Thanks
I used 168 watts over one of my very own hybrids in coco with Botanicare nutes.
Feelings on CFLs?
- Thread starter AChemicalMind
- Start date
Thanks
I used 168 watts over one of my very own hybrids in coco with Botanicare nutes.
V
Voodoo
Real reason to use CFLs: heat.
They DO NOT exactly equate to HPS or MH, but they are close. My 690 watt 3x3 is pumping out results like anyone else does with a 600 in the same space. I don't think anyone will argue that any longer. But lets take a look at the real reason I ran with flouros..
In the typical HID setup, the lighting gets very hot. Which requires can fans, oscillating fans, sometimes AC, and even then, you're running your lights at night to further help your cause. Which means you have to worry about light leaks.
Now, what if you ran your lights during the day? No light leaks. But the heat is an issue... but with CFLs, I cool all 690 watts (30 bulbs) with 1, count it, 1 oscillating fan - on LOW!
If you run CFLs, you will have no trouble at all maintaining 72-78 degrees just using household air and you can work on your plants during the daytime, cause light doesn't beam out of the grow area since its sunny out.
Also, CFLs are easy to use, I have yet to scorch a plant. I burn a leaf about once a month on average, I consider that acceptable losses.
So while I am the first to admit that it takes a bit of work, it is absolutely doable, and frankly, until LED comes down in price to the cost of CFLs - I buy 24 packs of bulbs for 55 bucks on HomeDepot.com - I will CONTINUE to run CFLs in flower and veg.
They DO NOT exactly equate to HPS or MH, but they are close. My 690 watt 3x3 is pumping out results like anyone else does with a 600 in the same space. I don't think anyone will argue that any longer. But lets take a look at the real reason I ran with flouros..
In the typical HID setup, the lighting gets very hot. Which requires can fans, oscillating fans, sometimes AC, and even then, you're running your lights at night to further help your cause. Which means you have to worry about light leaks.
Now, what if you ran your lights during the day? No light leaks. But the heat is an issue... but with CFLs, I cool all 690 watts (30 bulbs) with 1, count it, 1 oscillating fan - on LOW!
If you run CFLs, you will have no trouble at all maintaining 72-78 degrees just using household air and you can work on your plants during the daytime, cause light doesn't beam out of the grow area since its sunny out.
Also, CFLs are easy to use, I have yet to scorch a plant. I burn a leaf about once a month on average, I consider that acceptable losses.
So while I am the first to admit that it takes a bit of work, it is absolutely doable, and frankly, until LED comes down in price to the cost of CFLs - I buy 24 packs of bulbs for 55 bucks on HomeDepot.com - I will CONTINUE to run CFLs in flower and veg.
Daffy
Member
Here's a break down of the PAR lumens your plant can handle.
0-10000 lumens = slow growth
10000-20000 = consistent new growth, longer internode distance
20000-30000 = strong compact growth
30000-40000 = vigorous growth
40000-50000 = rapid growth, up to ~1-2+" new growth per day
So if you're going to go small this is a system that will work for a 2x2x2', or even better 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5. This also includes cfl's . Here's what I'd do for a micro-grow. Here's details of my last box, bought a sterilite garden cabinet at walmart($70). Dimensions are 69"x18.5"x25.5". Its pretty much the perfect size for micro. A long, narrow, and short. I could stack four of them on top of each other each yielding a pound each. I installed 16-26w(3500K) cfls($55), spaced 4" apart(79w per foot, close to recommended 100+), hung the lights on the ceiling with a screw pivot for a manual light mover. Ambient temp is about 75 below the plants and at the ceiling 90. Less lumens than a 400 MH but because the design is efficient it worked the same. This is what I did for veg and early flowering.
The following is a higher-yielding set-up.
