What do you think first grow

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GrowUrOwnDank

Well-Known Member
LetsGetCritical said:
@GrowUrOwnDank is supposedly the cfl guy. Maybe he knows how many cfl you need? Apparently he has one gigantic cfl that is actually 60 watts of actual cfl ! omg! incoming power bill alert...
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I started with CFLs more than about 5 years ago. I even went to a lot of trouble to build a fixture to hold 4 ginormous 65 actual watt CFLs that cost about $20-$25 a piece. We grew dank with that. I now use one of those bulbs in my garage, 1 I keep in a clamp lamp and have broken 3.

Since, I have used 2 different LED UFOs. One is about 135 Watt and the other is about 180. The actual draw on both are much lower, the 180 being advertised at about 110 watts actual draw. I have also used an induction CFL looking thing with a hooka hoop around it that didn't work well. I don't remember the watts but, it cost about $130 and I recently threw it away. It was broken and just sitting in the closet. I also have grown with a 150 HPS. I used the 180 LED to supplement.

Personally, the CFL works good. But, I will only use them for seedlings from here forward and not as my main light. The heat is comparable to the HPS and I don't see any benefit of using the CFLs over an HPS, since the HPS has better penetration. CFL can be done, and some do very well. Anything will pretty much work, I Just feel there are more effective alternatives.

Hope that helps.
 
tinytocker

tinytocker

Member
LetsGetCritical said:
@GrowUrOwnDank is supposedly the cfl guy. Maybe he knows how many cfl you need? Apparently he has one gigantic cfl that is actually 60 watts of actual cfl ! omg! incoming power bill alert...
Click to expand...
that's the biggest problem I really don't want to attention of extra power usage just trying to get a good balance. It's all trial and error I suppose need to find the balance of spend and what I actually get. I really apreciate all the advise and help tho guys thanks again
 
G

GrowUrOwnDank

Well-Known Member
tinytocker said:
that's the biggest problem I really don't want to attention of extra power usage just trying to get a good balance. It's all trial and error I suppose need to find the balance of spend and what I actually get. I really apreciate all the advise and help tho guys thanks again
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I reviewed the HPS 150 I got from ebay for $65 shipped. It's a Floralux and HTG Supply was the vendor. My 180 LED is a Mars brand also from ebay. They are under $100. Either will work for a micro grow like you have. I might also suggest, since you are worrying about electric usage, you grow an auto on 12/12, done it, and expect a lower yield. Or, running a photo under your low watt CFL for two weeks then go 12/12 flower with whatever larger light you choose. You will get small plants but, it will grow you some dank smoke. If heat is an issue the 150 HPS will heat up your space and the LED may be more effective for you. The HPS will get you tighter flowers, perhaps slightly more yield.

Remember that RIU is a collage of different style growers. Some grow on a much larger scale than micro growers. They may advise to only use this or that not fully considering the circumstances of YOUR grow. You should design your grow space around your intended results as well as, considerations of what you got, can afford, space, heat issues and any other short comings or challenges you might face. This ain't a 1 size fits all solution.

Basically, I use hempy buckets with perlite in a bucket, lucas formula(GH Bloom powder) and low wattage lights for 1 or 2 plants. I use good proven genes like Dinafem, because they will increase your chance of success. I like autos the best because they are hardy and easy to grow. I only need the herb for personal use. Obviously a commercial grower would balk at using my methods for their grows. It wouldn't work on a larger scale as effectively as other methods. But, it works fantastic for a micro grow.
 
LetsGetCritical

LetsGetCritical

Well-Known Member
GrowUrOwnDank said:
I started with CFLs more than about 5 years ago. I even went to a lot of trouble to build a fixture to hold 4 ginormous 65 actual watt CFLs that cost about $20-$25 a piece. We grew dank with that. I now use one of those bulbs in my garage, 1 I keep in a clamp lamp and have broken 3.

Since, I have used 2 different LED UFOs. One is about 135 Watt and the other is about 180. The actual draw on both are much lower, the 180 being advertised at about 110 watts actual draw. I have also used an induction CFL looking thing with a hooka hoop around it that didn't work well. I don't remember the watts but, it cost about $130 and I recently threw it away. It was broken and just sitting in the closet. I also have grown with a 150 HPS. I used the 180 LED to supplement.

Personally, the CFL works good. But, I will only use them for seedlings from here forward and not as my main light. The heat is comparable to the HPS and I don't see any benefit of using the CFLs over an HPS, since the HPS has better penetration. CFL can be done, and some do very well. Anything will pretty much work, I Just feel there are more effective alternatives.

Hope that helps.
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ok, a 65 actual watt cfl is not ginormous, nor egantic. I have used actual 200w cfls previously and they also come in 300w (actual). I feel if I have been growing for less than two years and you 5 , then you should be teaching me not the other way around.
 
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Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
Forgive me if I have missed it on page one, but what are the concerns about ditching the CFL's and going HPS?
 
SPLFreak808

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
Dankfactory said:
Forgive me if I have missed it on page one, but what are the concerns about ditching the CFL's and going HPS?
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I think his issue is not enough cfl's. As for me, id rather spend 70$(electric) total for a 250watt hps and get 45 dry grams vs 300+watts(100$ electric) and get 35 grams of airy buds.
Cfl's are outstanding for veg though! Keep em short keep em short!!

