robnarley1111
Active Member
Hi everyone,
Rob Narley is the name and CFLs is my game! I am a huge CFL user, and I don't think I want to ever use anything else, at this point at least .
I'm so tired of the negative talk that CFLs get, such as "you can't get dense buds using CFLs," or "CFLs are for vegging and cloning, NOT flowering," blah, blah, blah. I'm here to dispel these myths, based on what I have learned in my 7 months of growing Cannabis.
Yes..I'm a newbie at growing weed! However, I take a scientific approach to everything and I push the limits to get the best results possible. I'm also a huge DIY'er.
That being said, here's my take on how to get huge, dense, sticky buds, using ONLY CFL lighting. Let's dive in...
----
1. Genetics
Before you know what genetics you're working with, don't expect to get huge, dense, sticky, buds using CFLs or any other lighting setup. Make sure the genetics you are growing produces those types of flowers, or else you're chasing your tail in vain.
Dont expect dense buds from a sativa plant with naturally-airy buds or a phenotype or strain that
grows stringy. Even if you buy a seed that touts to grow into the most compact, resin-dripping, largest flowers on the plant; you can't tell until you grow it out (properly), or get a clone from someone who got the results that you're looking for.
Genetics first, then......
-----
2. Complete fertilizer solutions
Don't pump your plants full of nute-of-the-week marketing hype. Use as close to ONE type as possible.
I personally use Dyna-gro foliage pro for veg and bloom (sometimes--rarely), and I think my plants are greener and buds look better than many pumping silos full of synthetic crap into their plants, because Mr. Executive Salesman says YOUR plants NEED it. Don't overload your plants with hormones and so-called sweeteners, just to become a marketing statistic--paying obscene prices for FOODS you can buy at the nearest Walmart--dirt cheap. I always saw past the tactics when I started out, and I avoid them now.
For instance, the Bud Candy you're spending oodles of cash (or credit) on, can be replaced by good ole' un-sulphured molasses. Or, perhaps the expensive RO water and filters you spend money on, coupled with the expensive loads of CALMAG--can totally be replaced by using regular tap water and some epsom salts, depending on your municipal water quality. Then you can take those savings and upgrade your lighting or ventilation, and really hit your targets!
Do the research on this one and go with the most basic, professional formula you can find. And dial it in. That being said dial it in--DON'T over-feed your plants. Burn them too bad, and you may get little to no harvest at all. Go easy on the nutrients and learn the ropes using bagseed before spending money on expensive equipment, nutes and genetics! That's what I did and it's working well for me so far!
-----
3. CFL intensity
If your CFL reflector has two-23 Watt, 6500K bulbs under it, and your plant is in anything larger than a small party cup, expect the worst! Your reflector should incorporate the amount of bulbs equal to the amount of lumens and watts that you want to shine upon your plants.
Seeing how the sun provides around 100,000 lumens per sq ft. on a sunny day, you want to get as close to that number as possible for best results. Or a decent amount of wattage per square feet; 50 w.s.f is a great start. For instance, my 300+ watt hoods give 20,000+ lumens for a 2-square foot area. That equals 10,000 lumens per sq ft; 150+ watts per square foot. As long as the temps stay within a nice range (70°-78°), the more light, the better.
-----
4. CFL coverage
Stop buying 20 or more 2,700K and 6,500K CFLs, and scattering them ad nauseam all around your HUGE plant that takes up 6 cubic feet, expecting "dense buds!"
Here's a CFL rule to remember: INTENSITY matters, NOT coverage.
Stop making reflectors with 2 to 4 feet in length, and spacing your lights miles apart from each other! Totally defeats the purpose for our intents and purposes. Let's not see you on here screaming, "I have a 1,200 watt CFL grow, but my buds came out airy and I only yielded 18 grams!" Concentrate your light ALL ON ONE SPOT!
So many growers found online, space their CFLs all around the plant; yeah, each bud might be getting it's own 40-watt light; but what does that give each bud...2,600 lumens?? Awful...always!
Remember the "as close to 100,000 lumens as possible rule?" Yep, that goes for EACH bud and leaf on your plant. The sun doesn't divide up into 40 small suns , so why should your lights shine on your plant that way, while expecting "sun-like" results? Blasphemy.
