How many and what watt CFL?

[Dr.Stona]

Ok, I have heard all kinds of ideas. I heard that 2 soft white and 2 hard white at 13 watt will get you through the entire grow, but then I hear from other places that it wont work and that you should get 2 45 watt (not sure but I think hard whites) from walmart. And then there are those of you who say those wont even work and you need 100 watt(again not sure on hard/soft white)cfls. So which is it guys I really need to know right now I got 2 27 watt hard white cfl's. I know this wont be enough but can I use these in conjunction with other 13 or 45 or even more 27 watters? I am very confused on this and really need some help. Also I can only use 1 (regular)outlet so i cant blow any fuses here. And I am going to get a y splitter. So can I get multiple y splitters and hook them up to just 1 light post? Any and all help is greatly apreciated.

Keep Tokin Guys,
The Docta

 

[riddleme]

It all depends on your garden, how many plants your gonna grow and how well you tweak the various elements

I just finished a grow with one 65 watt cfl and a T9

knowing how things work and planning to get the desired results are what is needed

Tell us about what yer after???

 

[racerboy71]

i always say the biggest actual watt that you can get your hands on the better, and the more of them the better as well..
now, i always get f'ed up with the soft vs hard or whatever whites, but if you look on the packaging, it should give you a k (kelvin) rating.. you will want to used the ones closer to 6500k for vegging and the ones around 2700 k for flowering.. you can also mix and match the different k rating for either phase of growth.. this is what i like to do and they seem to like it..
i would think that if you get one of those gfi extension chords, you can plug a couple of them into it and still be ok..
like i said though, you will want as many watts as you can get for flowering, and for veg its not quite as important till they start to get a lil bigger cuz the light won't penetrate all the way down to the bottom of your plants when they start to get bigger..

 

[racerboy71]

edit.. i would listen to riddleme as i just saw his cfl grow and it was simply amazing.. he really seems to have his cfl;s down to a science.

 

[riddleme]

edit.. i would listen to riddleme as i just saw his cfl grow and it was simply amazing.. he really seems to have his cfl;s down to a science.

Thank you for the kind words

but as I have taught in my NooB Advice thread it is all about all of the elements in your garden, light is just one of em

A good grow is = to the sum of all parts

 

[sees in the dark]

web link.... http://www.nationalgardenwholesale.com/ngw/lighting.aspx?request=pl06&type=subcat&title=Fluorescent Lighting&pagenum=1
here you go, on the type of lights to use. been growning and blooming under theses type light for over 5years now. the little c.f.l. are NOT!! the type of floros to be growing under anyways?? The four foot models with a bulb at 54 watts total lumens per light is; 40,000 lumens. now with four of theses you can bloom 24 plant with ease!! Peace and POT!,sees.

 

[Dr.Stona]

ok I am just looking to grow 1 plant I am a newb so I don't really care about yield yet. I just want to know what will work.
Thanks for all your help guys

 

[riddleme]

ok I am just looking to grow 1 plant I am a newb so I don't really care about yield yet. I just want to know what will work.
Thanks for all your help guys

Click on and follow my Goin Loco grow (sig link) I grew just one plant and you can see exactly how I did it

then read my NooB Advice thread, you'll be growin in no time

 

[growone]

one bit of advice i will toss in is to avoid cfl wattages below 25w
the 15w don't have the higher lumens/watts as the 25-27w have
some like the 42w and larger, and they seem to work fine, but you can use y-splitters to cluster up the 27w to take you all the way though your grow

 

[mrdrywall]

3.00 power strip from w mart with your y s and bulbs plugged into it will not blow breakers load it up friend of mine has an insane amount of cfls 30 or so wired with w nuts all into 1 cord he doesnt have a prob

 

[allovher]

if u get alot of the 14w (60w incan) cfls u can make a "led" type array about 3-5 inches apart with like 20 bulbs. Thats about 300w so u might as well just get a 400HID.

 

[Illegal Smile]

The advantage of cfls is low cost and low heat. The disdavantage is you have to keep them close to the foliage which means they have to be moved around often. When plants get large that isn't as easy as it sounds, getting a cfl "right there" can be a challenge. I used to use all cfls but now use them on the sides in conjunction with other lighting.

I use 42w cfls in cheap trouble lights with the cage removed ($6 at Lowes). I then hang them down close to the foliage, which means I need a setup overhead so they can be lowered from almost any given point and to any given level. cfls emit more lumens from the sides than from the tips. Also reflectivity is important or you can make a reflector.

 

[Sr. Verde]

I have 8x 26w 6500k's purchased from walmart on 3 plants right now and they love it

Its like 200+w total