Growing with CFL's

I know this questions has probably been asked a million times but I was wondering if it's possible to veg and flower with 10x25 watt cfl'l that give off 1300 lumens psf each ? I ask this because I'm finding it very difficult to find any higher wattage bulbs around where I live and finding a hps or metal halide lamp is certainly out of the question ! Any info would be fantastic ! Thanks

hey, yes its possible but its a waste of time if you ask me. Small light small buds, big lights big buds. thats the rule (roughly)
I dont know wich country you live in, but you can always buy online. If you are scared about giving your CC infos, just take a prepaid visa card. You can get something for like 150$ shipped

Plenty of people have used CFLs to produce fine smoke. So much so that there is an entire section on them about 6 inches up from your post. Go there and it will tell you all you need to know.

But if you have the means at least go with some t5 HO lights. Still run cooler than hps, low electricity, and cost is fairly cheap. check ebay

It's very possible to use CFL's, but your harvest won't be as nearly big. Why not just order online? If you're going to take the time to grow, it will be worth it to get the strongest light possible.

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the responses !

Sarshurl said:

I know this questions has probably been asked a million times but I was wondering if it's possible to veg and flower with 10x25 watt cfl'l that give off 1300 lumens psf each ? I ask this because I'm finding it very difficult to find any higher wattage bulbs around where I live and finding a hps or metal halide lamp is certainly out of the question ! Any info would be fantastic ! Thanks

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Hey,,
as important as lumens are, its the spectrum that important to do a whole grow with cfl's,,,

Choufluer47 ,,, cfl's are great and you can get nice dense nuggets with cfl's. You just need to get everything else right , like good nutes,good medium,etc.and use them properly, chaulfuer has clearly had a bab experiance. .
I got good nuggetsbefore, and now already and these only half way through, it can be done.
keep the lights within 2-4 inches of the tops, or if supplemental lighting try get them as close as possible,with out making more heat.

work off 10,000 lumens a plant, I have two under I 250 watt cfl, 19,500 lumens, have two, one in 2700k and other is 6300k, one for seed through to veg,other for flower.

Take it easy and cfl's rule,

sure you can get some nice buds with that, but you would get NICER buds with hps. also, how much you spent on cfl bulbs? they are really expensive, at least in canada. i pay 10$ each, so about 60$+adapters, 75$ and I paid 100$ for a 400w hps with everything...and get 55k lumens out of it. Also, a good hps light will work for about 25 000hours (3 years) compared to 8 000 hours (1year) for a CFL. So i mean, its not a wise choice to go cfl except if temperature is an issue. It pays off really quickly.

just so ye know ive decided to go with a a 400 watt hps lamp that can also run a meal halide bulb so i can switch between both ! i presume that will do the trick ? got it off ebay second hand for just over €60 including delivery which is the equivalent of around $85usd ! would it still be worth throwing a few CFL's along the sides or is the hps lamp sufficient ?

ya it will do the trick perfectly. use mh for veg, hps for flowering. watch for the temps you can put some cfls when your plants are big and you need some light on lower branches. personally i dont do it.

that's an awesome deal. good job on the choice. It wouldn't hurt to throw some CFL's around the side under the canopy.

Check out CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) Bulbs. One bulb for all your needs. They take the place of HPS bulbs in HPS systems, magnetic ballast only

From what I've read 2700k cfl's are red spectrum mostly. This is my 1st grow and I've used a pretty crazy set up that's been changing constantly. I have to take my grow room apart when my family comes to stay for a few weeks mid December (my grow room is my spare bedroom which they'll be needing to sleep in). I just recently added two CFL's that are 2700k. I'm still using a T-5 as my top light and a 4 foot double bulb florescent on the back wall. This is a Chocolope that has been flowering since October 9th. It's supposed to take 73 days to flower but I have to clear the room by December 15th so we'll see what happens.