Here's a picture of a CFL hood with enough coverage to shine on a SMALL AREA of one or two plants, which is what you want when flowering for max gains. Or some variation thereof...
Here's an idea of how to place your bulbs:
Here are some examples of how NOT to space your bulbs/lighting:
And PLEASE don't get caught doing THIS:
-----
5. Don't let HID the bandwagon jumpers deter you.
Laugh at anyone who suggests you stop using CFLs and buy a MH or HPS, when you simply ask for advice using CFLS.
For instance, I run a setup with 2-CFL hoods, ONLY. One is 334 watts, the other is 300. The total lumens for hood #1 is 22,000+. The hood is roughly 1-2" away from the plant's foliage and/or buds. So considering light diminishes at the square of the distance (measured in FEET), at an inch or two there is a negligible loss in lumens, with all other factors mentioned in this post being in place.
Most people go with a 600 or 1000-watt HPS for flowering, and scream "CFLs can't make dense buds..blah, blah." Now, remember, a 1,000 watt will need to be kept at least 2 feet away from the top of the plant/foliage, usually more. A 600 watt will need to be kept 18 inches to two feet or more away from plants, due to the intense amount of heat being generated, unless a cooltube is being used. And we all know a cooltube reduces the lumen output even further.
==> A 1000 watt HPS has 140,000 lumens at 1 foot away; 35,000 lumens at two feet away.....
==> A 600 watt HPS has 90,000 lumens one foot away; 22,500 lumens at two feet away.....
==> My 334 watt CFL hood has roughly 20,000 lumens at 1-2 inches away...
( Lumens + wattage) + proper placement = HUGE light intensity = Excellent buds!
Get my drift!!! Good....
---
6. Lower humidity (if possible)
No, lowering humidity won't help your buds get bigger or necessarily denser. It WILL affect your plants' transpiration, and arguably help with resin production. Transpiration occurs less during low humidity, since plants want to perserve their "water." Low humidity forces plants to create more resin to coat their leaves, to shade them from bright light and to prevent from drying out.
The naysayers yap about humidity higher than 30% in flower is a problem, and it must be 40%-50%. The thing is, low humidity isn't hurting your flowering plants, and if nothing else is helping you to prevent or minimize the risk of dreaded mold.
Besides, plants seem to be more sensitve to humidity during veg, from my experience, and low humidity during veg doesn't help them, and could slow them down.
If you want to possibly increase resin production and watch the trichomes stack up, try running at humidity levels
between 20 and 35%.
-----
7. Use the correct spectrums
Too much red early in flowering can increase the amount of stretch a plant experiences (as well as giving too much P in the beginning of flowering). So when you introduce more space between nodes due to improper light spectrum you are messing up your chances of getting good light penetration, since your plant will grow in height and won't be as compact. Not only that, but tighter nodes = tighter buds. Extra space
between nodes can equal sparse buds.
Mix your spectrums, at least during the stretch, to include at least 1-blue for every 3-reds that you use.
Or even try 50/50. Mixing spectrum of light gives your plant(s) as close to the full spectrum of light that the sun provides, giving you the upper-hand in award-winning CFL flowers!
DON'T use this kind of red...
Nor this type of blue:
These are what you need to correctly mix for max results:
Ok, I'm being a smart a$$ here. Lol. Moving on.....
----
8. Use CFLs in close enclosures only!
CFLs are pretty much crap without walls to reflect the light and concentrate it back to the plants as much
as possible. Planting in your large, neutral-colored dining area is killing your results; those lumens are all over the place--although they LOOK like they're on your plant--they aren't.
Mylar reflects up to 95% of light, hopefully back to your plant(s) where the light is actually needed. Get a grow tent or equip your walls with Mylar, and make sure your plants are as close to those walls to absorb the light as possible, or your CFLs are near worthless for huge, dense buds. And make sure there are no light leaks, which could be wasting your precious lumens on who-knows-what.
Don't put your plant(s) in THIS room:
DO put your plant(s) in THIS room:
-----
9. Cool your lights
Lack of cooling is one HUGE reason to get airy fluff, even if you have everything else dialed in to the tee. Don't be a moron and assume that CFLs are too cool to produce heat that NEEDS be managed accordingly; they can and will throw your grow area well into the 100 degree F's if you aren't careful and attentive.
