Which CFL type?

[tharted]

After much re thinking for my 1st grow, I have decided that I am going to do some small stealth micro PC grows instead of a small tent!

My question is about the 42watt CFL's I plan on using! They come in a couple of flavours and I was wondering which one/ones will be best!

The options I have on the site I am looking at are warm white, cool white and full spectrum.

Can anyone offer advise on which flavour I will need for which growing stage?

Thanks in advance

 

[Chiefin]

Use the cool white for the vegetative stage then switch over to the warm for flowering.

 

[Hydrofarm420]

I guess the main question is how much light output in lumens do these bulbs throw off? Lumens matter much more than spectrum for plants. This is the reason why a plant will veg and flower under an hps without any real problems other than an unnatural stretch during vegetative growth. That being said spectrum is important. Before i switched to HID i found that if you can make a flourescent light roughly 5000'K or as close to natural sunlight as possible trych production goes insane. So in my humble opinion i would go with the highest lumen output first, then if light output is equal either 2 full spectrums or one warm white and one cool white. Then i would probably use them throughout all stages of growth. Just curious but what are the dimensions of the PC box? 42 watts per bulb is quite alot for a small space. Heat wont be an issue but light bleaching could if you go to much above 40 watts per square foot (20 is actually all thats necessary).

to find out multiply length x Width = Square footage
light output (in watts) / square footage

for ex. my setup is 3 ft x 5ft = 15 square feet
600 watt / 15 = 40 watts per square foot
do some math and see if you are in the ball park. If you arent itd be better to know now than to invest time and money and then find out. Good luck with it and good smoking.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Buy all three flavors.
You can never have enough.

 

[dead head jed]

Lumens matter much more than spectrum for plants. ........
Just curious but what are the dimensions of the PC box? 42 watts per bulb is quite alot for a small space. Heat wont be an issue but light bleaching could if you go to much above 40 watts per square foot (20 is actually all thats necessary).

i'm sorry but i have to totally disagree with these statements
spectrum is absolutely imperative, this is the entire idea behind growing with LEDs, which works very well even without the slightest hint of green or yellow.

secondly, from what i've read for cfl's 50w/sqft is recommended.
here is a pc grow with a 42w 2700k bulb in 0.4sqft of space (works out to 105w/sqft) Mr Micro Presents : The Nanomachine - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums and as you can see there is absolutly no signs of bleaching. as a matter of fact i don't know if i have ever seen bleaching from flouros (if anybody has any links to some i'd like to check them out)

 

[BC Chronic]

The more cfl's you can use, the better...I used a mix spectrum throughout the whole grow..For bloom I used 1 6500k and the rest soft whites....or 2500k....I had 191 watts of cfl's in my pc...lol...
Just remember they get VERY hot so use a strong exhaust but no intake fan.....to cool 191 watts , I had a 250 cfm exhaust fan...
good luck bro!!

 

[tharted]

This all very good info, thanks guys

dead head jed, the nanomachine is whats inspired me to do a PC grow! I wont be so small, I will be using a larger PC case with a couple of CFLs.

I have no brought anything yet! The lights, seeds and mylar lining are all I really need to buy, but before I go out and buy them, I just wanted to be sure of the right stuff!

I have 2 days off this week, so will be ripping the PC to bits, and getting it airtight and all the good stuff.

Am tired now, but tomorrow I am going to order the bits I need, and decide on what seeds! Someone in this forum suggested Sour Diesel as its nice and easy to grow. Will that be fine for a micro grow?

 

[LoKey]

the spectrum of florescent lights dont differ enough that its really important.

Most people just say 2700k (warm white) for flower and 6500k (Daylight) for veg, but they just think blue light for veg and red for flower and dont think anymore to it than that, when in reality a plant will actually use light all across the spectrum, not just in the red and blues where its most efficient.

Thats why you will see people such as BC Cronic, myself, and others use a mix spectrum to try and get the best output, for the healthiest plants, but as i said above really the spectrum's between the different bulbs dont differ enough to make a huge impact, heck even a noticeable small one, and they are made the same just different ratios of the phosphors they use.

