Soft White CFL's

[AllStar]

Will my plants be okay under 4100 lumens of soft white CFL for vegging? It's the only cfl's I could get ahold of! I'm going to use a 18/6 cycle and a 400w MH bulb for flowering.


Thanks
AllStar

[orangeman]

I dunno why but people say that you should only use cool white or warm white CFL's for marijuana growing. Cool white for vegging and warm white for flowering. But if those are the only ones you have you could attempt to grow and see the results.

[Pothead4204life]

if you can use a hps for flowering...mh would be great for veggin...

[xkamikaze9x]

So what's with all the soft/warm/cool white discussion? Is this simply optimizing the wavelengths, or it is completely necessary. I only ask because I've been searching but have only found warm white CFLs, which apparently aren't the recommended veg lights. I mean, the sun doesn't magically shift its spectral output, so how does that factor into decreased yield if say I used warm white CFLs throughout the entire process?

[slowthestone]

So what's with all the soft/warm/cool white discussion? Is this simply optimizing the wavelengths, or it is completely necessary. I only ask because I've been searching but have only found warm white CFLs, which apparently aren't the recommended veg lights. I mean, the sun doesn't magically shift its spectral output, so how does that factor into decreased yield if say I used warm white CFLs throughout the entire process?

Good Q kamikaze...

The A...the sun, that is, what of its wavelengths are visible and not visible to us, are all there at one time. The sun doesn't shift from 6500K during the day down to 2100K toward the time it dips under the horizon.

The atmosphere filters some colors making others more prevalent during sunrise and sunset...but thats just to our eye's limited capabilities. Otherwise, all it's colors are being cast...all the time.


A growing plant utilizes the blues (cool) more effeciently for vegatative growth than it does the warmer colors, (ambers and reds)...the flowering stage utilizes the warmer colors for the process of blooming.

Nearly any color temperature will get a grow by, this game though is best played using the right color light for the stage of growth at hand.

[Pass That Shit]

How can I tell if they are warm or cool? I have the 42W reading lights with the built in ballast. You can put the plant very very close to the light with no harm. If you touch the bulb, it's warm. I think they were about $8 bucks. Are these 42W WalMarts cool or warm?

[Pass That Shit]

I also have 400w HPS and MH, but the CFL's will be to get them started so they don't stretch. I have read on here thread after thread of stretching plants. PUT THE LIGHT CLOSER.

There is nothing on the label of the CFL's stating whether they are cool or warm, just that they are reading lights. They are the spiral self ballasted type. Not sure but I think they are about 2800 lumens each. Thanks

[Kaparski]

usually the cheaper stuff is 'soft', cool your going to be paying premium for (in dollars tho :))

id advise you to stick with the cool white til you flower, warm colors are terrible for vegging. I had mine on warm for 1-2 weeks with little improvement, exchanged the bulbs and good growth ever since

42w is big as well, get 2 27w, there more potential and just as cheap

[BlueBear]

Plants can stretch because of not enough light and too much heat. If you want nice dense nugs then you need to use more light and if you have a 400 mh than that's what you should start with if you don't have a few cool cfl's, and if you do have cfl's then just use them for about a week then move them to the mh. For the first week you need to gradually bring the MH closer and monitor the plants reaction this will provide better results over all. And when you are thinking about light spectrum, 3000k versus 6500k you aren't measuring it in a daily cycle, it is measured in a seasonal cycle, LOL. Rotations with the sun and earth and all of the technical stuff do actually make a difference in vegetation from country to country and coast to coast. Also typical warm, soft and cool generally all cost the same for the same wattage.
If you cant find the K on the package then look on the bulb. Bottom line, try to stay away from soft, don't understand why, then do a side by side grow and you will.
Adieu

[Tommygirl]

Hey y'all. Just thought some people might find this interesting. it's a CFL that puts out 4200 lumens, and you can get it in either blue*cool* (vegetative) and red*warm* (flowering) spectrums.

They also have a 2800 lumen bulb with the same spectrum variety.

http://www.stealthhydroponics.com/product.php?xProd=43&xSec=4

[Stylus]

pass that shit they do tell you on the package if the bulb is cool warm or soft... sometimes there showed by a lil bar that goes from red to blue on the top of the package there will be a line in that bar tellin what kind of light it puts out. if the line is in the blue side its a cool light. same rule applies for the red side
stylus

[whitestalkslongwalks]

Good Q kamikaze...

The A...the sun, that is, what of its wavelengths are visible and not visible to us, are all there at one time. The sun doesn't shift from 6500K during the day down to 2100K toward the time it dips under the horizon.

The atmosphere filters some colors making others more prevalent during sunrise and sunset...but thats just to our eye's limited capabilities. Otherwise, all it's colors are being cast...all the time.


A growing plant utilizes the blues (cool) more effeciently for vegatative growth than it does the warmer colors, (ambers and reds)...the flowering stage utilizes the warmer colors for the process of blooming.

Nearly any color temperature will get a grow by, this game though is best played using the right color light for the stage of growth at hand.


strangely enough, when the sun is setting/rising, the reason it looks more orange is because light on the more red side of the spectrum IS what's getting through. light more towards the blue side of the spectrum has a shorter wavelength (i think) and not as much of it makes it to earth. so, actually, in winter you probably do get a higher proportion of red light as there is less full daylight


so, even thought the sun itself is still putting out the same amount of light, across the whole visible spectrum, less blue light gets through at the beginning and end of the day. the reason is that as the earth tilts away from the sun, we become farther away from it, and it's harder for blue light to make it that far.

so, actually, i'd say your logic is flawed; still, i think the reason plants flower in the wild is not because of the color but the amount of light per day

[Lord Dangly Bits]

So what's with all the soft/warm/cool white discussion? Is this simply optimizing the wavelengths, or it is completely necessary. I only ask because I've been searching but have only found warm white CFLs, which apparently aren't the recommended veg lights. I mean, the sun doesn't magically shift its spectral output, so how does that factor into decreased yield if say I used warm white CFLs throughout the entire process?

The Sun Does magically Change the light spectrum as the seasons change. With a little help from his friends. As the Earth Rotates around the sun, and the axes of the Earth pushes the North Pole Away from the Sun, The Sunlight hits the place you are at, at more of an angle. The light has to tavel through more atmophere to reach you, and is not as direct as during summer months. So here is you change of light spectrum from the sun.

Also, As I always thought, Soft light, and cool light are the same. As I know CFL's they go Cool/soft light, Warm Light, and Day Light. The three levels. You know, no one who sells these lights seem to know anything about them, which is true of most items in any store now a days. I miss the old days when you could walk into most Hardware stores and they would know where something is, and also know how to use it and connect it and such. Now they most likely do not evne know what it is for.