of 8 lights, producing 24000 lumens. So the plant would be surrounded with a total of 106000 lumens. Add the top, 12 lights producing 1700 lumens= 20000+ lumens. So there would over 120000 lumens of light,
Lets say the garden will be done in a DWC, instead of Soil. Do you think this would be enough to grow a Sativa Dom strain?

[MrMR]

hey what does CTT? mean

[doco]

That's plenty of light Scott but sativa can be quite tall.....youre gonna be busy trying to keep the plants tied down or topped...if your space is 5'2" and you have a 400w light that needs to be 15" or so from the tops...

[Pezzo]

i havent reli read the forum but your plants look very nice!

[Pezzo]

on the first page i mean lol

[MrMR]

So what does CTT? waht does it mean or stand for?

[JEFFAR420]

If you mean CCT, it stands for correlated color temperature and is mesured in kelvin (K)

[scottw225]

That's plenty of light Scott but sativa can be quite tall.....youre gonna be busy trying to keep the plants tied down or topped...if your space is 5'2" and you have a 400w light that needs to be 15" or so from the tops...

Yeah, i agree, i was wondering if the situation were only fluro's.. and the 400w hps wasn't going to used. instead use 10 150 warm cfl's under a bat wing for the top. that would be aprox 27000 lumens.. along with 100,000 lumens of the shop lights surrounding the plants..

[Horsefeathers]

ok, I have a hypothetical question for you guys.. Lets say we have a grow box, 4'Lx 34"wx5.2'H. Lets say they used a 400w hid, but couldn't afford a vented hood, and due to privacy issues, they tried to enclose my box and the heat got too high, so they had to keep the front open. The garden, would be a sat strain, that requires many lumens, with the 400w hid was very successful and very very nice fruit. But due to privacy and secuity issues, we would use a pure Flouro Envoirment.

Lets say, there are 4 4' shop fixtures on each side of the box, 1 40w warm, and 1 40w cool in each fixture. So, 16 tubes, producing 3000+ lumens each. On the top, 3 150w cfl in clamped sockets producing 1700+ lumens each. Here is the question. In your experienced opinions, do you think it would be a successful endevor to grow a Sat strain, in the following envoirement?

If both 4' walls were covered with 7 4' shop lights each side with 1 ea warm/cool 40w, in a fixture. At one end there would 4 maybe 5 more shop lights, and that would add 8-10 more bulbs. The plant would be lst'd, so it would be bend toward the back, ---> Now, the top would be a Bat Wing reflector attached to a 2x4, Homedepot, sells little clamped light sockets that would be clamped on and the lights would be under it and adjusted to use the bat wing as the reflector. It would be adjustable, to be lowered and raised. Each side would be 3 socket with adaptors to hold 2 warm 150w cfls, for a total of 12. So lets do the math...
Each 4' side would have a totol of 14 bulbs @ 3000 lumens = 42000 lumens. so Both sides would be a total of 82000 lumens. The back side would add a minimum of 8 lights, producing 24000 lumens. So the plant would be surrounded with a total of 106000 lumens. Add the top, 12 lights producing 1700 lumens= 20000+ lumens. So there would over 120000 lumens of light,
Lets say the garden will be done in a DWC, instead of Soil. Do you think this would be enough to grow a Sativa Dom strain?

Naw, that stuff won't get you anywhere. What you need to do is call NASA and have them bring you a star to put into your grow box. I suggest the most powerful one you could afford. In a grow box the size you're using you'll also have to get a black hole to suck up all the excess heat but the results will be worth it until you can afford to get something better. :D

[Deejay2163]

A t-5 setup might be just what you're looking for.

[nhalethesmoke]

i got a small set up going in my storage closet of my apt and iam using flouresent lights and 2 65 watt plant growth lights think ill harvest some dank shit

[doco]

My CFL experience: I was using a 95w CFL for seedlings and it was fine...it was in a hydrofarms reflector hood Temps wer about 75. My plan was to put a total of three 125w CFL's in for vegging and switch to 3 x 150w for flowering. When I put all three 125's in the closet and it got hot as hell and even with a Vortex exhaust and a Dayton intake fan and the temps are still pushing 90 degrees! So I am bagging the ultra high output CFL's and I just ordered a cool tube for a 400w HID and a Hydro Hut. I don't think all the ducting I had to do to make the closet work helped matters but hopefully a switch to the hut/cooltube will be better.

I have seen some amazing grows on this site with several smaller (23w - 65w)cfl's and I figured more is better but my experience is that with the big bulbs comes big bulb heat. The 95w was fairly cool and I know I've seen a couple people using 105w and not complaining about heat, but the 125's were pretty toasty and I can only guess what the 150's are like!