So in my mind just pick the lights that make the plants look good, cause why not your gonna be spending time looking at them, so why not enjoy it, for me the 4100k bulbs or a combo spectrum close to that is a good happy medium.

 

[IwannatokeNbone]

spectrum is more important then lumens, cfls generally grow higher quality pot then hid's, the spectrum is a higher quality

 

[Hydrofarm420]

@dead head jed doesnt the fact that those LED's spectrums being incomplete prove my point that spectrum is secondary in importance to total light output? I mean no disrespect i've just notice that if i flower under 600watt HPS which has a higher total lumen output than CMH at 600watts the buds become larger. yet under a 400watt hps with clone from the same genetics the buds were smaller than the 600 watt CMH which produced more lumens. this would seem to indicate that spectrum is secondary to total light output as far as overall yield goes. Im saying NOTHING about spectrums effect on fragrance, resin production, or any other factor, only overall yield. And i have light bleached from having to many watts per square foot under CFL's even though the bulbs were 4 inches from the tops. Not saying it will happen every time, just that it has happened to me and that i get my best results without C02 enrichment at 40 watts per square foot. Not tryin to step on toes just putting in my 2 cents based on my experiences.

 

[ItGrows]

No need to buy cfl's online. Go to home depot or lowes walmart... Myself I use 2700k for bloom and 6500k in the mum/clone box. My plants are as green and healthy as could be.

 

[ItGrows]

@dead head jed doesnt the fact that those LED's spectrums being incomplete prove my point that spectrum is secondary in importance to total light output? I mean no disrespect i've just notice that if i flower under 600watt HPS which has a higher total lumen output than CMH at 600watts the buds become larger. yet under a 400watt hps with clone from the same genetics the buds were smaller than the 600 watt CMH which produced more lumens. this would seem to indicate that spectrum is secondary to total light output as far as overall yield goes. Im saying NOTHING about spectrums effect on fragrance, resin production, or any other factor, only overall yield. And i have light bleached from having to many watts per square foot under CFL's even though the bulbs were 4 inches from the tops. Not saying it will happen every time, just that it has happened to me and that i get my best results without C02 enrichment at 40 watts per square foot. Not tryin to step on toes just putting in my 2 cents based on my experiences.

You are comparing apples to oranges. First you compare 2, 600w lamps. The compare it to a 400w? How does that prove anything? lol

 

[Hydrofarm420]

Because the only thing i was trying to make as a point was that lumens have a direct relationship to yield assuming a healthy plant is grown. The only difference between the 600W HPS and the 400W hps is light output. Yet the 600 gives bigger buds. The 600W CMH produces more lumens than a 400W hps and yet their spectrums are completely different and still the higher wattage light outperforms the lower even despite the spectrum being different. I will readily agree with you that spectrum does change all other aspects...but yield it does not have a substantial effect on. I know nothing about LED's or their light output and spectrum. I do know that it is a fact that if everything else is equal that the higher light output the larger the overall yield.

 

[yesum]

The difference between spectrums of flouro light is not very important, according to knna and others. There is a spike in the spectrum at 2700k or whatever spectrum, but most all the light is not in that spike.

I use 2700k for veg and flower to save money and bother.

 

[LoKey]

lumens have a direct relationship to yield assuming a healthy plant is grown

Hydrofarm, you are correct, lumen do have a direct relationship to yield, but not as much as spectrum, at least now adays, cause now we have the choices and options to go with a better fuller spectrum (quality, and plant growth) vs just trying to get enough light (like people who were growing 10-2- years ago needed)

have a question though, you say you have tried or at least heard from someone you trust that when that said person grew with a 600cmh that the buds were smaller, i think you possibly might be mistaken about the bulbs, as CMH bulbs currently are only offered up to 400w (they have a 1K on the back burner), so was it a conversion bulb ?? more than likely it was. (for 600w that would typically mean a 400w hps element and a 150ish MH element, all built into one bulb)

