Basic questions on CFL and color temp

[Volker]

the color isn't gonna make that big of a difference,

Wrong! Cool White (4200K-5000K) is the most useless spectrum on the market, and will not let your plants grow well.

There are 3 spectra to use in CFLs:

Daylight / 5500K-6500K / blue end (best for veg)
Stark White (rare) / 5200K / blue end (best for veg)
Warm White / 2700K / red end (best for budding, good for veg)

Think of light spectra as boobs. 5200K-7000K is the left boob, and 2200K-3000K is the right boob. 3100K - 5100K is the valley between the boobs where not much goes on.

Volker Reviewed by Volker on 01-09-2007. Basic questions on CFL and color temp Ok, I spent the last few hours trying to get a precise answer and I failed. Theoretically, if one was to grow 3 plants what is the best way to go if one wants to go cfl? If one already had one 42w (equiv to 150w) soft white bulb (2700k - 3000k temp) and didnt want to 'waste' it what would one need to add in addition for optimal growth? I know there are higher color temp cfl so I'm not sure what would be ideal? Also, at different stages would one need to alter the set-up of cfs bulbs Rating: 5