1. Make a Donut out of 6" pvc and 6" elbows to fill the 2x2 or 2.5x2.5. Elevate one end so it that the decline is -1/50. It is an Hand Watered, NFT, Water to Waste. The reason why I use hand watered is because then you have a lot of control, no system failures, etc.. Also iron turns ferrous when oxygenated thus unusable and clings to Mag driven pumps so it falls out of the solution quickly. Drill holes evenly in the top 2/ of the pvc. Then fill with your favorite high draining soilless that has moisture retention enough for only 1-3 waterings per day. A good one to use 40% perlite, 30% coco coir, 25% peat, 5% diatomaceous earth.
2. Drill 4 - 2-3" holes evenly spaced in the pvc, each one centered against the 4 walls.
3. Drill a 3" hole and install 1 105mm+ fan in the center of the floor blowing upward.
4. Find the center of the ceiling then drill two 3" holes to the sides far enough away to fit a mogul socket base but close enough to create negative pressure in a jet stream between the floor and the ceiling fans. Install 2 - 105+mm fans.
5. Install the socket in the center of the ceiling, vertically hanging.
6. Figure out where you want your power outlet, top corner, out of the way probably.
7. Parallel wire the computer fans together, then hook up a dc adapter, you can find them at the thrift store.
8. Install a 400w MH. The ballast should be outside the box.
9. The carbon filter is a DIY or do w/o. It makes the box 6-8" taller but it adds a lot of stealth and light proofs. You add an 2x2x6" box on top. The bottom and front faces are not needed however you need to put a false back in. Its going to fit books in the front and when you need to change the filter just take out the books and unscrew the false back. The fans blow through. Don't block the fans with the carbon just let it blow into the box. Then you need a 3"+ hole for exhaust. Place the carbon so it plugs the hole and the escaping light. To close the lower box, install 2 sets of french door's. One set of cheap doors on the inside to block the light. One set of hardwood doors on the outside to make it look like authentic. If you have a router, some stain, and polyurethane you can make it look like an ornate bookshelf/nightstand. You can install the ballast somewhere in the false area with its own fan.
10. You need a riser platform inside the box for small plants so you will be able to crowd and train around the bulb. This wastes virtually no light. The light and the ambient temperature will stay within acceptable range about 80 degrees. If you do everything right you should have 4 plants covered in colas that are 2 ft x 2 ft. Pruning a little in flowering won't hurt because it will produce more flowers to compensate. This box is designed for a sativa 12/12 from seed or just stretch your indica out. Either way you're going to get dense, beautiful buts without wasting electricity.
0-10000 lumens = slow growth
10000-20000 = consistent new growth, longer internode distance
20000-30000 = strong compact growth
30000-40000 = vigorous growth
40000-50000 = rapid growth, up to ~1-2+" new growth per day
So if you're going to go small this is a system that will work for a 2x2x2', or even better 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5. This also includes cfl's . Here's what I'd do for a micro-grow. Here's details of my last box, bought a sterilite garden cabinet at walmart($70). Dimensions are 69"x18.5"x25.5". Its pretty much the perfect size for micro. A long, narrow, and short. I could stack four of them on top of each other each yielding a pound each. I installed 16-26w(3500K) cfls($55), spaced 4" apart(79w per foot, close to recommended 100+), hung the lights on the ceiling with a screw pivot for a manual light mover. Ambient temp is about 75 below the plants and at the ceiling 90. Less lumens than a 400 MH but because the design is efficient it worked the same. This is what I did for veg and early flowering.
The following is a higher-yielding set-up.
1. Make a Donut out of 6" pvc and 6" elbows to fill the 2x2 or 2.5x2.5. Elevate one end so it that the decline is -1/50. It is an Hand Watered, NFT, Water to Waste. The reason why I use hand watered is because then you have a lot of control, no system failures, etc.. Also iron turns ferrous when oxygenated thus unusable and clings to Mag driven pumps so it falls out of the solution quickly. Drill holes evenly in the top 2/ of the pvc. Then fill with your favorite high draining soilless that has moisture retention enough for only 1-3 waterings per day. A good one to use 40% perlite, 30% coco coir, 25% peat, 5% diatomaceous earth.