[chicago_white_guy]

I love it!

[JEFFAR420]

Thats a hermie my man, check out the balls under that top

[L3G10N]

^ what he said

[Dutch Masta]

Hmm.. guess I'll be the first to compliment that Bart Simpson lightswitch :D

[HerbalCONnaisseur]

what do yall think??

[JEFFAR420]

Lookin' Good, is it a girl?

[ate]

Hermie guy's getting some seeds. (the chicago white guy)

[chicago_white_guy]

yeah, i do have some seeds coming although it's not too bad.... lol. it's horrible. figured what the hell, go for it anyway. it's not like i have anything else to flower! i'll upload some pics in a little while... waiting on my batteries to charge

[Arklenao2]

mmmm hermie bud :D

[shaunyboy666]

Have you tried the twist method on any of your crops? When the growth gets to be 8" twist the stem until you here a crack, this produces thicker foliage and extra srong stem growth, i have tried this method and have reaped the rewards in the past, although on this crop i have been having problems with getting the right nutrient balance, the ends of my leaves seem to get singed for some reason. any suggestions

[wesley willis]

this thread makes me realize how bad i need a camera.

[smoking99]

Has anyone out there used Farm Tek ? I bought a few 125 watt cfl for $39.00 they have the best prices I could find. Most search engines should have farm tek. I found them with google. Happy Trails

[crare]

here are some pics of my current and my last grow.

setup is 3x 26w CFLs, 2x 40w floro tubes

was my first grow and i did a lot of stupid shit that cut down on my yield but the bud was pretty good. in my new grow, i'm definitely gonna keep the size of the plant WAY way down.

my first grow probably gave me maybe like 1oz - 2oz but some of the buds were really small and wispy. i threw a shitload of it into some brownies one night, ate them, and they didn't kick in til 7AM the next day at work. that was one messed up day.

i have a lot more pics also if anyone wants to see em. also here's a link to my grow log in the "closet/cabinet growing" section.

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=96272

CFLs will get you high. i'm gonna buy an HPS some day though and build a cab that i can manage more easily or start growin in my big closet.

[Splifted]

mmmm hermie bud :D

Here's some hermi bud for ya. The flower was bigger, but some fell off. But somehow, the bud its on is un-pollenated o_0?

[Hound]

I just returned some of my tubes and picked up more CFLs

Now I have:

6500k
Total lumens = 17,385
Total watts = 780

2700k
Total lumens = 5400
Total watts = 300

That's quite a bit more 6500k. Is there any reason to add the 2700k to the veg time? I'm trying to grow two lovely ladies from bag seeds.

You are using a total of 1080 watts of power. If you are paying $0.05 per kilowatt this will cost you approximately $29.16 per month ( $0.05 (rate) * 1.080 (Watts converted to kilowatt) * 18 hours ( time for veg substitute 12 for flowering) * 30 (days, average month days)).

You could go out and buy a 200 watt compact fluorescent that would give you 19,000 lumens with one bulb (another web page said it was 18,000 lumens but the company emailed me the specs so I believe them a little more). Now the cost per month same as above would be $5.40 per month (veg). You can find the bulbs at http://www.extremegrowing.com/lighting.html , I am not saying to buy from them but this is the bulb I got. They do not have the 200 watt on their website at this time, but do have it in the downloadable book.

If you want one, go to a hydroponics place and see what they have. If you are worried about being track by your purchases then pay CASH. I have two of these bulb one 6400K and 2700K and will be putting both to work soon. This will give me a total of 38,000 lumens close to what you get from a 400 watt HPS. I went with the CPF because the heat is less of a factor.

Just thought I would add my 2 cents worth.:D

[mudewater]

...does anyone know a good natural source of CO2...I have heard "dry ice"...seems a little sketchy(unefficient)...but if so, how is the ideal way to use it...P.S. I purchased a few T5 CFL's it's the way of the future...out:rastasmoke:

[hewhispers]

Ok, so I went to home depot to check out T5 tubes.
Geez they are thin! They didnt have T5 ballasts but had plenty of T8s

What is the difference between the 2?
Why are T5s good but not T8s?

Thanks!

[PassItToTheRight]

What kinda of timer do you use for your CFL set up. Can you have 3 or 4 different CFL's all going threw the same timer.

[420Paul]

What kinda of timer do you use for your CFL set up. Can you have 3 or 4 different CFL's all going threw the same timer.


