Lumens per sqf...?

Ok so I'm growing "green peas" for the first time with cfl. Right now I have about seven 1 week old babies in 7oz Dixie cups. I read that you want between 2000 to3000 lumens per sqf. However the problem ihave is that plants are a three dimensional object this you would think those numbers should be in cubic feet. For example if you have a 1 square foot box that is 10" high it will require less lighting than a box that is 72" high am I wrong? Right now I have 3 6500k 23w cfls putting out a cumulative 4800 lumens in a 19" x 11" box that is 9" high. The box is totally enclosed and has tin foil lining the sides and cover. The lights are all in six inch reflector bases like the ones you get at homedepot. Do you think this is enough light? I figured that with my size box I am close to 4000 lumens per sqf minus probably 200 lumens for wasted light through the air holes and 2" fan slot that is always running. I guess my question is forthos stage in the game do I have enough light and also what do you think of my criticism/concern of the square feet bs cubic feet argument. Thanks in advance everyone this is my first post athoufh I've probably read about a hundred today. What is the best method for posting pics I want to vet your oinions on the health of my babies ad the first set of fans are distorted and curling. Thanks!!!

Sorry for my crappy spelling I typed that on my phone.

Sounds like plenty of light for 1 week old babies. But as they get bigger you will want a minimum 1 bulb per plant if you can fit it. The more light the faster/better they grow.

xum said:

I think you're a god damned idiot. You did so good on all of your spelling until the very last sentence.

What's up with that?

Go with what works for you and stop worrying about opinions on what plants need. They're your plants.

Are you going to let someone tell you how to raise your kids?! Of course you're not fucking going to.

You can take their advice, and either follow it to some degree, or completely disregard it. Find what works for your situation the best.

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wow, you need to knock this shit off. every post ive seen of yours you've attacked someone, are you trying to get banned?
lumens measure the amount of light that it would look like to a human eye, based on footcandles which are the amount of light a candle would cast in one square foot. the par is the number thats the most important as it measures how much light energy that the plant will get for photosythesis..

I have always read it is best practice to have a minimum of 3000 lumen per sq foot.

10k for flowering is what you should shoot for, imo, lol

How does this plant look for a 9.5 day old baby? Whats up with the curling of the oldest leaves?




*Any pictures I post in my threads on these forums is a picture I found on the internet and not of something I am growing. Furthermore I have never grown and do not plan to grow any illegal plants and any posts I make on this sight are for entertainment purposes only. Cheers!

it looks alright, have you given it any nutes and how often and how much do you water it? the leaves look wet, is that because youve been misting them? if so thats the problem.

Yeh it looks great but don't mist it, that can shock the plants and then the water droplets will act like magnifying glasses and intensify the light burning circles in your leaves.

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A 600 watt HPS puts out ~90,000 lumens.

Rule of thumb is 50 watts HID per square foot - so a 600W bulb does 12'sq.

90,000 lumens / 12'sq = 7,500 lumens per square foot

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"Right now I have 3 6500k 23w cfls putting out a cumulative 4800 lumens in a 19" x 11" box that is 9" high. The box is totally enclosed and has tin foil lining the sides and cover. The lights are all in six inch reflector bases like the ones you get at homedepot. "

19" x 11" = 1.45 square feet. = 10,875 lumens needed.

"Do you think this is enough light?"

Not for flower.

Remember that you're only going to get 2 or 3 inches penetration into the canopy with CFL.

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"has tin foil lining the sides and cover."

Tin Foil is not a good reflector surface, when you get a chance switch.

[SIZE=-1]Reflectivity in %
- Mylar: 97
- Reflextic (Mylar on bubblepad): 97
- Reflective plastic sheet: 90-95
- Matt white paint: 85-90
- Semi-matt white paint: 75-80
- Matt yellow paint: 70-80
- Aluminium foil: 70-75
- Black paint: less than 10[/SIZE]

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jax is right 3000lumens minimal is what you should aim at also. iff your using cfl you can allways put them in the sides and get a better coverage or lst them or do both as i am.

darkdestruction420 said:

it looks alright, have you given it any nutes and how often and how much do you water it? the leaves look wet, is that because youve been misting them? if so thats the problem.

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I was watering everyday but they looked droopy and overwatered so I waited two days till the cups felt light and almost dry and water again but now they are droopy again. I have only misted once. As far as nutes I have not given it anything. They started in pellot pods now they are in six ounce Dixie cups with mg soil. I give them water straight from the tap. Although I have a water filter on my refrigerator that I was thinking of using. Do you think that would be better ? I live in an area of the country that has soft water thanks!!!

you should find out what your waters ph is out of the tap. if the soil gets too acidic or too....cant think of the word, is it alkaline? that might not be what its called but anyway-it will influence your plants ability to break down and absorb various nutrients and the like.