How many CFL's do I NEED ???

F

FLgrower21

Member
I wanna run a 3x3 scrog system
my box is gonna be a 4x4x5

And was planning on doing 9 indicia x sativa plants

so how many CFL's and where should I position them is my question?!

Thank you :)
 
Alienwidow

Alienwidow

Well-Known Member
Id get one 600 watt cool tube. Then you wont have to buy a cfl setup and eventually upgrade because you think you can do better. If your stuck on cfls youll need a few big ones at least. Id say like four or five of those moster 300 watt eqivelents for a four by four. Youll end up needing a carbon filter for the smell and an inline fan probably so a cool tube just fits all together with that anyway. Good luck.
 
BenFranklin

BenFranklin

Well-Known Member
He has to mean 3 x 3 feet..... With a scrog? Run 2 x 400w , can put the lights closer, and spread the lighting and move them around get one closer than the other,etcetera. It will be cooler as well.

not that it makes much difference these days so much, you can also MH one 400w and hps the other, the mh would promote more compact growth, which is important for Scrogs.
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
9 plants should not be grown together under CFLs.

Once you exceed 300 watts of CFL lighting, you reach the saturation point where CFLs stop being viable (financially and efficiently).

Each flowering plant needs a minimum of 100w.
 
B

Benjwg

Member
Posting in a CFL thread and getting spammed with HPS lamps... lol

Stick a 250W CFL over 4 and another 250W CFL over the other 4 or 5.

I am growing 7 under a 250W CFL with 150W of CFL for side lighting.

Good idea is 100Watt of CFL for one plant and 50w of CFL for each additional plant.

No idea why someone said 300W of CFL is saturation point... the only problem I would see here would be financial cost vs using a lower watt HPS...

300w CFL puts out about as many lumens as about 200w of HPS...?? lets say 15,000 lumens from a 250W CFL... so if I add another 250 Watts, you have implied that 200 Watts of my CFL and about 12,000 Lumens, cannot be absorbed by the plant? - this would then make sense if this was true but it simply is not. they do not become less effective the more you use as has been implied. More is ALWAYS better.

If I was happy to pay for it, I would prefer to use 1000W of CFLS than 1000w of HPS.. purely for the heat issues and cost of dealing with the heat issues.

CFL, no matter how many watts you use, will always have up sides and down sides VS HPS....

Fact - you wont grow as much bud with a CFL in comparison to a HPS assuming all other factors were spot on.

For starts, u wont produce as much heat with equal watt CFL lights.
CFLs cost 4x less than a good HPS lamp.
You are less likely to get spotted growing (if thats a concern)
You can spread the light very efficiently if using low watt CFLs but many of them.

you will actually save on electricity using the same amount of Watts in CFL Bulbs vs HPS bulbs... The Ballast on the HPS isnt included in the Watt of the bulb so this has extra running costs. also, cooling the hot air will not be as big a problem if using CFLS instead. You may be able to do away with A/C units, some fans etc.


HPS will grow you more, quicker, better... its that simple


If you keep the lights within 2-6 inches of the plant, you will do great (Using CFLs... Dont try with HPS lol).

If you decide to use CFL and not HPS I would try and use 450W-500W of CFL if I was you.

I would place the lights horizontally so the long side is facing down on the plant. If you are adding side lighting, I would dangle these inbetween the plants vertically so the long side of the bulb runs along the length of the plant.

Space them out as evenly and equally as possible.

Good luck with whatever YOU decide.
 
Sand4x105

Sand4x105

Well-Known Member
FLgrower21 said:
I wanna run a 3x3 scrog system
my box is gonna be a 4x4x5

And was planning on doing 9 indicia x sativa plants

so how many CFL's and where should I position them is my question?!

Thank you :)
Click to expand...
Well the question is how many CFL's will I need.... ???
The correct answer is: As many that will fit...
Heat will determine how many... exhaust fans...
AC units... heat does come of cfl's not as much as others, good luck...
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
Benjwg said:
Posting in a CFL thread and getting spammed with HPS lamps... lol

Stick a 250W CFL over 4 and another 250W CFL over the other 4 or 5.