You can have as many that can be plugged into the timer, and doesnt blow the circuit breaker, should be fine with 8 or 9 26wt's on the same plug.

[GRB.4.Life]

The difference between T5 and T8 is intially just the size of the bulb and the spacing of the prongs on the bulb.

But the difference between HOT5 (high-output T5) and T8 is TREMENDOUS.

What are T5 Lamps? | T5 Fluorescent Systems | Lighting Answers | NLPIP (http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightingAnswers/lat5/pc1.asp)

[dookieface]

dunno how to delete

[mspofford032579]

Hello all. Earlier in these threads, bobbong mentions being near finishing a faq for compact fluorescent growing. Anyone know where I can find it? Also, the link Text (http://cannabis.com/growing/growroom-How_can_i_build_a_compact_hood_with_an_integrated_ light_trap.html) contains great looking plans for a homemade lighting hood, but all the dimmensions on the schematics are blurry. Does anyone have the proper measurements? Thanks in advance. Trying to pass information on to a friend for research purposes. -Mark

[jaylinks]

hmmm i am saving up the loot to build a grow closet for around 750 bones with a 400hps/440mh but after reading this i am thinking building a small setup like yours and grow now to get my feet wet then upgrading to a bigger setup after a few grows i looking around for a cheap grow box i have some metal shop lights i could use with some 150w cfl's to grow 3 or 4 plants then learn to clone from there any ideas for cheap grow boxes?? :trooper:

[whitestalkslongwalks]

that is the exact item i bought a few of at walmart today; good cheap fixture for a cfl.

but i gotta say, i'm thinking of returning them, and going with a T5HO system instead; lumen per watt ratio seems a lot better. going to check what home depot has tomorrow.

[jaylinks]

and for 6 bones a good deal i tried them to see how well they work with a 100w cfl i could flag down aircraft lol just think with a 150wcfl..mahahahaha

i read about this on a old forum it is a " room air cleaner" and use a carbon filter to do it so maybe for a small grow like mine this would work... anybody try this?? they sell them at target??? for like 25 buck so they say.. i off to find one or two after work....:trooper:

thanks jay:weedpoke:

p.s here a link to targets site where it is
Target : Hamilton Beach True Air Plug&#45;Mount Odor Eliminator &#45; 04271 (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=sc_ri_1/602-1768092-9795009?ie=UTF8&asin=B000063D6F)

[Chrisg420]

quick question every1, i have one plant, its deff female, its got pistils up the ass. im currently running 4 CFL's on it, all warm white on a 12/12, should this be adequate enough? also any1 have a link to some T5HO's?

[khronik]

You forgot to mention the wattages, so I'm assuming they're about 25 watts each, in which case you have enough lights for significant budding. More will definitely improve your yield, but that's your call.

Here's a link to some T5s for ya: High Tech Garden Supply (http://www.htgsupply.com/growlights.asp?categoryID=1&subcategoryID=107&typeID=70)

[Chrisg420]

mine are actually 30 watt CFL's, im now runnin 5 bulbs

[bluecraze08]

i have 4 65w cfl's in this locker in my basement...I had them on for about 30 mins while i was workin on tha locker and the base of the bulb was getting really hot. Is that normal?????should i run 4???? get back at me. peace.

[12345-54321]

chrisg420 :
--mine are actually 30 watt CFL's, im now runnin 5 bulbs

what are your avg temps and size of grow space?? - thx

[Chrisg420]

avg temp im not sure but the space is maybe about 3 feet wide, by about 4-5 feet deep and i can walk in it. the lights are relatively close to the tops and sides, and they have reflectors

[dadogg]

Great looking ladies.I'm planning to set up my own using cfl's and I could use your help.What kind of cfl's are you using? I was thinking about buying cfl's that are labled "day light ",does any one know if these will work.

[Chrisg420]

im using warm ones, wich in my area i only found one store that has them, there like 2 bucks each

[psteve]

Great looking ladies.I'm planning to set up my own using cfl's and I could use your help.What kind of cfl's are you using? I was thinking about buying cfl's that are labled "day light ",does any one know if these will work.
Daylight are the best ones to use, because they have the broadest usable spectrum.
Some folks will say warm white are better for flowering, and in one way they are right. The plants prefer more red spectrum when flowering. But if you use ONLY CFL's, watt for watt, the daylight bulbs will give your plants more usable light.
All other factors being equal, more lux on the plant will give you better growth than more red spectrum from less lumens. Understand?
If you have two 25 watt bulbs, one warm and one daylight, the daylight bulb will give more light from the part of the spectrum the plant can use for growth, even though it would prefer more red in the spectrum.

