New to CFL growing

[Balkey]

Not sure how I'm bashing CFLs, as if you saw my posts, you'd see my set up. I am USING 10 cfls. For a small grow box the most practical thing is CFLs, so I recommend it.

Also, if you didn't fragment my paragraph into one sentence, I was referring to the kelvin rating, not CFLs in general. Don't know if your high or what but please read more carefully before you respond with a rant. The "especially with CFL's" part was in my head a comparison between MH and HPS (more commonly used lightings for veg and flower), and how those 2 Kelvin ratings are drastically different in most cases.

[HateHeaven]

kdspecial, By any chance could you post some pictures of your grow, or do you happen to have a grow journal?

[Opie Yutts]

Any light will grow weed, but how much do you want for your efforts? Most all the CFL lights you will find in stores are 2700K. These are reddish, and the second best wavelength for budding, and about half the price of bluish bulbs for vegging.

Ultimately you want a mix ratio of about 85/15% in both veg and bud, but that's just tweaking it a little and not necessary.

Vegging (blue):
first choice: 5700K
second choice: 6100K

Budding (red/orange):
first choice: 2500K
second choice: 2800K

These numbers give your plants a chance at peak chlorophyll activity. Until someone shows me a better way, this is how I will determine what K of light to buy. Also notice from the graph that numbers in between the first and second choices drastically cut down on chlorophyll activity.

I would not look for the bluish bulbs in your stores, unless you happen to have a light bulb store or a hydro shop close by. The best way to find the proper numbers for both veg and bud bulbs is by searching the internet. You can get some really powerful ones this way too, much bigger than in the stores.

Look on the manufacturers web site for their spec sheet and compare it to the model on the bulb, or call them. If it doesn't say anything on the package about daylight, or cool, or K, then it almost certainly is 2700K, the cheapest and most common.

[MedicM4n]

Lots of good stuff here, i'll be keeping track of this for sure. I'm also working on a CFL project. :smokin:

[HateHeaven]

:jumphappy:

[Indico]

Great info!!! Where were you when I was comparing 5500K with 6500k? No wonder my small plant grew so much with one 5500k CFL. Now, where to find 5700K and 2500K bulbs

[Balkey]

Opie is my lover sometimes, other times hes just this short cute thing I like to look at.:stoned::stoned::stoned:

[MedicM4n]

how are they lookin? made any changes in your box?

[Balkey]

Give us an update Hateheaven!

[HateHeaven]

:jointsmile:
Alright, I just hit 1 week. The smaller ones were planted a few days after each other. Also one of my lights burnt out somehow. I think because the light I was using had a dimmer and it said not to use with CFL's.