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CFL Club!
- Thread starter cfl...KING
- Start date
holy shit dude this garden looks really kick ass. I would love if i could get my ladies to grow this big agen.Just finished my first SCROG. I'm using an T5 HOcfl, 8 lamps 24 watts each 2 ft x 2 ft fixture, 194 watts total. The cab is 4x4x2ft, flower side is 2x4x3ft and fits in a closet.
Two plants in a 2x2 ft scrog.
BongoDrum
New member
Hello everyone. I'm just trying to figure something out and had a quick question.
I want to do a CFL grow but am getting confused about the lumens. I want a 250w cfl, but it seems that most people prefer the 23 watters (I know that cost is an issue.) I'm just wondering if a 250w CFL would give off the same amount of lumens as 250w worth of 23w CFLS. I have always assumed the more watts the better, but after reading through the posts on this board, I have noticed that everyone wants lumens when growing with CFLs while watts seem less important.
I want to do a CFL grow but am getting confused about the lumens. I want a 250w cfl, but it seems that most people prefer the 23 watters (I know that cost is an issue.) I'm just wondering if a 250w CFL would give off the same amount of lumens as 250w worth of 23w CFLS. I have always assumed the more watts the better, but after reading through the posts on this board, I have noticed that everyone wants lumens when growing with CFLs while watts seem less important.
Color Temperature (CT) - Color temperature, which is measured in Kelvin, indicates whether a lamp has a warm, midrange or cool color appearance. "Warm" light sources have a low color temperature (2000-3000K) and feature more light in the red/orange/yellow range. Light with a higher color temperature (>5000K) features more blue light and is referred to as "cool."
Lumens are for humans. The K's are more important which represent the Color Temperature of the light. In reality the light spectrum itself is most important but I do not know of any CFL's that aren't T5 or T6 with a spectrum chart to indicate the actual spectrum for you.
With that said, you should get bulbs rated at what ever Color Temperature you need.
I have 4 CFL bulbs from HomeDepot rated at 4200 Lumens 2700K 300watt equivalents $16 each. I am about to buy 2 more and use them to flower 6 mature plants. After I set up my door for intake with a filter, exhaust with light block, and a plexiglass window for undisturbed peaks
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Short answer... yes and no, well... maybe... but in the end it doesn't matter. The 23 watts lamps are still better.
The 23 watt lights actually run about the best lumen to watt ratio. More lumens per watt, but not much.
The biggest factor you're looking at is more of the 250w lamp will have light beaming into other parts of the 250w lamp... instead of out at your plants.
The other most significant difference is that multiple light source points grow better plants. When they're hit from multiple angles at the same time... they seem to grow faster and healthier. *shrug*
Gotta love it.
Stay Safe!
I just have to say, I love CFL lighting, kicks the shit out of LEDs
Bobbles
Member
Anyone notice that certain CFLs seem to be WAY hotter than others? I just noticed this with a reptile UV bulb I picked up. Those CFLs emit no heat compared to my 2700K GE Walmart bulbs.
Has anyone ever gone through the brands to see which brand has the lowest heat output? I couldn't believe the difference between that reptile bulb and my 2700k bulbs in relation to heat output.
Has anyone ever gone through the brands to see which brand has the lowest heat output? I couldn't believe the difference between that reptile bulb and my 2700k bulbs in relation to heat output.
Not my experience. I've done many grows with both and equivalent cfl wattage can't touch my 240 uv blackstar unit (135-140 actual draw)
Not knocking cfls, I've grown amazing buds in my cab! Just saying those buds can't touch some of what I've grown under the LED. The problem with LEDs is people are cheap and poorly researched, so they buy the e-bay ufo and think it's going to be equivalent to a 400 hps. A-nope.
One place I've found plain old fixtures is the Habitat store (Restore). They seem to have them used for a Buck apiece, or was it $1.50?
If you want to build a board this is about as good as it gets, unless you can get them for free. lol
If you want to build a board this is about as good as it gets, unless you can get them for free. lol
fukndenny
Member
Smoking Gun
Active member
I second that.
Smoking Gun
Active member
What about it?
blackosprey
Member
I'm one for saying that my cfl grows tend to go about 10 days longer than breeder rec's, but it could be because of a couple different things, not just the fact I grow under cfl's (280 w currently). Number one, I don't count the day I flip to 12/12 as day one; day one for me is the true onset of flowering, and that usually takes a week or so. Example: I recently finished a Killer Queen Redux, which finishes at 55 days per breeder, go 63 days to chop at 30% amber. It's important to get a scope and know your plants over breeder days and shit like that.
CFL's are a great way to grow for cheap, you can easily start a nice setup that will provide you enough smoke for the month for very cheap! They don't get too warm, so you don't have to focus on heat issues to much. And can also grow great herbs!
Here is some of my work under CFL's
Nirvana NL#5 Grown under 2 40w CFL's
And here is my current setup, 3x23w CFL's
Peace all!
Here is some of my work under CFL's
Nirvana NL#5 Grown under 2 40w CFL's
And here is my current setup, 3x23w CFL's
Peace all!
Smoking Gun
Active member
Your count is definitely a part of why your times are off. Another part of your difference is that the seed companies often state the very first day in which a harvest is feasible, many of us growers will go past the stated harvest date for an optimal harvest. So ultimately you are right on point and the CFL's really are not extending your harvest times.
Several years back both myself and a buddy got our hands on a Chem 4 cut, he grew it out first. We let it go 72 days and it was not completely finished, it surely could have used another week or so but schedules didn't allow for any more time. I took the same cut and grew a few small plants under CFLs. My grow finished in 68 days. To me this is a clear example that CF lighting does not lengthen flowering times.
