Cfl question!!

[yonig]

hey i have 3 clones about 1 month old that i have recenttly purchased.
they are in my enclosed growbox with a pc fan exhaust.

i am currently using 1 18w cfl tube 24/7 for vegging but i also have a 42 watt cfl...

please help me with lighting. is this enough light to see if i have the right growing conditions. i am afraid of cooking my plants as it has happened before with my seeds

hers a pic of whats going on
strains are pk and sour lemon skunk if your wondering
please help. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[justparanoid]

three plants will need more light. For two plants i use (3) 42 watt bulbs and thats barely enough in my opinion. The older they get the more they can tolerate SOME heat. what is your temp looking like with both lights on? You will also want to add a fan to this grow space, point it away from the plants enough so they slightly vibrate. makes stronger stems!


JP

 

[IDoNtKnOwWhY]

with CFL's you do the hand test. put your hand under the light, if its to hot for your hand its to hot for the plant. usually yoiu can have a cfl as close as an inch away, 2700 cfls are hotter than 6500. i suggest you get a thermometer with humidity and temp on it. keep temps between 70-90 degres, closer to 75 recommended. humidity is iffy, just make sure you have atleast 20% or higher, but not to high. keep a regular water routine. i also suggest getting more lights everntually

 

[slowmo77]

when i use cfls i like to run 2 42watt bulbs per sq ft. however if you have the space insidesun.com has a great deal on 400watt HPS for $99.99 with the reflector and all. you can easily spend that much on cfl's, sockets, cords and power strips. good luck

 

[yonig]

ok guys thanks for the advice this is what i have come up with.
i did a hand test and it is not hot but im gonna see how it feels in a while.

i am using 42 watt pannasonic soft white cfls. whats the difference, should i buy a full spectrum cfl :s i have patience and im not waiting for a supergrow

heres pics!!
see if you can tell me how this clone got sick. it is only my 2nd day with these they came in rockwoolcubes and they looked very sad yesterday

 

[yonig]

overnight temps rose to 100

removing the exhaust to use as a fan was not such a good idea

 

[Goku97]

1 - try using 2 exit fast and 2 intake fans if that doesn't keep the temps down to the sweet spot you might have to run a small vent tube to the CFL to help take some of the heat way
2 - Depending on your grow space size you might have it to small for the amount of light that you are using. You might have to go with a bigger space

by the way CFLs and tubes are 2 different things yonig. try not to call the tube lights CFLs because you might get people reading it wrong and you might get mislead if they don't get the proper info that they need to help you.

 

[HghFlyrJD1]

You dont need intake fans just put exhaust fans and a few open holes for passive intake..

 

[yonig]

ok i have modified the box and i now have an exhaust.

how can i improve moisture?\

what can i do to be on the safe side

 

[yonig]

sorry for the double post, cant get edit to work. here are the pics
also i have 20-20-20 all purpose nutrients. when can i use them?
thanks

 

[newatit2010]

I am growing with CFLs And have about 300 watts on 2 plants. They are about 5 weeks in flower and the buds look fluffy if that will help you with how many lights you need. Looking good good luck

 

[yonig]

how tall is your plant newatit

 

[crackerblack]

You need to veg using a cfl with a 6500k rating, (marked as daylight on the package). Soft whites are 2500k-2700k those should be used for flowering!!

 

[yonig]

ok i have replaced my 42w soft white cfl with 2 23w daylight cfls.
the 2 lights together produce more lumens than the other so i might even buy a few more

 

[justparanoid]

use Y adapters to get more bulbs in there. they are like 2 dollars at home depot.

I made a light bar out of a vanity bar, lamp rewire kit and Y adapters.

gave me 6 bulbs



JP

 

[yonig]

thanks JP i already have 1. but you have a very nice setup yourself there. what do you use to regulate moisture?, im forsure going to buy a few more y adapters, and a few more cfls, i have just added my 2 daylight cfls and i feel better about lighting
.

 

[justparanoid]

well i grow hydro, so the RH is never a problem. I leave one or more baskets open to allow water to enter the air.

are you in a really dry area? some try bowls of water or a humidifier.

JP

 

[junglemuffin]

125w grow light cfl 6500k aint hot you can.keep it close to your plants with no worries

 

[Goku97]

I would hold off with giving your plants any food. Take off the dead leafs and the parts or leafs that make a crunch sound when touched those leafs are no good and will slowly hurt your plants even more.

Do the hand test have your hand on top of your plant with the back of your hand facing towards the light. If it feels to hot or little to warm back the light off.

 

[IDoNtKnOwWhY]

yeah i dont use nutes untill flower and 20-20-20 aint a good combo in flowering. Those 6500k lights should have cooled your box off a bit i would imagine. And to get some humidity in there, just put a bowl of water in the corner, the lights and mother nature will turn it into humidity for you...evaporation!!!