[igot4cheep]

A 600w HPS = 95,000 Lumens

A 400w Metal Halide = 40,000 Lumens

[unlockit]

great thread

[johnbuddy1234]

i am trying a grow with 2-200 watt compact fluro's 36000 total lumens for 4 sq. ft. will post pics soon. i saw a website from uk that has hoods for sale that take 4 and 6 large cfls 125-300 watt ones, the 6 bulb one is approx a sq meter. they have 150 watt bulbs rated at 18,000 lumens also(mine 18000 l for 200 watts). so that 6 bulb hood would be 900 watts and produce 108,000 lumens(approx 12000 lumens per sq here), heat would no longer be an issue in this grow. what you guys think?

[Chronisseur]

i am trying a grow with 2-200 watt compact fluro's 36000 total lumens for 4 sq. ft. will post pics soon. i saw a website from uk that has hoods for sale that take 4 and 6 large cfls 125-300 watt ones, the 6 bulb one is approx a sq meter. they have 150 watt bulbs rated at 18,000 lumens also(mine 18000 l for 200 watts). so that 6 bulb hood would be 900 watts and produce 108,000 lumens(approx 12000 lumens per sq here), heat would no longer be an issue in this grow. what you guys think?

Sounds good! I would reccomend leaving room for an extra bulb or two come flower.

[maryjane911]

I am now going to buy 2 105 watt fluorescent compact bulbs but before I do will that be good enough for 2 lowryder #2 plants for flowering and what will the yield be like? in a 1m x 1m x 2m tall grow room with mylar to help reflect the light, also there is 2 105 watt fluorescent compact bulbs on the website below and 1 of the bulbs says 6400 K and the other 105 watt bulbs says 2700 K,what does this mean?

help!!

[psteve]

1 of the bulbs says 6400 K and the other 105 watt bulbs says 2700 K,what does this mean?

help!!
2700K = warm white, (more red) use in flower cycle.
6400k = daylight, (more blue) use in veg and flower cycle.

[maryjane911]

2700K = warm white, (more red) use in flower cycle.
6400k = daylight, (more blue) use in veg and flower cycle.

cheers,how many do you think i should buy psteve?:thumbsup:

[maryjane911]

????

[psteve]

cheers,how many do you think i should buy psteve?:thumbsup:As many as you can afford to run.

[tech209]

i got 2 42w and 8 26w, is 290 total watt powered cfl's enough for 3 plants during flowering???, the way i got them is 5 shoplight lamps with y sockets on all of them , three are hanging directly on top of each plants and two are clamped on the rim of the pots so it can hit the bottom, should i move the bottom ones to the top or is my setup ok???

[psteve]

You should be good to go.
Don't expect huge yield, but you should be able to grow something worth smoking with that.:thumbsup:

[tech209]

great thankx man, loving this forum very very good info, currently got one in rollitup.org oh yea one more ? should i move the lights that are postion at the bottom to the top??

[psteve]

If your plants are taller than 16 inches, leave a couple of them low. If they are under 16 inches (and they should be if you're using all CFL's), all light from above should get light to all parts of the plant..
Of course, if you plan to scrog (recommended), then all lights should be above the screen.

[Chronisseur]

Hey Steve, (or anyone who knows), How much cooler do the 'cool white' bulbs actually burn, as opposed to, say a daylight bulb? Is there a significant temp decrease?

[Roughrider]

There's a definite difference. A lot depends on if it's a closet grow or a grow cab. A couple of years ago I had a small grow cab (12" x 24" x 42") and I did all CFL--I had 4 x 26w on the canopy, and 2 x 26w hanging down a little lower. I remember the temp difference was about 3 or 4 degrees during flowering, even with the fan on. So if you're average is in the low 80s during veg, you might be getting into a bad area during flowering unless you increase your ventilation.

Closet are so great because you've got added area for heat dissipation. If you're in a closet, having the door open for a while each day will make up most if not all the temp difference.

[klondike_bar]

i have 4 65w cfl's in this locker in my basement...I had them on for about 30 mins while i was workin on tha locker and the base of the bulb was getting really hot. Is that normal?????should i run 4???? get back at me. peace.

its an old post, but a good point.

FYI: in a cfl, the glass tube/spiral part will usually be only warm to the touch, with little heat. however, since they have built in ballasts, the base of it can get quite warm verging on hot.