I am growing 7 under a 250W CFL with 150W of CFL for side lighting.

Good idea is 100Watt of CFL for one plant and 50w of CFL for each additional plant.

No idea why someone said 300W of CFL is saturation point... the only problem I would see here would be financial cost vs using a lower watt HPS...

300w CFL puts out about as many lumens as about 200w of HPS...?? lets say 15,000 lumens from a 250W CFL... so if I add another 250 Watts, you have implied that 200 Watts of my CFL and about 12,000 Lumens, cannot be absorbed by the plant? - this would then make sense if this was true but it simply is not. they do not become less effective the more you use as has been implied. More is ALWAYS better.

If I was happy to pay for it, I would prefer to use 1000W of CFLS than 1000w of HPS.. purely for the heat issues and cost of dealing with the heat issues.

CFL, no matter how many watts you use, will always have up sides and down sides VS HPS....

Fact - you wont grow as much bud with a CFL in comparison to a HPS assuming all other factors were spot on.

For starts, u wont produce as much heat with equal watt CFL lights.
CFLs cost 4x less than a good HPS lamp.
You are less likely to get spotted growing (if thats a concern)
You can spread the light very efficiently if using low watt CFLs but many of them.

you will actually save on electricity using the same amount of Watts in CFL Bulbs vs HPS bulbs... The Ballast on the HPS isnt included in the Watt of the bulb so this has extra running costs. also, cooling the hot air will not be as big a problem if using CFLS instead. You may be able to do away with A/C units, some fans etc.


HPS will grow you more, quicker, better... its that simple


If you keep the lights within 2-6 inches of the plant, you will do great (Using CFLs... Dont try with HPS lol).

If you decide to use CFL and not HPS I would try and use 450W-500W of CFL if I was you.

I would place the lights horizontally so the long side is facing down on the plant. If you are adding side lighting, I would dangle these inbetween the plants vertically so the long side of the bulb runs along the length of the plant.

Space them out as evenly and equally as possible.

Good luck with whatever YOU decide.
Click to expand...
I was the one who said you reach a saturation point with CFLs, including but not limited to the cost of the lighting, sockets, cooling, and actual penetration. I stand by that statement.

I also said that 9 plants shouldn't be grown under CFLs exclusively, and I stand by that statement too. I didn't say they couldn't be grown under CFLs, I just can't recommend a CFL setup that's viable in any way whatsoever.

It's important not to negate the advice you read on these boards unless you can back up your comments with evidenced results.
 
EpicOzGrow

EpicOzGrow

Active Member
SunnyJim said:
I was the one who said you reach a saturation point with CFLs, including but not limited to the cost of the lighting, sockets, cooling, and actual penetration. I stand by that statement.

I also said that 9 plants shouldn't be grown under CFLs exclusively, and I stand by that statement too. I didn't say they couldn't be grown under CFLs, I just can't recommend a CFL setup that's viable in any way whatsoever.

It's important not to negate the advice you read on these boards unless you can back up your comments with evidenced results.
Click to expand...
Iv got Proof? Any household Compact Fluorescent 24watts+ will work, About $30 extra a month, Considering iv also got a veg setup, i have noticed 24watt warm white cfls emits a stronger more vibrant spectrum at 2700k where as the 48watt warm white has more of a 3000-3700k mind you on these statistics we are looking at 2 different branded bulbs 1 24watt being Philips Branded & 1 48watt being Nelson Branded, All in all they are both great brands (They need to be, there names/reputation revolves around their quality)

Heat? Lol a 12 inch fan fixes that (blowing vertically or horizontally) & none the less your fan needs to be in there fore moving oxygen, Co2 is massive in a grow, look at bubble-ponics lmao crazy growth.

