Which CFL?

between these two, which should i get as my lone growing light? what are the differences?

http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/...lb-134783.aspx

http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/...lb-134692.aspx

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The second one says nothing about which color spectrum it is (kelvin).
The first one does, it has a kelvin temp of 5 000 which makes it more of a fair veg lamp than a flowering lamp.

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horrible details

Well... there should be some info on the board allready about this... in fact the cfl sticky thread at some point discusses optimal watts and more importantly spectrum for growing.

Different lights output light of different bands of the spectrum which are genearlly represented by colors. For veg you want a cfl on the blue end of the spectrum, for budding you want a cfl that has more red light. The color of light is also described in terms of temperature i belive. Bulbs around 2600k are at the bluer end, bulbs around 5500 are at the reder end. The bulbs in the middle are not very good for growing.

Anyway you probably want something in the blue end of the spectrum to begin with.

Also, i wouldn't buy either of those lights. Uses more cfls of a lower wattage, not only will they run cooler so you can position them right next to your plants, you will also save tons of money. you can get 3 75 watt bulbs for about 20 bucks or less. One of the points of using cfls as opposed to another form of light is to save $, if you want to spend a couple hundered buck on lighting you can find a used hps of mh which will genearlly give you better results. you can achieve alot with cfls, but part of what makes them awesome is that they are cost effective in the lower wattage range

Quote:

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Bulbs around 2600k are at the bluer end, bulbs around 5500 are at the reder end

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I beg to differ, it's the other way round.

yeah, i may have it backwards, i just found this online before i posted

Kelvin Rating
Kelvin rating defines the color of the light
Spring colors: 2,700-3,200 Kelvin Rating
Most standard blubs are Spring colors.
High noon in July: 5,000 Kelvin
Many full-spectrum bulbs are 5,000 Kelvin.
September light: 5,500-5,700 Kelvin range

yeah i think my post is wrong, from what i remeber now low is warm, high is cool, hah the last pack of cfls i bought also sides with you

:D blue is hotter than red

so then blue would be better for veg. right?

Indeed ;)

You want lamps around 6 000 Kelvin for veg preferably, and around 2 700 -3000 Kelvin for flowering.

Thanks :D