CFL's......i dunno

[ronjohn420]

since ive been getting on this site, everyone's been talking about CFL lights.. ive never used them, "but they seem like a rip-off" i dont want to piss anyone off but they seem like a cheap imatation of a real flouroscent tube..

is there something im missing?

anyone using these, let me know how they are

[orangeman]

Actually CFL's are not a rip off of fluorescents. Actually it's an improvement. CFL = Compact Fluorescent Light. Makes it easier to move around, easier to operate, uses less watts and yet gives off more light and on top of all that they are really cheap. Heres proof that CFL's work and they arent a rip off :thumbsup:

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=31150&highlight=Bob%27s+BlackJack
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=17014&highlight=Bob%27s+BlackJack

[Pothead4204life]

yeah i used just a 42 watt to veg a plant a foot..it works well...especially if you lst you can get the bulb so close to the undergrowth...now iam using only 127watts for flowering and its coming along quite nicely...:rasta:

[bongerstonerd00d]

CFL's are far from inefficent as well. One 42 watt bulb produces 150 watts of light. So you can get 600 watts of lighting with 11200 lumens using 168 watts of electricity from 4 bulbs.. Far from a "rip off" in my book. Perfect for vegging young plants cause you can keep cool easily, and keep very close to plants to keep from stretching.

MH is of course better and that is what the pros seem to use for vegging. But then you get into needing fans, etc. Plus if growing on a tight budget they are not cheap to buy or operate.

There are some growers here who use CFL's for entire grows and have turned out some very nice crops. It's all what your wallet, and setup needs to work. Not what everyone else does.

RonJ, I assume you are near the Space Coast. And, you didnt piss me off, all I stated was facts based on your comment to show you the benefits of using CFL lighting.

Of course HPS for flowering, only again if your wallet can take the hit. If not, get some lower Kelvin CFL's. or mix and match with higher and lower.



b0nger

[yabatab]

I am using CFL's for my first indoor grow since 95 and i like
them a lot not near as much heat and the watts they use
you cannot beat it. Here is a pic of my sativa before going
under CFL's and 6 days after being under them. I was a bit
skeptical myself but not now. And just check out Mobays
grow log he is using CFL's too.

[Pothead4204life]

yeah ron...you will not be sold on the bulbs until you see for yourself...

[smokinbass]

CFL are very efficient!

and if u have to have a very incognito grow the fact they put out very little heat is a huge benefit.

[johnny cottonmouth]

i agree cfls are very effective. but the only problem i have had with them is that on all three grows iv done with them my plants start very small and stay small until about two weeks into flowering then out of no where they explode and almost quadruple in size. and iv used different seeds, soil, water, ferts., different cfls, and watering schedule, and no change on any of the grows. plus iv never seen this with any other grow iv seen. i mean on of my plants is 33 days from seed and its starting its tenth internod and its only about 5.5-6 in tall. but other than that there great for a small stealth grow and the quality of the final product is some of the best iv ever had.

-JC

[LIP]

Tbh, CFL's are alot better than tubes...


With tubes the middle is the best part to have the plants under, like, if you have a 4 footer the 2 foot in the middles the best part of the light. With CFL's the whole thing is usuable, and concentrates the light. All in all, CFL's are BETTER than long tubes.

[iwantFUEGO]

CFLs work very well. Just dont get stingy, you will need atleast 3 bulbs per plant.

[Jdog7000]

i agree cfls are very effective. but the only problem i have had with them is that on all three grows iv done with them my plants start very small and stay small until about two weeks into flowering then out of no where they explode and almost quadruple in size. and iv used different seeds, soil, water, ferts., different cfls, and watering schedule, and no change on any of the grows. plus iv never seen this with any other grow iv seen. i mean on of my plants is 33 days from seed and its starting its tenth internod and its only about 5.5-6 in tall. but other than that there great for a small stealth grow and the quality of the final product is some of the best iv ever had.

-JC

Thats how MJ grows.

[ronjohn420]

damn, i didnt expect so much of a response, i appreciate it....
and LIP i had no idea the center of the tube is the best, i just thought it was the coolest, i know the ends heat up quite a bit, some times i can even hit 93-95'F but i can usually keep it at a striaght 82'F

thanks for all the info, i might pick me up some CFL's, cause my plants are getting taller and i cant keep moving 3 4ft. ballasts everyday

but then again im thinking of going HID, ill post some pics and links in a minute

[LIP]

Well, if you have the money mate, go for a HPS straight away. Then you get veg the plants with fluos... they work for veg, then move onto HPS for flowering and fuck,,, you'll notice the difernce instantly.. good stuff man :)

[jamstigator]

Heh, a 42-watt CFL doesn't put out 150 watts of light. Light isn't measured in watts. Watts is a measure of how much energy is being used, that's it, has nothing to do with light. A 400 watt HPS with a Hortilux bulb puts out around 50,000 lumens. To get that amount of light with 42-watt CFLs, you'd need like 20 of them, which would use twice as much power to get the same amount of light.

Since you need far less light during vegging than you do flowering, CFLs are fine (even great) for vegging, but they don't compare to HPS for flowering. That doesn't mean you can't flower with CFLs - you certainly can. It's just not very energy efficient in terms of how many lumens they generate compared to how much energy they eat.

All those "equivalent watts" ratings on CFL - ignore those. In the context of growing plants, that equivalent watts stuff is just marketing BS and should be ignored. All that is important to know about a CFL, when reading the packaging, is how many lumens it generates, the color temperature, and to a lesser degree how many watts (REAL watts) of energy it will consume.

[ronjohn420]

yea i know what you mean, i was at wal-mart buying some lights for work and saw a 42 watt CFL "sunshine" bulb for 8.98 (2700 lumens, 5500'K) im thinkin about 5 to start my next batch up with

IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS

[ronjohn420]

just to update everybody..... ive bought 2 of these bulbs so far and i use them with my tubes and they go great (giving that warm effect)

[sdhall36]

I'm really new to this - but they do work, trust me.

I have a thread somewhere with a kind of grow log, people giving me advice etc. all under CFL's

Hall

[ronjohn420]

YEAH THERE GOOD (EXCEPT THE HEAT OFF THE 42WATT)

OTHER THAN THAT ITS A GOOD THING

[smoky mcpot 05]

theres alot your missing if you think that. CFL's are easier to manage and emit more light than flouro tubes. Not to mention you can create a more even light distribution with these easier than can be done with flouro tubes. You should at these to your grow and your plants will look ALOT better than they do...

[chisme]

yeah one of the best thing with cfl is the price productivity i mean cmon i can get a pack of 3 21w cfl's for £1.50 YEAH I KNOW so i pretty much have unlimited 21w cfl's to use :D they produce VERY small amounts of heat vs the amount of light u get from them. they are easier to run requiring no external ballasts heating up to god knows what temps, and theyre pretty safe as well you can pretty muhc just duck tape the up ANYWHERE even half way up a wall so positioning is easy if you want some mid-plant light sources t improve bushy'ness


i have 2 4 foot 80w coolight shoplights,
a blue spec 125w envirolite,
2 cool light 21w cfls's,
a red spec 125w envirolite ready for flowering,
and plus abut 15 21w cfl's for flowering.

cant wait to post a great flouro only grow :D

anyone know would adding 2 red envirolites during flowering, would this provide more quality bud even if a single blue spec was used in veg? i mean is it worth buying the extra light at that point?

[ronjohn420]

yeah... i need more now that im restarting the indoor grow as soon as i move out in 14 days