520 w too much for one plant?

I have a grow cab that is 18"d 30"w and 36"t. I would like to use two 65w cfl up top and six 65w for side lighting, for a total of 520w. I would like to only flower one plant so I would like as much dense bud as possible. I just don't know if that is overkill for one plant. Any experienced cfl growers have any input on this?

65 actuall watts or 65 equivalent watts? In my opinion you can use all 6 and not harm the plant if you make sure you always keep them at distances that do not burn the plant. But at the same time make sure you don't have them too far away or they will not be getting as much lumens as possible and they will stretch too much. I'm a noob myself but from all that I have read that's my educated guess.

I am on my first grow currently with CFL's so if you want go check it out. I will link it below.

https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/352128-look-good-4-days-old.html

beaver heater said:

I have a grow cab that is 18"d 30"w and 36"t. I would like to use two 65w cfl up top and six 65w for side lighting, for a total of 520w. I would like to only flower one plant so I would like as much dense bud as possible. I just don't know if that is overkill for one plant. Any experienced cfl growers have any input on this?

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If heat does not become a issue, go for it....That one plant will produce alot.

To answer your question, there is no such thing as too much light, unless the plant is young, or overly sensitive to light. The more light you have, the more bud you will likely yield.

lulutheblack said:

65 actuall watts or 65 equivalent watts? In my opinion you can use all 6 and not harm the plant if you make sure you always keep them at distances that do not burn the plant. But at the same time make sure you don't have them too far away or they will not be getting as much lumens as possible and they will stretch too much. I'm a noob myself but from all that I have read that's my educated guess.

I am on my first grow currently with CFL's so if you want go check it out. I will link it below.

https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/352128-look-good-4-days-old.html

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Yes the lights I am going to use are 65 actual watts. The heat is the thing I was most concerned with. I don't know how hot 8 of those bulbs will get in a space that size. I guess the only way to find out is to do it and see how it goes.

beaver heater said:

I have a grow cab that is 18"d 30"w and 36"t. I would like to use two 65w cfl up top and six 65w for side lighting, for a total of 520w. I would like to only flower one plant so I would like as much dense bud as possible. I just don't know if that is overkill for one plant. Any experienced cfl growers have any input on this?

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The absolute most your plant can absorb is 200 watts per square foot. Anything past that is only adding heat to your grow space & will actually hinder your yield. 250-300 watts is more than enough to give you maximum yield from your space.

Go for it man I use 500 watts in a similar space and run 8 pc fans to keep it cool. Just know your strain so you know when to flower to control stretch and maximise you grow space. Don't listen to haters you should be the only one to tell yourself what to do and not do! Good luck and happy growing
Chillums

Not sure if this will help you or not but I will run my recent grow box cfl heat issues with you. I had a grow box that was about 3' x 2' x 4' and heat was definitely an issue. I was running 6 cfl's. I had adequate fans and such and it just wouldnt cool down if I closed the doors. So what did I do? I transplanted my 10 day olds (2 of them) to a DWC bubbleponics system that I constructed because of this issue. If I could do it all over again I would have just gone DWC initially and said to hell with the grow box. It's super duper easy to set up and super cheap to get everything you need to maintain it. I use a 5gallon bucket with 3 holes for mesh pots so I can do a max of 3 plants, which is plenty for me.

If you wanna see details on my stuff click the link below. Good luck!

https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/352128-look-good-4-days-old.html

Chillums said:

Go for it man I use 500 watts in a similar space and run 8 pc fans to keep it cool. Just know your strain so you know when to flower to control stretch and maximise you grow space. Don't listen to haters you should be the only one to tell yourself what to do and not do! Good luck and happy growing
Chillums

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I'm not hating just providing basic facts. You can't utilize more than 200 watts per square foot it's just wasted energy/increased heat. I'm just trying to help the guy.

rombomb420 said:

I'm not hating just providing basic facts. You can't utilize more than 200 watts per square foot it's just wasted energy/increased heat. I'm just trying to help the guy.

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18'' x 30''.. that is almost 3.75 sq ft. So by what you are saying I should be able to use 750w. However, I do not think I am going to go with as many bulbs as I originally planned because I don't have a good way to ventilate. This grow will be in a closet and I don't want to vent through and walls or the ceiling because I am renting. I know it is easy to patch drywall, but I would like to avoid having to do that if I can.

My plan was to just have a passive intake, and use maybe a 6" inline fan with a diy carbon filter. I will just be venting into the closet. I will also have a small fan in the box so my plant can have a nice breeze.

Is it possible to use a pc fan for exhaust and somehow rig a carbon filter to it?

Lulu I would like to keep the grow in this box for now to try and keep it semi stealth.

https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/101248-best-diy-ez-walmart-carbon.html

^^^best cheap way I've read to do it on a micro grow. I was going to do a micro, but just cleaned out a closet instead.

^^that is badass man! Thanks for the link

No problem man. Glad to make the world a Greener place

I just ordered some 120mm fans and an external fan controller. I just hope I will be able to keep temps in check. If not I will just have to use less bulbs.