Have a fan built into your reflector or grow cab to pull light AWAY from your bulbs, otherwise you are creating hotspots under the lights that will seriously affect your flowers. Pull the heat up and out--through your exhaust
fan, and out of the cab/room.
Here's a picture of how you want to equip your hood or reflector with exhaust, if at all possible:
-----
10. Train your plants for "even" light exposure!
LST, SCROG, and other methods can be used to train your plants. If you want huge, dense buds using CFLs
but don't train your plants, you're wasting time without establishing the fundamentals. Most CFL setups are using numerous single bulbs, not one big bulb spewing several hundred or even thousands of watts. That being said, CFLs are in use to save energy, thus they don't give off the extreme wattage to create light which can penetrate deeper into your canopy. So, you must "bend" your plants so the fan leaves and flowering sites (nodes) are exposed to intense light.
With your canopy resembling a wide, flat bush, instead of a Christmas tree shape, light hits a wider surface
area of your plant's leaves and bud sites, thus giving your plant more energy to make large, compact flowers. If you don't train your plants, you may get a nice, dense "cola" closest to the light, but the lower portion of the plant will have stringy crap-for-buds. Train your plant! This site has some great tutorials for learning LST, etc.
------
A few bud and plant pics from my CFL grow:
Northern Lights 1/2 of harvest:
Northern Lights, 8 weeks flower:
Northern Lights, 9 weeks flower:
Super Skunk at 6 weeks:
LSD at 6 weeks flowering:
Smallest bud on the plant--lighter comparison
(Fake) OG Kush at 7 weeks flowering:
Pulled at week 7 due to hermie-ing and not being
authentic OG Kush (Royal Queen Seeds)
Those were just a few pics I've taken since my grow starting in September. More pics to come as I can gather them!
--
Hopefully this information helps some of you looking to get the best bang for your buck using CFL lighting, or those interested in finding others who've achieved great results using strictly CFLs.
Please don't hesitate to comment with your thoughts and ideas.... and happy growing!
Rob Narley is the name and CFLs is my game! I am a huge CFL user, and I don't think I want to ever use anything else, at this point at least .
I'm so tired of the negative talk that CFLs get, such as "you can't get dense buds using CFLs," or "CFLs are for vegging and cloning, NOT flowering," blah, blah, blah. I'm here to dispel these myths, based on what I have learned in my 7 months of growing Cannabis.
Yes..I'm a newbie at growing weed! However, I take a scientific approach to everything and I push the limits to get the best results possible. I'm also a huge DIY'er.
That being said, here's my take on how to get huge, dense, sticky buds, using ONLY CFL lighting. Let's dive in...
----
1. Genetics
Before you know what genetics you're working with, don't expect to get huge, dense, sticky, buds using CFLs or any other lighting setup. Make sure the genetics you are growing produces those types of flowers, or else you're chasing your tail in vain.
Dont expect dense buds from a sativa plant with naturally-airy buds or a phenotype or strain that
grows stringy. Even if you buy a seed that touts to grow into the most compact, resin-dripping, largest flowers on the plant; you can't tell until you grow it out (properly), or get a clone from someone who got the results that you're looking for.
Genetics first, then......
-----
2. Complete fertilizer solutions
Don't pump your plants full of nute-of-the-week marketing hype. Use as close to ONE type as possible.
I personally use Dyna-gro foliage pro for veg and bloom (sometimes--rarely), and I think my plants are greener and buds look better than many pumping silos full of synthetic crap into their plants, because Mr. Executive Salesman says YOUR plants NEED it. Don't overload your plants with hormones and so-called sweeteners, just to become a marketing statistic--paying obscene prices for FOODS you can buy at the nearest Walmart--dirt cheap. I always saw past the tactics when I started out, and I avoid them now.
For instance, the Bud Candy you're spending oodles of cash (or credit) on, can be replaced by good ole' un-sulphured molasses. Or, perhaps the expensive RO water and filters you spend money on, coupled with the expensive loads of CALMAG--can totally be replaced by using regular tap water and some epsom salts, depending on your municipal water quality. Then you can take those savings and upgrade your lighting or ventilation, and really hit your targets!