2. Drill 4 - 2-3" holes evenly spaced in the pvc, each one centered against the 4 walls.
3. Drill a 3" hole and install 1 105mm+ fan in the center of the floor blowing upward.
4. Find the center of the ceiling then drill two 3" holes to the sides far enough away to fit a mogul socket base but close enough to create negative pressure in a jet stream between the floor and the ceiling fans. Install 2 - 105+mm fans.
5. Install the socket in the center of the ceiling, vertically hanging.
6. Figure out where you want your power outlet, top corner, out of the way probably.
7. Parallel wire the computer fans together, then hook up a dc adapter, you can find them at the thrift store.
8. Install a 400w MH. The ballast should be outside the box.
9. The carbon filter is a DIY or do w/o. It makes the box 6-8" taller but it adds a lot of stealth and light proofs. You add an 2x2x6" box on top. The bottom and front faces are not needed however you need to put a false back in. Its going to fit books in the front and when you need to change the filter just take out the books and unscrew the false back. The fans blow through. Don't block the fans with the carbon just let it blow into the box. Then you need a 3"+ hole for exhaust. Place the carbon so it plugs the hole and the escaping light. To close the lower box, install 2 sets of french door's. One set of cheap doors on the inside to block the light. One set of hardwood doors on the outside to make it look like authentic. If you have a router, some stain, and polyurethane you can make it look like an ornate bookshelf/nightstand. You can install the ballast somewhere in the false area with its own fan.
10. You need a riser platform inside the box for small plants so you will be able to crowd and train around the bulb. This wastes virtually no light. The light and the ambient temperature will stay within acceptable range about 80 degrees. If you do everything right you should have 4 plants covered in colas that are 2 ft x 2 ft. Pruning a little in flowering won't hurt because it will produce more flowers to compensate. This box is designed for a sativa 12/12 from seed or just stretch your indica out. Either way you're going to get dense, beautiful buts without wasting electricity.
S
staff11
I have used t-8's to CFL's to HPS to flower with. The HPS has really increased my yield, hands down over CFL. I do still use CFL's in my small veg cab, and they work fine for that stage.
Here are a few pics of my veg cab:
Here are a few pics of my veg cab:
CFL bulbs work great for me in veg/clone AND flower. I use the 26 watters, 11 bulbs in a 2'X2' space, homemade reflectors. I vent the cabinet and suspend a small desktop fan (computer fan would work also) that blows over the bare bulbs so the plants can almost touch without being affected one bit. I think it also extends their life. It's nice to be able to change out bulbs when you see they need a different spectrum. Energy costs are low, and I harvest quality, solid herb, for me, my friends and family. True, they take longer to finish, but I'm very patient, so it works!
I have no experience with HID, but if I did go bigger I would look into it.
I have no experience with HID, but if I did go bigger I would look into it.
IwannatokeNbone
Member
frostiest best buds=cfls/floros(mixed spectrum)
highest yeild lowest quality=hps
highest yeild lowest quality=hps
S
staff11
They don't suck but I have grown the exact same strain with both CFL's and HPS. The HPS buds were much more dense and almost out yeilded the CFL's by a 3-1 margin in size. To each their own. If you have the space and can handle the heat there is no reason not to use HID lights. My cfl buds were the same as far as taste, quality, just not size or density. This was done with almost the exact same wattage too btw.
S
staff11
That is just complete bullshit. Sorry. Genetics determine quality not the fucking lights. This kind of misinformation is hilarious.
S
staff11
And to be honest with you, people that have only grown one way or the other shouldn't even comment until they have tried both.
IwannatokeNbone
Member
done both, the blue light makes a huge diffeance, u shouldnt assume untill u ask a person what theve done or havent done, cant stop u from being emotional about what u read though, thats up to u. u also dont need to post twice in a row, u could of put that second piece of deepness in the first piece of nothing u wrote, just click edit.
