A Fan & CFLs Question.

[Matanuskan Flo]

hello,

this is my 1st thread & a rather important one.

since I use CFLs in all growth stages, I cannot figure out the best way to utilize my fan. It is a rotary stream fan that spins a circular bladed thingy to push air thru it's 2 vent outlets. the air stream widens with distance, but up close it is about 8inches wide by 5inches high. since I use CFLs, they are placed very close to the single plant. Is it ok to have to fan blowing directly onto the plant? i have no other way to have the fan blow on the bulbs.....any suggestions or comments would help. thanks everyone, in advance.

 

[bp420!]

It should be ok to have the fan blowing on the plant, infact most would recomend having a fan blowing the plants around as the movement allows them constant fresh co2 and also helps to strengthen stems.

 

[Synthettek]

I have and still do veg under CFLs... although recently I've changed my cabs and setup, I keep my seedling fan, directly on/above the canopy of the seedlings... It blows them and the hot air from the bulb away from them at the same time.... they love it and my stems on my seedlings get thick and strong as hell as a result.

I understand what you are saying and this will be fine. You'll get some strong seedlings this way for sure.

 

[jyme]

some one clear me up on the cfl they dont tell the color spectrum that they run in on there box i got a 65 watt one but wasnt sure if it was good for my plants or not

 

[Think Green]

I also use cfl's for all stages. Soon switching to 600 hps, but cfl for now. Included with my post is a picture of how I run my newest cfl set-up. Maybe it will help. Its hard to see but for now I used 5" clip on fans to keep the air moving in one direction. If you can move your air in one general direction towards your exhaust fan you will utilize your air circulation better. Its good for fresh air to blow on your plants. It provides exercise & replaces much needed Co2 which plants need alot of. I've also just read an article in a growing magazine which stated that if a plant gets too close to a light source, it can slow photosynthesis, meaning smaller buds. Im not sure if this rings true but I have decided to keep my lights more than 1" from my plants this time around & have noticed that I have less heat problems this way. Hope this helps.

 

[Think Green]

I agree with synth. And as far as cfl, if your vegging you want 6500k color spectrum, also called daylight lamps. (bright white color) And for flowering you will want to use 2600k color spectrum lamps. (more yellowish color) Hopefully this info helps.

 

[jyme]

yea it does but im still a lil bit slow on this i know im looking for somthing in a blue spectrum for veging and red for flowering but the one i got was a 65 watt cfl and had no specs on it i was a lil confuzed about it and went and got tubes cause they had the specs on the box so any large cfl will do ??

 

[bp420!]

yea it does but im still a lil bit slow on this i know im looking for somthing in a blue spectrum for veging and red for flowering but the one i got was a 65 watt cfl and had no specs on it i was a lil confuzed about it and went and got tubes cause they had the specs on the box so any large cfl will do ??

You can veg/flower with any color cfl, if you get the proper spectrum its more efficeint, so yes any large cfls will *work*

 

[jyme]

ok so how wil i know what im getting if it doesnt tell on the box i like floresnts there one of my things but uncertanty kills me i dont like doing guess work and just want to give them enough and proper spectrums

 

[Matanuskan Flo]

TYVM Syn & ThinkGreen & everyone for responding so fast.

Your set up is very clean Think Grn. I like it a lot. My CFLs are muh closer than yours usually, but this time, i moved them back. I had not read anything but keep them as close as possible. this is not true i feel & have distanced each 42watt 2700k. I have a 32 watt or sumthin like that too & 2 6500ks in there as well. I cover the top, sides & even bottoms with CFLs. anyhow, I know a fan is necessary. but, a breeze can sway the plant for thicker stems & more co2 & circulation. I am talking about a very strong gail force of wind upon the majority of my baby. i feel dehydration is definitely taking place quicker, & I notice my leaves feel harder than normal, crunchy almost. not all of them, but few nearest to the breeze. also, i am noticing some yellowing/burn looking spots on some leaves. also, there is one fan leaf right next to the fan & it has faded to lime green, then yellow on the upperparts of the leaf. near the node has some green still. I can't take pics til tomorrow, fyi. thanks all again!

Jyme - best bet for you is to find a white wall or cabinet. place the light in the cabinet. is the spectrum yellowish, whitish, bluish?? you will get an idea this way. 2700k is so easily distinguishable than 6500k. 2700k is like those yellow street lights in parking lots you see. 6500k is like those white/blue Audi/BMW/Porsche headlights you see or the whitish/bluish streetlights you see.

 

[jyme]

so how do you know the k of an cfl

 

[Matanuskan Flo]

the ones most people buy have it written on the carton.. but as i said above, even if it did not, i could tell which spectrum the questionable bulb was leaning toward by testing it out next to a white surface & studying the color emitted. did u try it out?? it is very easy. whitish blue is 4500 & up to 6500k. the yellowish/orangish/reddish is 2200-2900k. the most common cfls come in 6500k for vegg & 2700k for flower.

 

[jyme]

thanks ill check it out