[michaelpeg]

hey bobbong if you are still around can you please tell me the exact lights you bought from canadian tire and the exact soil you used because my plant at 1.5 months looks like yours did at 17 days and mine is under 150 watt hps so you are a huge inspiration to me and i want to do everything exactly as you do

[psteve]

Hey Steve, (or anyone who knows), How much cooler do the 'cool white' bulbs actually burn, as opposed to, say a daylight bulb? Is there a significant temp decrease?Not much difference at all.
The actual temperature has almost nothing to do with the color temperature of the bulb.
A 40 watt daylight bulb will burn at approximately the same actual temperature as a 40 watt warm white.

[cruziepooh101]

Hey im currently using 3 32w cfl spiral bulbs that say they preform like 150w do you think that they will be enough for four plants?? should i just get more of the same or add a HPS or HID to the mix?????

[psteve]

Hey im currently using 3 32w cfl spiral bulbs that say they preform like 150w do you think that they will be enough for four plants?? should i just get more of the same or add a HPS or HID to the mix?????

#1- 64 watts of cfl will cover an area less than 1 foot by 1 foot.
#2 - HPS IS HID
You really need to read the stickies in the basic growing forums.

Basic Growing - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News (http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-growing/)

[BobBong]

Just stopping by to reminisce in my first grow log.

I miss these days.. but i've learned so much from it too.

This thread and all these pictures are simply proof that anyone can do it... and that it's really not that hard.

Put your mind to it, become one with the plant.. and learn as you go.

Cheers,
Bob.:rastasmoke:

[BobBong]

And i still can't believe how many views this thread has.. all be it, it's like 2 or 3 threads merged together so the views are also combined but still... 81,000 + views ... damn! :rasta:

[GreenLeaf420]

Good Luck Keep it up

[elcheapo]

Lol I haven't been on this site for years. Can't believe this thread lived that long. GJ Bob! :)

[WhoreMonger]

Fucking brilliant thread, thanks Bob for giving me a ton of bright ideas for my upcoming grow. :thumbsup::jointsmile:

[dustoxx420]

hahah i got the first post in '09 lol i thikn this tread will go on

[drater]

hi bobbang did u say that the cfls u use are about 40w but give out about 150w or r u useing 150w bulbs cuz if so they look small and i need to try finding smaller bulbs cuz im useing a large 200w cfl and mine looks about 100 times bigger then urs thanks drater

[JackdaWack]

I got a 68watt soft white for flowering plus 2 40watt bright white. Total luments ~8,000, 105watt 6500k~ 5000lumens plus 4 tubed cool white 1,000lums each. This is in a 1.8x1.8x4 foot box. Right now im just using the higher k bulbs for veg, when i start to flower im going to be using the 68w (soft) + 2 40w (bright) + the 4 tubed cool white. i should have about 12,000lums for flowering. I may scratch that and buy a homebox small and run my 400watt hps, instead of buying a lot of smaller cfls i buy big ones:thumbsup: Homedepot sell's the 68watt soft white ~2700k for 14 bucks, it should be next to the halide bulbs took me a while to find it.

My watts are the actual watts of the cfls.

[Charbud]

obviously your using cfls. Just wondering how u stop your plants from reaching for the light like mine do.

Keep the good growing up

Charbud :rasta:

[JackdaWack]

Get the lights real close! u can get them like 4 inches from the tops.

[Italiano715]

Get the lights real close! u can get them like 4 inches from the tops.

You can actually get them 2" so long as you watch them often :thumbsup:

[InlovewithMary]

I just recently bought a nice used side by side fridge for $100 bucks on Craigs List.

I am going to use the freezer side for clones, and the fridge side for flowering.

I have a 400 watts hps horticlux bulb barely used, that I was thinking of useing for the flower chamber. I have to get a new ballast for my light which is around $130 to $150.

My main concern is that my 400 watt hps horticlux might be too warm for the flower side of the side by side. Also I would hate to spend $130 on a ballast, and it ends up being too warm or hot for my flower chamber.

Would the 400 watt hps horticlux bulb be too hot for my flower chamber?
I was going to leave the fridge on, and turn the freezer part off for the clones. The fridge part gets really chilly.

If 400 is too much would 250 be more ideal or go with compact fluros?

I have to say this thread alone is what made me sign up hehe great info.

Thanks for the input. :thumbsup:

[cashusclay89]

started to read thru and noticed most ppl using 125 watt bulb that only put out 6000 lum here a link to a site that sells 200watt that put out 12,500 lum for around 80 bucks

Discount Hydroponics - MaxLume Compact Fluorescent (http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=335&navid=28)


not bad if space is tight and heat is a problem

just my 2 cents