My first cfl grow! MAJOR QUESTION please help

firstgrowtime

firstgrowtime

Well-Known Member
Sup ppl some insight on this would be helpful

Im growing 2 Cheese plants in a medium sized box and its fully covered on the inside with reflective material for the light....so far my two are doing very well under 2(20w), one 18w and 1 15w cfl's (Total 73w) would i be able to fully flower these two plants with the current lighting?

and does anyone know if MH/HPS bulbs can be used in normal resedential light holders like what u plug the cfls into?

Thanks again
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
Hi,

Sorry to bring bad news, but I doubt you'll achieve the results you're looking for with such a small amount of light.

What are the dimensions of your box, and what is the total lumen output of your bulbs? Plants require about 10,000 lumens per square foot of space, so my guess is that you need to treble that for two plants to flower comfortably. Unless you plan on doing a micro grow.

Seedlings and small plants in veg will do fine, but you'll struggle to flower without significantly more light.

No, HPS/MH bulbs are not self-ballasting, but CFLs are. If you choose to go HPS/MH, you'll need to buy a separate ballast.

SunnyJim
 
firstgrowtime

firstgrowtime

Well-Known Member
Oh ok haha well that sux...im going to add in an extra 85w cfl or two

the box is about 25cm in width and about 900cm long and 850cm high....im not too sure how to work out the lumen output to be honest...i heard for cfls its about 65 lumens per watt is that right?
And could you maybe tell me more about micro grow?

Thanks your info is very helpful:)
 
robbzilla

robbzilla

Well-Known Member
You'll be alright man dont like no one get you down on your grow. I mean your lighting is not the best you should get a little higher W of bulbs. Like a couple 42w or even 23-26w. 18w and down arnt really effective enough. Now you can grow weed under any light really just not quality bud.
 
goodro wilson

goodro wilson

Well-Known Member
maybe dude coulda been nicer about it, but his advice is not bad....read all the sticky's here on these forums read as much as you can do lots of research and youll be a pro in no time.... you can flower with cfls... but you need more than you have now, keep adding more lights, the more the better and you can get some nice yields...also some good advice you will find when you research is.. for the veg stage you want 6500K bulbs light looks blue and for flower you need 2700K looks orange.. just check the boxes you should see it and like robzilla said dont get down or give up.i think everyone should grow!
 
firstgrowtime

firstgrowtime

Well-Known Member
Ah thanks for all the help and advice people ill keep at it...ive read tons of the info on here the main problem is the availibilty of cfls higher than 20w my side...so i did the best with what i had so now im trying to order in much higher watt cfls....

Ill keep that colour temp in mind Wilson guess its vital considering the little im working with gotter get that right
and thanks for good words robzilla

Il maybe eventually post sum pics if all turns out well
thanks again
 
Cransi

Cransi

Well-Known Member
ya gonna call me a dick probably also but, IDGAF. Have you ever heard of the 7 P's? Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance... I am not trying to be rude I just would like to see you get the best grow possible!!!

firstgrowtime said:
one 18w and 1 15w cfl's (Total 73w) would i be able to fully flower these two plants with the current lighting?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Where did the 73w total come from if the bulbs are 15-18 watts? The equivalent wattage is a comparison an should not be used as any indicator. To me those 2 lights will be good for the seedling stage of the vegetative cycle. Once past seedling stage I would at least triple the wattage or just get 3-4 23/6w-42w CFL bulbs. You could flower with those lights... ya can veg/flower with any kind, quality, quantity of light, but how efficient they will be in providing the plant with what it requires is completely different.

CFL - Wikipedia

About 1/4 down the page from that CFL - Wikipedia link is a small diagram about CFL wattage vs incandescent with lumen range.

I don't want to discourage you, I think Marijuana should be legal world wide an be grown by all who enjoy the benefits of MJ... anyways Good Luck with your grow. The pictures do help out a lot. Allows the community here to really see an understand your grow. Keep that thumb green yo!
 
firstgrowtime

firstgrowtime

Well-Known Member
I got two 20w and one 18w and one 15w so total 73......and ya i have done an extensive amount of reading but what threw me off was i saw some ppl getting decent results with about 100watts of cfl and so i was unsure how much that extra 27 watt would help

But anyway because ive just started out all opinions are much appreciated so i can get as many opinions as possible so thanks for the wiki read cransi

heres a pic of each plant just over 2 weeks after breaking the soil
 

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Cransi

Cransi

Well-Known Member
firstgrowtime said:
I got two 20w and one 18w and one 15w so total 73.....
Click to expand...
Sorry I missed the "2(20w)" in your first post. That should be enough like to start out with, so do you have 1 20w on each? ya might want to get 2 more 20w just to have equal wattage an then save the 15/18 or use for side lighting as the potential ladies grow. The plants look good in the pic, can't really tell the height. Don't want them to stretch, how far are the lights from the plants? Do you have a reflector for your lights? Also what are your temps/humidity like inside? The plants look a bit light green to me, could be the lighting an flash. OK one last question... total time of grow so far?
 
robbzilla

robbzilla

Well-Known Member
I veg under 224w and flower under 422w. But I have 4 plants usually growing. I've grown decent bud under 128watts before so dont feel discouraged. Just when you get some cash upgrade those lights. Even 42watts, which you can find at lowes or home depot for like $6, would be better.
 
firstgrowtime

firstgrowtime

Well-Known Member
The plants at the moment are about two weeks and 3 days and there is no reflectors on the lights but the box is lined with tin foil as i cant find mylar in shops here...any other substance u know of good for reflecting?

Im hoping to get two 85w clfs or 45w depending on their availibility....i dont know the temp inside the box but its winter this side but the lights tend to keep the box at temp just above room temp or slightly warmer....what temp should it be?
 
robbzilla

robbzilla

Well-Known Member
firstgrowtime said:
The plants at the moment are about two weeks and 3 days and there is no reflectors on the lights but the box is lined with tin foil as i cant find mylar in shops here...any other substance u know of good for reflecting?

Im hoping to get two 85w clfs or 45w depending on their availibility....i dont know the temp inside the box but its winter this side but the lights tend to keep the box at temp just above room temp or slightly warmer....what temp should it be?
Click to expand...
Go to wally world and you can get emergency blankets for about 2-3 dollars....tin foil sucks though its prob helping you keep the temp in the box if you say it is winter where you are. Emergency blankets will work fine though. The temp should be 85-80 in the "day"(with your lights on) and 75-70 at "night"(with your lights off)
 
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