A Kush Lovers Thread

[Lady.J]

Ill loom up the lumen output tomorrow, I miss stuff in videos all the time, glad you have an intake fan.

I am eager to see how these buds come out from cfl light. I have seen some videos, but never seen bud in person (that I know of ) from a cfl grow.

Nice bassman, I appreciate your help! Just recently added the fan to the intake...but it probably would have been more useful if I had it at the exhaust and kept using passive intake. Didn't notice a change in anything (was going for decreased humidity). Hope my buds live up to your expectations!

sweet tote grow!

Thanks Don, I'm flattered you guys like it

[Don Gin and Ton]

don't think i've seen one as well put together to be honest usually it's half assed with tin foil all over the show.

[Lady.J]

don't think i've seen one as well put together to be honest usually it's half assed with tin foil all over the show.

lol I know exactly what you mean...the tin foil kills me. I would feel like a failure if the plants died so tried to do some proper research!

[chb444220]

yeaa you do got urself a nice lil setup there lady J. =) very well put together. plants look happy.

[bassman999]

Nice bassman, I appreciate your help! Just recently added the fan to the intake...but it probably would have been more useful if I had it at the exhaust and kept using passive intake. Didn't notice a change in anything (was going for decreased humidity). Hope my buds live up to your expectations!



Thanks Don, I'm flattered you guys like it

I know that you love yer plants as they look really happy as chb said.


42 watt 2800 lumen x2 5600
32 watt 2150 lumen x3 6450
26 watt 1600 lumen x1 1600
13650 lumens

35 gallon tote 18.625
x32.5
4.20 ft2 approx


5k lumen per ft2 is 21k lumens
you are at 3250 lumen per ft2 right now
all 42 watters will get you 16800 lumen or 4000 lumen per ft2

I am not saying this wont work, but if temps allow, stepping up to all 42 watters will aid in larger denser buds.
I dont mean to sound negative as I really like your setup, and I have no personal experience with cfl growing at all. I just looked up what ppl try to aim for (lumen wise) to help you out.

[billcollector99]

Did you know that Lumens dont "stack"

The highest amount of lumens in her box is 2800 from the 42 watt bulb. And that would be directly in front of the bulb.

[bassman999]

Did you know that Lumens dont "stack"

The highest amount of lumens in her box is 2800 from the 42 watt bulb. And that would be directly in front of the bulb.

Thanx BC, Thats why I said ask for another opinion. I just know what I have read, and didnt read that b4, I do remember that lighting guy coming over and arguing weird things in the vert thread and some responses about cumulative lumens and other stuff...


Are you saying one large cfl bulb would be better than several smaller ones?


I like this shirt and thought it fit this thread

[Lady.J]

Hey you don't sound negative! I appreciate you looking up the info in the first place. You and billcollector got me thinking so went and looked up some stuff myself. This is what I found from Roseman's Bubbleponics guide:

**By the way, CFLs emit lumens / light from all sides, not just the front.**

A 42-watt compact fluorescent (CFL) emits about 2700 lumens(64 lumens per watt). Four 42 watt CFLs use 168 watts and emit 10,800 lumens. Other size CFLs have a similar efficiency.

However, that is only part of the story. Plants use mostly red and blue light. Yellow and green light is of little use to them, so light that is emitted in these spectrums is wasted energy. Most of the light emitted by HPS lamps is in the yellow spectrum. Only a small amount of the emitted light is is in the orange or red spectrums, which plants use efficiently. Warm white fluorescents (2700 Kelvin) emit a greater portion in the red and orange sectors.

Although fluorescents produce only about 75% of the light per watt that the HPS does, the amount of light usable by the plant is equal or probably higher with the fluorescents. You may wish to experiment to see if adding a single cool white CFL to replace one warm white results in shorter, stouter stems and more vigorous growth. The reasoning is that warm whites don't emit much blue light, which the plants use for photosynthesis and to regulate their growth. The cool white bulb supplies the blue light.

My call for your unit would be to use several (three to five) CFLs with a total input of between 120-160 watts. Although the 150 watt HPS is a bit more efficient that the CFLs in total output, watt for watt the fluorescents provide as much useful light as the HPS lamp. Heat is another consideration. The HPS runs much hotter and emits more heat than the flourescents.

Make sure to use reflective material around the garden so that any light escaping the garden is reflected back to the plants. Any light that doesn't get to the plant leaves is wasted.