Do the research on this one and go with the most basic, professional formula you can find. And dial it in. That being said dial it in--DON'T over-feed your plants. Burn them too bad, and you may get little to no harvest at all. Go easy on the nutrients and learn the ropes using bagseed before spending money on expensive equipment, nutes and genetics! That's what I did and it's working well for me so far!
-----
3. CFL intensity
If your CFL reflector has two-23 Watt, 6500K bulbs under it, and your plant is in anything larger than a small party cup, expect the worst! Your reflector should incorporate the amount of bulbs equal to the amount of lumens and watts that you want to shine upon your plants.
Seeing how the sun provides around 100,000 lumens per sq ft. on a sunny day, you want to get as close to that number as possible for best results. Or a decent amount of wattage per square feet; 50 w.s.f is a great start. For instance, my 300+ watt hoods give 20,000+ lumens for a 2-square foot area. That equals 10,000 lumens per sq ft; 150+ watts per square foot. As long as the temps stay within a nice range (70°-78°), the more light, the better.
-----
4. CFL coverage
Stop buying 20 or more 2,700K and 6,500K CFLs, and scattering them ad nauseam all around your HUGE plant that takes up 6 cubic feet, expecting "dense buds!"
Here's a CFL rule to remember: INTENSITY matters, NOT coverage.
Stop making reflectors with 2 to 4 feet in length, and spacing your lights miles apart from each other! Totally defeats the purpose for our intents and purposes. Let's not see you on here screaming, "I have a 1,200 watt CFL grow, but my buds came out airy and I only yielded 18 grams!" Concentrate your light ALL ON ONE SPOT!
So many growers found online, space their CFLs all around the plant; yeah, each bud might be getting it's own 40-watt light; but what does that give each bud...2,600 lumens?? Awful...always!
Remember the "as close to 100,000 lumens as possible rule?" Yep, that goes for EACH bud and leaf on your plant. The sun doesn't divide up into 40 small suns , so why should your lights shine on your plant that way, while expecting "sun-like" results? Blasphemy.
Here's a picture of a CFL hood with enough coverage to shine on a SMALL AREA of one or two plants, which is what you want when flowering for max gains. Or some variation thereof...
Here's an idea of how to place your bulbs:
Here are some examples of how NOT to space your bulbs/lighting:
And PLEASE don't get caught doing THIS:
-----
5. Don't let HID the bandwagon jumpers deter you.
Laugh at anyone who suggests you stop using CFLs and buy a MH or HPS, when you simply ask for advice using CFLS.
For instance, I run a setup with 2-CFL hoods, ONLY. One is 334 watts, the other is 300. The total lumens for hood #1 is 22,000+. The hood is roughly 1-2" away from the plant's foliage and/or buds. So considering light diminishes at the square of the distance (measured in FEET), at an inch or two there is a negligible loss in lumens, with all other factors mentioned in this post being in place.
Most people go with a 600 or 1000-watt HPS for flowering, and scream "CFLs can't make dense buds..blah, blah." Now, remember, a 1,000 watt will need to be kept at least 2 feet away from the top of the plant/foliage, usually more. A 600 watt will need to be kept 18 inches to two feet or more away from plants, due to the intense amount of heat being generated, unless a cooltube is being used. And we all know a cooltube reduces the lumen output even further.
==> A 1000 watt HPS has 140,000 lumens at 1 foot away; 35,000 lumens at two feet away.....
==> A 600 watt HPS has 90,000 lumens one foot away; 22,500 lumens at two feet away.....
==> My 334 watt CFL hood has roughly 20,000 lumens at 1-2 inches away...
( Lumens + wattage) + proper placement = HUGE light intensity = Excellent buds!
Get my drift!!! Good....
---
6. Lower humidity (if possible)
No, lowering humidity won't help your buds get bigger or necessarily denser. It WILL affect your plants' transpiration, and arguably help with resin production. Transpiration occurs less during low humidity, since plants want to perserve their "water." Low humidity forces plants to create more resin to coat their leaves, to shade them from bright light and to prevent from drying out.
The naysayers yap about humidity higher than 30% in flower is a problem, and it must be 40%-50%. The thing is, low humidity isn't hurting your flowering plants, and if nothing else is helping you to prevent or minimize the risk of dreaded mold.