I Will be showing perfect flowering results very soon with cfl, im ready to harvest the first lot which was a trial & error, im amazed at the results with such personal fuck ups, so this time i know i can pump out big fat buds,

NO THERE NOT AS GOOD AS HPS RESULTS BUT!? I can get it one up in any HPS System, I am able to tweak my surrounding such as mastering the humidity SO much easier, If you read my posts you will learn from me on how low humidity at the last of the grow promotes thick fat solid buds
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
EpicOzGrow said:
Iv got Proof? Any household Compact Fluorescent 24watts+ will work, About $30 extra a month, Considering iv also got a veg setup, i have noticed 24watt warm white cfls emits a stronger more vibrant spectrum at 2700k where as the 48watt warm white has more of a 3000-3700k mind you on these statistics we are looking at 2 different branded bulbs 1 24watt being Philips Branded & 1 48watt being Nelson Branded, All in all they are both great brands (They need to be, there names/reputation revolves around their quality)

Heat? Lol a 12 inch fan fixes that (blowing vertically or horizontally) & none the less your fan needs to be in there fore moving oxygen, Co2 is massive in a grow, look at bubble-ponics lmao crazy growth.

I Will be showing perfect flowering results very soon with cfl, im ready to harvest the first lot which was a trial & error, im amazed at the results with such personal fuck ups, so this time i know i can pump out big fat buds,

NO THERE NOT AS GOOD AS HPS RESULTS BUT!? I can get it one up in any HPS System, I am able to tweak my surrounding such as mastering the humidity SO much easier, If you read my posts you will learn from me on how low humidity at the last of the grow promotes thick fat solid buds
Click to expand...
I don't understand - you have proof of what?

I'm not having a dig at CFL growers, because I use CFLs to grow. I said it would be a mistake to grow 9 plants at once under CFLs.
 
B166ER420

B166ER420

Well-Known Member
Lol.......I just did a 36 solo cup grow with cfls and had respectable results...i routinely have more than nine plants at a time.
I'm not trying to sound like a dick...but you just have to know what your doing!common sense goes a long way!


OP if your dead set on using cfls pm me and ill help as best as I can.peace
 
SunnyJim

SunnyJim

Well-Known Member
B166ER420 said:
Lol.......I just did a 36 solo cup grow with cfls and had respectable results...i routinely have more than nine plants at a time.
I'm not trying to sound like a dick...but you just have to know what your doing!common sense goes a long way!


OP if your dead set on using cfls pm me and ill help as best as I can.peace
Click to expand...
Agreed, it is possible, and you have to know what you're doing. I'm an advocate of CFL, so I'm a little perplexed as to the general reaction here. CFLs work great under certain conditions, and those conditions have to be carefully managed throughout the grow.

I can't imagine your light setup is much cheaper or more efficient than a MH/HPS equivalent.

OP, rethink the number of plants you want to grow at any one time, or rethink your choice of light. For the record, more plants does not necessarily equal more yield. That's why it's important to plan your grow sensibly before you start. If it's your first grow, 9 plants is a handful. If you're dead set on 9 mature plants, you'll struggle to find many experienced growers suggesting a CFL setup. If it were common (rather than the exception), commercial growers would use CFLs, not HPS for multi-plant grows. The simple truth is that most don't.

You'll find most CFL grows consist of a few plants at most, and usually are in tight spaces. I grow in a tight space, one plant at a time, and CFLs are the best option for me.
 
S

SpaaaceCowboy

Well-Known Member
my new cab I'm building is roughly 5'h x 3'w x 20"d......I'll have at the minimum 24 cfls in there (23 to 26 watters)....There is a decent chance I even have maybe 8 more additional cfls. That's roughly about 688 watts to 784 watts of just cfls...... Anyone have any thoughts on this ?

oh, yea...I'm also going to have four 39 watt t5 HO's for side lighting.
 
