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When going with fluorescent tubes don't worry about spectrum with the fluorescent, red or blue, just look for and buy like "shoplight" HIGH lumens is the best thing?
Because I bought like a "GE Sunshine" full spectrum tube, and a GE plant growing tube, but one is only like 2200, and the other 1900 lumens, even though they are suppose to be more speciality tubes, but getting the highest lumens is better then these?
Thanks
No no no use regular fluoro's to veg and go nuts with all the lumens great....BUT when going to flowers go to daylight bulbs for bud productions. This is absolutly fact. It's like when in nature the sun is lower in the sky when buds naturally get produced and the plants respond well to this as it is there nature to have an affinity to this type of light when flowering. HPS has both and more lumens which is why people like it so much and why t works so ell. I use compact flouro's and a couple of ge daylight tubes still compact tubes though. The bluer light for budding will not have as much lumens BUT will actaully be hotter to the touch so ADJUST accordingly. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Daylight bulbs have a blue spectrum like 6400k or so, what you want for flowering is the kitchen and bath floros, they have a 3300k spectrum. :P
I found them at walmart $9 for 2., and don't worry so much about the lumens, because the closeness of the tubes delivers the light very efficiently to the leaves. You see, higher power lights produce more heat and must be placed further away from the plants and as the light is further away less lumens are delivered for example: a 1000w light 4" away delivers 140,000 lumens to the plants, the same light at 8" delivers 35,000 lumens to the plants, and so on.
You want more red spectrum for flowering, this is why sodium lights kick so much ass for flowering, a sodium light has a 3500k spectrum which is very close to the soft white floros, and the kitchen and bath floro.
BTW the kitchen and bath bulbs have about 3000 lumens per tube.