CFL growing, lumens, and spectrums, help??

I have a grow box about 3' x 1.5' x 2.5'. I've been using Philips four 42W (true watts) daylight I believe. I've had little success, five attempted grows, and only two of them I got only a little bit of bud. The plants seem to get to a certain size or stage and then just stop growing, the bottom leaves dry out, and it starts getting brown spots. So I was at the garden supply store yesterday and the guy was telling me that I need to buy these 6400 K grow CFL's. They're only 26 W each. That is almost half the wattage of the other bulbs I was using, but he said that because they are Full spectrum bulbs, the difference and wattage will not matter and it will work a lot better for me. So I replaced two of the four bulbs with these new bulbs, my plants have picked up, but I'm not sure what to believe. I've always heard that you need A certain amount of watts per square foot. So how many watts per square foot do I need and how many lumens per square foot. Are these bulbs going to work better than the last bulbs I had like the guy told me? He told me that majority of the advice I get is probably oldschool advice from people who aren't fully aware of Newer better ways to do things. Just looking for some advice…

You should focus on the deficiencies your plant is showing and give it what it needs to be a healthy green plant. 6500k is good for veg, more blue spectrum. 2700k is used for flowering, more red spectrum. The standard is 50watts per square foot I believe, but getting your plant healthy would be my advice to you to do asap. The amount of light you have now should suffice until they get healthier and bigger at which time you can add more or higher wattages. Good luck.

Looks a little hot in there! what are your temps?

Redishx said:

Looks a little hot in there! what are your temps?

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78 degrees give or take a couple degrees, sometimes a couple degrees colder sometimes a couple degrees warmer depends

Joe Blows Trees said:

You should focus on the deficiencies your plant is showing and give it what it needs to be a healthy green plant. 6500k is good for veg, more blue spectrum. 2700k is used for flowering, more red spectrum. The standard is 50watts per square foot I believe, but getting your plant healthy would be my advice to you to do asap. The amount of light you have now should suffice until they get healthier and bigger at which time you can add more or higher wattages. Good luck.

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Any advice on how I can get them healthier and bigger? That's the main thing I'm trying to figure out on this website, but I've been looking at lights a little bit now too.

Joe Blows Trees said:

You should focus on the deficiencies your plant is showing and give it what it needs to be a healthy green plant. 6500k is good for veg, more blue spectrum. 2700k is used for flowering, more red spectrum. The standard is 50watts per square foot I believe, but getting your plant healthy would be my advice to you to do asap. The amount of light you have now should suffice until they get healthier and bigger at which time you can add more or higher wattages. Good luck.

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I'm just been hearing about so many different deficiencies that it could be, I've tried giving a different brands of nudes but nothing seems to be working for me. What's your advice?

What is your medium? How often do you feed/water? What nutrients have you added and at what amounts? Provide the most information about your grow up to this point and perhaps I can help you pinpoint a good starting place. A foliar spray with aloe water may help until you figure it out.

More light, more food and more research needed...but stick with it. You can grow nice buds with CFLs only.

Everybody who is trying to use a bunch of cfls should look into a t5. You can grow some decent size plants under a couple shop lights w/full spectrum bulbs. Nutrients do not make bigger plants/flowers but more wattage does...

Your doing to much. You need to get the basics down.

Mainly watering. Get a rhythm down. Wet dry cycle. As the soil dries the pH swings and allows for proper nutrient uptake.

Lift the pot, if it is light, water. If heavy, don't.

Don't use a bunch of different crap.

Get a nutrient and stick to it. Something well balanced. 1-1-1, 5-5-5, or a 10-10-10. If one of the numbers is off by one or two its OK.

Wait for the first round leaves to shrivel off before feeding. Those are cotyledons, they feed the seedling until they fall off.

When you start feeding, mix at 1/4 strength. Feed, water, feed, water, feed, water. Just like that. If it starts to look hungry, go up to 1/2 strength.

Mainly use kiss.

Keep It Stupid Simple.

Don't over think it. It will grow without you shoving stuff down its throat.

Joe Blows Trees said:

What is your medium? How often do you feed/water? What nutrients have you added and at what amounts? Provide the most information about your grow up to this point and perhaps I can help you pinpoint a good starting place. A foliar spray with aloe water may help until you figure it out.

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Pro mix HP soil, with worm castings and sea soil compost added, As well as some perlite and vermiculite. I am using right now greenhouse seed company powder feeding to the directions on the back of the package, I feed like every 2 to 4 weeks.

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz said:

Pro mix HP soil, with worm castings and sea soil compost added, As well as some perlite and vermiculite. I am using right now greenhouse seed company powder feeding to the directions on the back of the package, I feed like every 2 to 4 weeks.

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Follow this advice! Should help you. They're hungry.

whitebb2727 said:

Your doing to much. You need to get the basics down.

Mainly watering. Get a rhythm down. Wet dry cycle. As the soil dries the pH swings and allows for proper nutrient uptake.

Lift the pot, if it is light, water. If heavy, don't.

Don't use a bunch of different crap.

Get a nutrient and stick to it. Something well balanced. 1-1-1, 5-5-5, or a 10-10-10. If one of the numbers is off by one or two its OK.

Wait for the first round leaves to shrivel off before feeding. Those are cotyledons, they feed the seedling until they fall off.

When you start feeding, mix at 1/4 strength. Feed, water, feed, water, feed, water. Just like that. If it starts to look hungry, go up to 1/2 strength.

Mainly use kiss.

Keep It Stupid Simple.

Don't over think it. It will grow without you shoving stuff down its throat.

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Alexander Supertramp said:

More light, more food and more research needed...but stick with it. You can grow nice buds with CFLs only.

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Super tramp!! Hell yeah!
More food, or a different food? I'm trying to do all the research I can. Any help is appreciated…

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz said:

Super tramp!! Hell yeah!
More food, or a different food? I'm trying to do all the research I can. Any help is appreciated…

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You're going to kill them with love. Cannabis is a plant that has adapted to darn near every climate on earth.

It is a robust, resilient plant.

It grows itself.

whitebb2727 said:

You're going to kill them with love. Cannabis is a plant that has adapted to darn near every climate on earth.

It is a robust, resilient plant.

It grows itself.

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Well I've tried just letting them go, and I've tried doing minimal effort, I don't know what to do?

i would mount that tube CFL sideways on that back wall

So ever since I switched 2 of my bulbs out , I moved my plants a little closer because they were too far away. And now all of the tops of my plants are starting to turn a little white, is that light bleach or burn? There about five or 6 inches below the lights. I was told to keep them about 3 inches away, so Lightburn or bleach does not make much sense to me.