Look at a lumen/watt ration of various CFL's. The higher the wattage of CFLs, the lower the lumen/watt ratio. This chart was submitted by Jerry Garcia, a grow buddy from another grow site, and edited for typos.

For example...
the 200w listed at 9250 lumens for a lumens/watt ratio of 9250/200=46.25

the 150w is listed at 7500 lumens for a l/w ratio of 7500/150=50

the 125w is listed at 6500 lumens for a l/w ratio of 6500/125=52

the 42w are listed for 2700 lumens, l/w ratio of 2700/42=64.28

I have some 26w that give off 1700 lumens for a l/w ratio of 1700/26=65.38

GE lists some 13w that give off 825 lumens for a l/w ratio of 825/13=63.46

So, according to these numbers the most efficient bulbs for growing are the 26w that emit 1700 lumens. If you used 8 26w bulbs (208 watts total) you'd be getting 13,600 lumens...4,350 more lumens than a single 200 watt CFL. AND the eight 26 watt bulbs would cost less than the one 200 watt bulb.

[bassman999]

Hey you don't sound negative! I appreciate you looking up the info in the first place. You and billcollector got me thinking so went and looked up some stuff myself. This is what I found from Roseman's Bubbleponics guide:

**By the way, CFLs emit lumens / light from all sides, not just the front.**

A 42-watt compact fluorescent (CFL) emits about 2700 lumens(64 lumens per watt). Four 42 watt CFLs use 168 watts and emit 10,800 lumens. Other size CFLs have a similar efficiency.

However, that is only part of the story. Plants use mostly red and blue light. Yellow and green light is of little use to them, so light that is emitted in these spectrums is wasted energy. Most of the light emitted by HPS lamps is in the yellow spectrum. Only a small amount of the emitted light is is in the orange or red spectrums, which plants use efficiently. Warm white fluorescents (2700 Kelvin) emit a greater portion in the red and orange sectors.

Although fluorescents produce only about 75% of the light per watt that the HPS does, the amount of light usable by the plant is equal or probably higher with the fluorescents. You may wish to experiment to see if adding a single cool white CFL to replace one warm white results in shorter, stouter stems and more vigorous growth. The reasoning is that warm whites don't emit much blue light, which the plants use for photosynthesis and to regulate their growth. The cool white bulb supplies the blue light.

My call for your unit would be to use several (three to five) CFLs with a total input of between 120-160 watts. Although the 150 watt HPS is a bit more efficient that the CFLs in total output, watt for watt the fluorescents provide as much useful light as the HPS lamp. Heat is another consideration. The HPS runs much hotter and emits more heat than the flourescents.

Make sure to use reflective material around the garden so that any light escaping the garden is reflected back to the plants. Any light that doesn't get to the plant leaves is wasted.

Look at a lumen/watt ration of various CFL's. The higher the wattage of CFLs, the lower the lumen/watt ratio. This chart was submitted by Jerry Garcia, a grow buddy from another grow site, and edited for typos.

For example...
the 200w listed at 9250 lumens for a lumens/watt ratio of 9250/200=46.25

the 150w is listed at 7500 lumens for a l/w ratio of 7500/150=50

the 125w is listed at 6500 lumens for a l/w ratio of 6500/125=52

the 42w are listed for 2700 lumens, l/w ratio of 2700/42=64.28

I have some 26w that give off 1700 lumens for a l/w ratio of 1700/26=65.38

GE lists some 13w that give off 825 lumens for a l/w ratio of 825/13=63.46

So, according to these numbers the most efficient bulbs for growing are the 26w that emit 1700 lumens. If you used 8 26w bulbs (208 watts total) you'd be getting 13,600 lumens...4,350 more lumens than a single 200 watt CFL. AND the eight 26 watt bulbs would cost less than the one 200 watt bulb.

BC was saying that lumens are not stackable, meaning a point source or single origin might be better. We are talking light intensity, and not combined light output if that makes sense.

With my grow I use one light and then I might add side lighting to spots where the light has tapered off to help with coverage

[bassman999]

I use these for side lighting and think it might do a good job in your box as opposed to the multiple lights you have, and you can add small cfl bulbs in the gaps if there is a need. Just an idea.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-2Ft-T5-Fl...item45fce31bb1



replacement bulbs from them are cheap if you go through the same company from the non-ebay website.