low wattage, HIGH kelvins?

so lowes has lots of variations of cfl's.

lots have the 6500k needed but come in low 10-15w type bulbs.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_88959-371-60058_0__?productId=1264029&Ntt=compact+fluorescent+&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=compact+fluorescent+&page=2


others are up in the 60w and have the same kelvins. well i know wattage= heat so i dont want lots of that, but the listed # and what they 'claim' wattage use are different. im just looking for bulbs to veg. im still looking to see if they have hps bulbs at lowes.

but in short could i walk into LOWES with $200 and come out with everything needed to construct a self sustaining setup? (minus nutrients)

The higher wattage the better.Kelvins are a measure of the Light color "temperature" or spectrum 6500 k will be perfect fpr veg.You would want something like 2700 k for flowering. or better yet a HPS.

see now im getting conflicts again because the STICKY thread says 20-30wats is the best lumens per $$/wattage. but then that same post gets corrected that 40w is the optimal balance... and yea i know how kelvens measure since i know about automobile lighting. i just wanted to make sure about the wattage before i went.

If you have $200 to spend can you not get a HPS kit?

im not worried about flowering right now. im looking to just a build/veg setup. the hps flowering setup will get bought, but i want construction first.

if yall had to choose what would be the easier method, build a setup around the lights, or build a lighting setup around the foundation?

Build a lighting setup and foundation around how large you want your plants to get before you flower, based on techniques.(FIM, topping, LST) If you're vegging with CFL's, leave room to situate lights around the base and midsection of your plants, not just from above. Ideally, have a flexible lighting setup, one that can be added to and re-arranged on a whim.

Also, although I prefer Home Depot to LOWES, I assume they are pretty much comparible in price and selection. Based on that, 200 bucks is more than enough to have a nice veg setup. I think for 120-150 I could build a CFL veg setup capable of vegging 10-15 plants easy, as long as you're planning on flowering under HPS.

Also, as for the wattage issues, I'm vegging 2 seedlings with 4 x 26w 6500k, and they're fine, actually really happy so far. I'm going to re-build my veg box larger soon, and will still veg with 26w bulbs, also going to add a 65w to the mix. But you probably shouldn't mess around with any wattage smaller than 23-26w actual 100w equivalant, seeing as CFL's already have shitty light penetration. I hope you figure out something that works for you!