B166ER420

B166ER420

Well-Known Member
SpaaaceCowboy said:
my new cab I'm building is roughly 5'h x 3'w x 20"d......I'll have at the minimum 24 cfls in there (23 to 26 watters)....There is a decent chance I even have maybe 8 more additional cfls. That's roughly about 688 watts to 784 watts of just cfls...... Anyone have any thoughts on this ?

oh, yea...I'm also going to have four 39 watt t5 HO's for side lighting.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan!:).Make sure you have good ventilation.Let me know when your setup,I would like to see what you come up with.gl
2959821d1379209458-grow-closet-advice-needed-2946682d1379209458-my-first-grow-28.jpeg..my closet setup with diy fixtures,12 cfls each on the ends and 16 cfls in the middle one.There is a fan mounted in my closet ceiling for heat exhaust and smell.
 
Sunbiz1

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
SpaaaceCowboy said:
my new cab I'm building is roughly 5'h x 3'w x 20"d......I'll have at the minimum 24 cfls in there (23 to 26 watters)....There is a decent chance I even have maybe 8 more additional cfls. That's roughly about 688 watts to 784 watts of just cfls...... Anyone have any thoughts on this ?

oh, yea...I'm also going to have four 39 watt t5 HO's for side lighting.
Click to expand...
Use the 40-42 watters, they are more efficient and easier to manage than the 23-26.

I've used 24 mixed spectrum 42's in a 4X5X8' height closet...and heat was still an issue.

And all those bulbs take up a LOT more space than the equivalent MH/HPS fixture...just something to keep in mind.

Good luck!
 
B166ER420

B166ER420

Well-Known Member
They are slightly more efficient......the thing with the 40-42w bulbs is they operate at higher temps and are more likely to burn out faster.I too have used both wattage and imo the 23-26w bulbs are better...lower cost,I can buy 4 23w cfls for $8.88...the 42w ones are $12.99ea.....I can touch with a bare hand the 23's...I have had 4 42w bulbs burn out in the same time 4 outta 40 23w burned out....If one of my 23w burn out no big deal I have 39 more:)..if a 42w burns out it's a bigger loss.These are my opinions, I'm not trying to start any arguments.If your still with us FLgrower,just take our info and apply it to your situation as best you can.GL
 
S

SpaaaceCowboy

Well-Known Member
B166ER420 said:
Sounds like a plan!:).Make sure you have good ventilation.Let me know when your setup,I would like to see what you come up with.gl
View attachment 2977034..my closet setup with diy fixtures,12 cfls each on the ends and 16 cfls in the middle one.There is a fan mounted in my closet ceiling for heat exhaust and smell.
Click to expand...
Wow Sweet ! Some here here using as many cfl's as me, lol.......

Hey bigger, do you use only one extension cord to power your cab ? I am trying to figure out how many or how big of a cord I will need to power this up.....Do you know how many volts the average 23watt to 26 watt bulb uses ?

And, I agree with your thoughts on the smaller bulbs as well....I am setting my cab up with the 23/26....Perhaps someday I may change or add.

Also, what size fan are you runnin' in that setup ? cfm, size, and amps/watts/amps ?

thanks, SC
 
B166ER420

B166ER420

Well-Known Member
SpaaaceCowboy said:
Wow Sweet ! Some here here using as many cfl's as me, lol.......

Hey bigger, do you use only one extension cord to power your cab ? I am trying to figure out how many or how big of a cord I will need to power this up.....Do you know how many volts the average 23watt to 26 watt bulb uses ?

And, I agree with your thoughts on the smaller bulbs as well....I am setting my cab up with the 23/26....Perhaps someday I may change or add.

Also, what size fan are you runnin' in that setup ? cfm, size, and amps/watts/amps ?

thanks, SC
Click to expand...
There's a few with as many..most have moved on to hps/mh..too much time and money in mine to move on just yet besides they do they're job:eyesmoke:

In the end the three fixtures(920watts),2 fans(+/- 100watts) and 4-23" T5's(40watts) is plugged into a 1700watt power strip and into one outlet.

Each fixture has its own 1650w household extension cord.The exhaust fan is a regular 10" 3speed household fan I mounted in the ceiling and the fixtures have the $6 fans from Wal-Mart.They are 120v:)
I don't know the cfm and not sure on the amps either nothing exceeds my 20 amp breaker
 
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