Besides, plants seem to be more sensitve to humidity during veg, from my experience, and low humidity during veg doesn't help them, and could slow them down.
If you want to possibly increase resin production and watch the trichomes stack up, try running at humidity levels
between 20 and 35%.
-----
7. Use the correct spectrums
Too much red early in flowering can increase the amount of stretch a plant experiences (as well as giving too much P in the beginning of flowering). So when you introduce more space between nodes due to improper light spectrum you are messing up your chances of getting good light penetration, since your plant will grow in height and won't be as compact. Not only that, but tighter nodes = tighter buds. Extra space
between nodes can equal sparse buds.
Mix your spectrums, at least during the stretch, to include at least 1-blue for every 3-reds that you use.
Or even try 50/50. Mixing spectrum of light gives your plant(s) as close to the full spectrum of light that the sun provides, giving you the upper-hand in award-winning CFL flowers!
DON'T use this kind of red...
Nor this type of blue:
These are what you need to correctly mix for max results:
Ok, I'm being a smart a$$ here. Lol. Moving on.....
----
8. Use CFLs in close enclosures only!
CFLs are pretty much crap without walls to reflect the light and concentrate it back to the plants as much
as possible. Planting in your large, neutral-colored dining area is killing your results; those lumens are all over the place--although they LOOK like they're on your plant--they aren't.
Mylar reflects up to 95% of light, hopefully back to your plant(s) where the light is actually needed. Get a grow tent or equip your walls with Mylar, and make sure your plants are as close to those walls to absorb the light as possible, or your CFLs are near worthless for huge, dense buds. And make sure there are no light leaks, which could be wasting your precious lumens on who-knows-what.
Don't put your plant(s) in THIS room:
DO put your plant(s) in THIS room:
-----
9. Cool your lights
Lack of cooling is one HUGE reason to get airy fluff, even if you have everything else dialed in to the tee. Don't be a moron and assume that CFLs are too cool to produce heat that NEEDS be managed accordingly; they can and will throw your grow area well into the 100 degree F's if you aren't careful and attentive.
Have a fan built into your reflector or grow cab to pull light AWAY from your bulbs, otherwise you are creating hotspots under the lights that will seriously affect your flowers. Pull the heat up and out--through your exhaust
fan, and out of the cab/room.
Here's a picture of how you want to equip your hood or reflector with exhaust, if at all possible:
-----
10. Train your plants for "even" light exposure!
LST, SCROG, and other methods can be used to train your plants. If you want huge, dense buds using CFLs
but don't train your plants, you're wasting time without establishing the fundamentals. Most CFL setups are using numerous single bulbs, not one big bulb spewing several hundred or even thousands of watts. That being said, CFLs are in use to save energy, thus they don't give off the extreme wattage to create light which can penetrate deeper into your canopy. So, you must "bend" your plants so the fan leaves and flowering sites (nodes) are exposed to intense light.
With your canopy resembling a wide, flat bush, instead of a Christmas tree shape, light hits a wider surface
area of your plant's leaves and bud sites, thus giving your plant more energy to make large, compact flowers. If you don't train your plants, you may get a nice, dense "cola" closest to the light, but the lower portion of the plant will have stringy crap-for-buds. Train your plant! This site has some great tutorials for learning LST, etc.
------
A few bud and plant pics from my CFL grow:
Northern Lights 1/2 of harvest:
Northern Lights, 8 weeks flower:
Northern Lights, 9 weeks flower:
Super Skunk at 6 weeks:
LSD at 6 weeks flowering:
Smallest bud on the plant--lighter comparison
(Fake) OG Kush at 7 weeks flowering:
Pulled at week 7 due to hermie-ing and not being
authentic OG Kush (Royal Queen Seeds)
Those were just a few pics I've taken since my grow starting in September. More pics to come as I can gather them!
--
Hopefully this information helps some of you looking to get the best bang for your buck using CFL lighting, or those interested in finding others who've achieved great results using strictly CFLs.
Please don't hesitate to comment with your thoughts and ideas.... and happy growing!
Strain, Wattage for the big buds?, time flowering vegging... god, thats hot