The blue light does make a difference.
I'll attest to that. Yeild is not a factor when you are interested in potency... HPS for weight and nothing more I'll agree with.
I'll attest to that. Yeild is not a factor when you are interested in potency... HPS for weight and nothing more I'll agree with.
Young Pumpkin
Member
I veg under 2 300w CFLs. They are Huge! Some downers tho, each lamp, as stated on the base, draws 1.2 amps. They get hot and will burn the tops if they touch unlike smaller or other fluros. They were expensive. And for better or worse a home made reflector in the form of a channel seems to work well. Mine are in 1 socket, end to end. The hood is about 2.5 feet long, maybe 14 inches wide, maybe 8 inches deep. These are big bulbs. I keep a mom and 2-5 plants under it that are usually 4-6 weeks old. Flip to the 12/12 room after 2-4 more weeks also dependent on size. It still lacks some penetration tho. These are on the blue side if I remember right. I do pro mix and DWC. Just moved 2 Buckets to bloom after 4 weeks of clone room, then 4 weeks of cfls. I put them in buckets when I put them under the 300s. They do quite well but 4 weeks is the most at that size because of lack of penetration to me, imho.........
C
cyber echo
Dunno if this has been suggested before, but you can take a look at CMH bulbs. They "throw" less heat at the plants, leaving most of it near the bulb. Place them in a cool tube and heat won't be a problem imo.
Leds are great too but cost tons.
ps: A friend had a great result using 550 watts of CFLs, mixed spectrum. Thick dense resinous buds.
link: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=3378322&postcount=170
Leds are great too but cost tons.
ps: A friend had a great result using 550 watts of CFLs, mixed spectrum. Thick dense resinous buds.
link: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=3378322&postcount=170
hahahah lol i Like it!
CFL's work.
Don't believe the bullshitters.
Most lighting sold for horticulture has its place these days, From LED's, CFL's to HPS & Now Moving into Sulpher Plasma, i'd love to get my hands on one of those units, Bit pricey & not many if any companies cater for our hobby as of yet but it wont be long imo. Everthing has its place! its whatever suits personal needs best & all considerations.On my last grow i used 2 x 250w-2700k CFL Envirolites as supplimental lighting with my AC HPS(Growlux's), made a BIG difference & more than paid for themselves, Lit the pheriphery outside edge's beautifully & only got moderately warm, Very Usefull i thought!
ive used both, 70w hps and 78w cfl. the hps could veg the plant significantly faster. under cfl they grew.. but not as fast so i had to add another bulb (104w total) and only then did i see faster growth.. the hps was still the faster and produced FAR FAR bigger colas if used for flowering. if i were to estimate how much cfl i would need to match a 70whps id say about 150w and thats in 1square foot. so using 150w cfl, why not just use a 150whps ? may as well be as efficient as you can eh?
i always find it funny when people get so defensive over their precious cfl's, but from experience i know hps beats them. i have both and if cfl were better, i would use them more
ive used both, 70w hps and 78w cfl. the hps could veg the plant significantly faster. under cfl they grew.. but not as fast so i had to add another bulb (104w total) and only then did i see faster growth.. the hps was still the faster and produced FAR FAR bigger colas if used for flowering. if i were to estimate how much cfl i would need to match a 70whps id say about 150w and thats in 1square foot. so using 150w cfl, why not just use a 150whps ? may as well be as efficient as you can eh?
i always find it funny when people get so defensive over their precious cfl's, but from experience i know hps beats them. i have both and if cfl were better, i would use them more
well, i haven't tried the hps for vegging, so can't refute actual experiences
the reason i used 78w cfl over a 70w hps is the lumen output for a 70w hps didn't seem to compare that well
and the distribution of 3 26w over 1 70w seemed better
to me, these are just light bulbs, what's to get emotionally attached over?
i seem to see the same perceptions from fans of different lighting, they like their results and tend to get carried away