This is the most important thing i have learned from using cfl's.... Stay away from 67watt bulbs!! They do more harm to your electric bill and temps then good to your plant.20150424_192417_HDR-1.jpg

It puts out some light for sure, but the damn thing is so big that the light coming off from such a physically big bulb degraded fast with distance! Too much surface area on the bulb to be an intense directional light unless you put them in a deep white reflector completly overlooking the fact that it is inefficient. My single 23 watt cfl's actually have 2x the size of buds under them vs the 67watt on the side because i can direct 95% of the light within the relfector right onto the buds with the tiny 23 watts keeping the temps under 80f at the same time.
 
Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
SPLFreak808 said:
I think his issue is not enough cfl's. As for me, id rather spend 70$(electric) total for a 250watt hps and get 45 dry grams vs 300+watts(100$ electric) and get 35 grams of airy buds.
Cfl's are outstanding for veg though! Keep em short keep em short!!

This is the most important thing i have learned from using cfl's.... Stay away from 67watt bulbs!! They do more harm to your electric then good to your plant.View attachment 3404144

It puts out some light fore sure, but the damn thing is so big that the light coming off from such a physically big bulb degraded fast with distance! Too much surface area on the bulb to be an intense directional light unless you put them in a deep white reflector completly overlooking the fact that it is inefficient. My single 23 watt cfl's actually have 2x the size of buds under them vs the 67watt on the side.
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Well, yes..Anyone's issue when using CFL's is going to be "not enough CFL's." Dissecting CFL "theory" and numbers is just sort of a cumbersome and pointless task.They are good for one thing, as you mentioned: Veg. But then again, LED is better for veg and drastically more efficient. So again: CFL's remain obsolete as a credible option.
So OP, once again brotha: Whats the hangup on switching to HID?
 
tinytocker

tinytocker

Member
There's no hangup to switching to hid just I don't know much about them. Cost to run compared to cfls. Price of the unit I'm in the UK by the way. Just general knowledge on it really
 
SPLFreak808

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
tinytocker said:
There's no hangup to switching to hid just I don't know much about them. Cost to run compared to cfls. Price of the unit I'm in the UK by the way. Just general knowledge on it really
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Dont get scared. A 250watt sealed HPS doesnt put out much heat at all, will give you the same/simular results as 400watts of cfl's with less heat, lights dont have to be 1-6" away,denser buds,dont need to adjust everyday,helps soil dry out quicker,saves on electric bill,no 120v wires dangling around,faster flowering ect...
 
indoorgrow

indoorgrow

Member
okay op of this post im useing 525 eq of clf for 2 plants and there growing fine your lights are the wrong spectrum u ned them all that soft yellowish white no blue the 900lumes bulbs cfl 2700kal there 3$ each your plants need to be low stresstrained to all branch tops are same height to you can span the light over a blanket of green not just one point and middle trust me if your plants are healthy u can bend them all silightly over a couple days without breaking and it will inproove light coveage and make them clfs in triangle with one in the middle so 4 on each plant if u do this it will improove your yield alot. make sure no more then 6-8" away but now more then 2"close to leaves/buds
 
rnint

rnint

Well-Known Member
just fyi I doubt running 8 cfls will be much cheaper than running 1 250W hps... your bills are calculated with kWh(oil watt hours) so running one 250W hps would be about the same as running 8 30W cfl's, the pain with hid's in my eyes at least is spending a bunch of cash on a ballast and then also sorting out heating issues if they come up with your new light/s. But on the other hand almost everyone says hps bulbs are better than cfls for flowering and lets be honest were all here for the buds. Im new to this too so I'm no genius when it comes to growing but I do know that when I open up my cupboard with my 250W hps in it it pretty much blinds me with all the light whereas in comparison the cfls in the pics you uploaded look like little night lights. But still @indoorgrow looks like he's doing pretty good so far!
 
tinytocker

tinytocker

Member
Oh the cfls are very bright the picture does it no justice. what I think I will do is buy the hps and see What the diffrence is. The only other issue I have is the property is rented and I am growing in a fitted double wardrobe so cutting and fitting extractors isn't possible. The only other option I have is to make a wood door and fit that to cut in to.
 
rnint

rnint

Well-Known Member
you could also just take the doors off and put a sheet of mylar over where they were and just put the doors back on if you need the subtlety if your landlord or someone is coming round

you can easily rig the mylar up with adhesive velcro that you can get on amazon to make it into a door of sorts
 
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S

Smokenpassout

Well-Known Member
Looks very tall and stretchy. Definitley light deprieved. Thus it is stretching to reach what little light you have supplied. 3 cfl's is grossly not enough for one plant to flower. 3 cfl's would be good to light up maybe one side of one plant. Anyway, kudos for a healthy green plant! Next grow, focus on keeping cfl's 1-3" max from plant from sprout throughout your grow! The plant wont have to reach for light, causing it to grow short and bushy. Also 3 cfl's may be good for a 2 week old plant at best. But You need 6 or more by the time shes vegged a month. Then maybe 12-15 if you want to see some effective flowering. Those number may quickly make you want to invest in a small 150-400 watt hps.
 
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