Actual CMH's produce alot better spectrum than the old conversion bulbs of yesteryear's tech (10+ years old), and even say comparing a 400w actual CMH to a 400hps, the actual CMH will have less lumens than the HPS but because it has a fuller (better) spectrum it actually yield more, due to the better spectrum and the plants growing healthier, and thats aside from the other things like quality, taste, aroma's that will be better with the CMH


Most of the LED lights or hobbyist's are building their light panels to actually include white light instead of just red and blue, as they found out the plants grow and respond better in a fuller spectrum, just more concentrated where the plants like them aka red and blues(were still all learning what is possible and what plants like)

But all that said spectrums are very important, with florescents we just coincidentally get a broader more useful spectrum just due to how the lights works, but talking about easily obtainable bulbs, like ones at homedepot, the spectrum difference is very minor between the various colors, that its not really that important for us florescent users.


The tech of now and the near future is LED's , with CMH being second at least for industrial applications, but LED's are what is in demand by the general populous of the world, so thats the tech thats gonna be pushed as far as tech advancements go for the foreseeable future

 

[LoKey]

sorry to get away from the OP (original poster) question, but now hydrofarm (if he reads it) and whoever reads the above now knows

 

[Hydrofarm420]

I did in fact lokey and thank you for the input. I did a lil research and you were correct it was a conversion bulb. It also has a very complete spectrum which to me looks much better than my 600 hps. I was not aware of how efficient the lights have become. That being said it looks like a 1000w led panel actually draws 1200 watts (correct me if im wrong this info came from the manufacturers website-growL.com) and has roughly the same light output of a 1000watt hid. Is the only benefit a lack of heat and the ability to customize the spectrum? If thats the case it would seem pointless as the 1000w LED board was $2500. A 1000w HID with a cooltube is $500. I guess im just old school and dont see it as efficient enough to warrant using yet. And back to topic they are correct tharted spectrum is very important just dont sacrifice a large amount of light output for it.

 

[tharted]

While a lot of what you guys have discused went right over my head, I am very greatful for my CFL info

I went to B&Q today, and even though they sell CFLs there, they did not sell 42watt ones! I am going to re read all these posts, get my box dimensions together, and maybe rethink my set up!

Thanks again guys, really usefull info

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

All the 42 watt CFLs I've looked at, had a label indicating that they were only to be used in a vertical upright position with the socket below the bulb.

 

[LoKey]

That being said it looks like a 1000w led panel actually draws 1200 watts (correct me if im wrong this info came from the manufacturers website-growL.com) and has roughly the same light output of a 1000watt hid. Is the only benefit a lack of heat and the ability to customize the spectrum?

well the spectrum will be more efficient so even though they might put out the same light the led will supposedly put it out in a more efficient spectrum that the plants can use better thus why company's state what they are equivalent to.

But saying that currently there are very few and i mean like 1-3 company's out there that actually make decent LED panels, most as in 95% are just crap that they just randomly get made with low bin (cheap low quality) leds, as a person just want to make money on the latest fad, not to mention most have led's in their combos that have been proven to be inefficient or at least there are better alternatives (reds, blues and white combos seem to be what works the best)

Right now LED's are not at the price point range where they are worth while no matter how efficient they are, the tech is there just they are too expensive at the moment to make them worth while, People are better to go with CMH for mid size grows or HPS for bigger grows and for probably the next 2+ years at least till the tech gets even better and the price comes down


LED's right now are only worth while if you build the panels yourself, and or have a smaller grow, they aren't suited for bigger grows yet (well in my mind), and even still the cost is still high.

Reason why im going with fluorescent lights on my new box.

If i had say a 250w-1200w grow i would be using CMH, but definitely dont need that much for my own personal supply.


If interested more in the led's search for KNAA posts on here and on gardenscure, he helps out the spanish community alot (cant read Spanish or i would be over on their forums) but they are on the forefront of pushing what works best for our application