Canopy Penetration with a combination of CFL's and T5's

Greetings ladies and gents.
I posted another thread recently and am incredibly happy with the responses that have basically answered my questions! I do wish that I could answer some myself yet I am not knowledgeable enough yet. Hopefully one day!

Now in my attempts to combat FLIR and High Power Usage detection I wish to vent inside (FLIR pretty much handled for my size grow) and use low-power usage bulbs.
So this brings me to the ever debated topic of CFL's and T5's.

Let me give you a few specifications of the cabinet I intend to build.
Approximately 1.8 metres tall x 1.2 metres wide x 0.8 metres deep. Or imperial 5.9 feet x 3.8 feet x 2.6 feet.
I will plan ventilation for this cabinet as necessary when I am later in the planning stage. I intend to run 2 large plants in there at a time (1.5-1.6m tall).

So my question is, if I were to have a lighthood (ballast terminology?) over the plants with roughly 8 CFL bulbs in it.
Then lining the walls (vertically) with 2 x T5's on each side and 4 x T5's on front and back.

Would this produce the quality and quantity yields I am after? Respectable ones for hydro that is.
Providing I used the correct Kelvin ratings would I be able to use the setup (differing in kelvin from veg to flower of course) to successfully complete the grow?
Would the power drain and heat generated be less then using HPS/MH?

My apologies for asking what is probably asked a lot but I haven't gotten my head around lumens per square metre etc. just yet.

Once again, any help is greatly appreciated! I look forward to reading your replies

Regards, Kaeden

Try it out....it will definitely work....I prefer t5s and t8s work very well for veg for flowering i have never used fluorescent but have seen many successful grows with t5 ,t5 ho and t8...........you didn't really specify how many watts hps mh your trying to compare to.......???? 3000 minimum lumens per square foot for smaller plants, ideally 7000 to 10,000 lumens per square foot......

you need more watts of cfl than you do of hps, a 400w hps will totally brutalize 400w of cfls. so that doesnt help prevent *high usage detecion(which i wouldnt worry about, you realize alot of incandesent bulbs are 100-150 watts each? 400w is like running 4 mid sized incans, if you were using like 3000-4000 watts i might be worried, probally not though, as long as u pay the bill its none of their business how you use it. cfls put out heat too, not as much as hps but that doesnt mean its not enough to get noticed if you run a bunch of them.......

Perhaps I should of stated but for those dimension and that amount of plants I am trying to get a rough idea of watts.
I know I didn't state that as an original question but it would be nice

JC thanks heaps for the Lumens guide.
To keep things metric can I do metrecandle? as opposed to foot candle? :3
Just to clarify though, the footcandle dictates the canopy penetration?

Regards, A noobly Kaeden

So my question is, if I were to have a lighthood (ballast terminology?) over the plants with roughly 8 CFL bulbs in it.
Then lining the walls (vertically) with 2 x T5's on each side and 4 x T5's on front and back.

define what you consider "Would this produce the quality and quantity yields I am after?

I am not familiar with metric sorry : p quick google search for a conversion should be easily attained......in that space i would recommend a sog type grow or a scrog type grow with either 8-10 small plants or 1 to 2 plants in a scrog....with about 400 watts hid or a nice array of t5s or t8 and side lighting like you mentioned....t8s cost considerably less than t5s......or cfls but i have used both and find the t5 t8 are easier to work with...and work exceptionally well........what method of growing you going with???soil...hydroponics??

Approximately 85-100g per plant? (3 oZ-ish)
Hydro is the way its seeming at the moment.
I am thinking 2 x HPS just trying to determine Wattage.

3 oz s per plant if you grew 8-10?? is achievable depending on strain and experience??
That space 400 watts would be more than enough......maybe a 600 if you wanna go over kill

you better get a 600w hps at least, preferably 1000w. thats a pretty high goal, dont get me wrong, it certainly can be done, but this leaves a problem still- A plant thats gonna yeild 3 oz is gonna be very large, you might outgrow that area of your w/ 1 plant, much less 2. lol. but the answer was mentioned b4, although i'd just use lst and not the fyll screen of green. cuz your gonna need alot of that vertical space to fit a monster in there.

SoG/SCRoG in 5.9 feet x 3.8 feet x 2.6 feet!?
But I have all that height?
Hydroponics is a definite.
Thank you for answering the 400 Question, to clarify though.
2 x HPS 400 Watt? or in your opinion just 1?
I just got my tape measure this cabinet is quite huge if I were to build it, I am still perplexed by your SoG or SCRoG suggestion, well from my understanding of them atleast.

whats your understanding of them? tell me what your thinking..........

I would go with a 600 rather than 2 400s because they will use more power and produce just a few more lumens than a 600.....and forget about the height worry about even light distribution......

Thank you for tips on the lighting (Y)

Now for my explanation of SCRoG.
So say my hydro bucket/tub is 30cm (1ft) tall, I put 8 clones in there, veg them until they achieve about 30cm (1ft) in height, continue to veg and top then perform basic LST using the Screen.
Switch to flower then yadda yadda yadda.
My maths means even with 30cm (1ft) colas and alot of them I would only be using half the height of my cabinet?
I would love a picture guide to SCRoG I believe my understanding may be flawed xD

Regards, Kaeden

No topping in scrog just weaving.....you make a screen put it at a desired height when your plant(s) reach the screen you start weaving switch to flowering and continue weaving until your plants stop stretching.....any shoots below the canopy get chopped away before flowering and maybe in flowering but not too far into flowering...you wouldn't use much vertical space but you will definitely use up all your light efficiently.....Scrog is kinda kool for a small space grow the only negative side is your plants are stuck to that screen so they are stationary.....so checking the back and sides is challenging in a smaller space.....

I thought I said lst though, lol, my bad- but do it just like a scrog, but dont use the screens so you get beefy tops and not the tons of smaller ones you'd get with a screened scrog, your going to have to veg for a while, the plant will fill up your horizontal area pretty quick with fim and lst. then you let all them tops veg for a while till they are a good size, and then flower, you'll have multiple beefy main colas all shoot upwards and fill the space between, dont forget that hps puts out heat, you have to keep it a ways from the plants, less if you cooltube but still at least like a foot.

Scrap this post :/
Back to the drawing board with my cabinet then.
I may just pursue 2 x 1x1x1 metre boxes instead of a cabinet.

ill try again, what exactly is it you dont understand? (not sarcastic, im really asking)

I understand the principle of the growth hormone heading ever northward yadda yadda
I just do not see how that is going to yield more from the 10 - 15 main colas I will get versus A 1.6m tall plant that has been super cropped?

Is this your first grow??