I was just wondering - when you all quote the wattage of cfl's on 'Rollitup' are you quoting the actual wattage of the bulb or the equivalent incandescent wattage?

I ask this because some of the cfl's that people say they are using have very high wattages. For example in this thread: CFL Lumens/Watt Chart - Find Most Efficient Setup Roseman says he is using 85 watt cfl's, and in this thread: info on 125w cfl ? anybudy use n this sucka-free-city-SF gives us info on 125 watt cfl's.

I'm using three 25 watt cfl's on my seedlings at the moment and when I went shopping for the bulbs the highest wattage cfl I could find was a 40 watt. I couldn't find anything even close to a 85 or 125 watt cfl. Maybe it's because I live in Europe. Maybe these high watt cfl's are only available in USA? Or maybe people are quoting the equivalent incandescent wattage - for example my 25 watt cfl's are equivalent to 125 watt incandescents.

Most of the time people are referring to the real wattage, not the incandescent equivalent.

2 to 200 Watt CFL

Here is a site where you can order CFLs up to 105watts, equivalent to a 500w incandescent. I have never ordered from here or anything, this is just more to give you an idea that there are high wattage CFLs out there.

The highest I am able to find at any stores is 42watts, but higher wattages can be purchased all over the internet. I think that this is because CFLs aren't as well known and familiar as incandescents, and I don't think people have any use for a 400w or 500w incandescent equivalent (other than growing dankness).

Make sure you look at the color of the light (measured in degrees Kelvin). For vegetative stages you want daylight (6500k or 6000K) and for flowering you want softer light (2700k or 3000k). The light color will be on the package somewhere or on the ballast of the bulb, and sometimes I can't find it at all, lol.

Hope this helps, good luck.

125w and 200w cfls are horticulture lights. you won't find them at lowes, wallys, or the depot. Worm's Way - Sunleaves VitaLUME Compact Fluorescent

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Thanks FirstTimeGrow that's helpful info. I've been coming round to the idea of using cfl's for flowering, as some other growers on here do already. The benefits include the fact that the cfl's are cheaper to run. And amount of light doesn't appear to be a prob with wattages uo to 200 available (presuming I can buy those in my country). check out this guys cfl grow: UPDATE: CFL 46 days Flower (bagseed) Impressive yeah?

However I'm thinking that price could be a prob. I don't know what a 85 watt or 105 watt would cost me here, but I found 40 watt cfl's and they were a huge 40 euros each! If I buy just 2 of these that's 80 euros which is crazy because I can buy a 400 watt HPS with reflector and transformer for 95 euros.

I checked out the 25 watt cfl's that I'm using on my seedlings but unfortunately can't find the kelvin number. They look pretty bright and white so I'm presuming they are daylight.

you dont need to have the big wattage CFL's just get a few more of the current ones you have ...just another option.

Yeah good point.

Do you use cfl's reeffermadness?

yes sir...I just got my bubbleponics system hooked up this past weekend. I have 2 CFL's that came with the setup, I believe they are 85 watts each. So far things are looking good. If you want more info on the system Im using there is a good thread in the hydroponics section. Look for Rosemans thread about Bubbleponics.

Thanks. I'm using soil myself. I'm too green to know whether it makes a difference (whether cfl's work better in a hydro system than a soil system I mean). I guess it shouldn't make a difference right?

I'll have to decide which way to go with the lights. Plan A was to use cfl's throughout vegging, then buy that 400 watt HPS for flowering and stick the cfl's around the side too. Then plan B started to form which is to use lots of cfl's right through. I'm seeing plenty of people here using cfl's for flowering, but still some people of the opposite opinion, saying stuff like 'forget cfl's for flower, you'll get way more lumens with a HPS' etc etc.

Well if you check out threads by BTT and Roseman...they both are/were grew with CFL's all the way through. And I believe BTT used soil. They are most definitely holding it down for the CFL grows.

Yeah Rosemans pics are impressive. haven't seen BTT's posts - will go check those out.

I've got a cupboard in my apartment that is perfect for a growroom. Its about 3.5 feet square and height is about 6/7 feet. It's got a full size door that I can put a lock on for security and it's pretty light proof. Also - and this is the best bit - at the top there is a ledge with a small window (no glass, just a wooden shutter). I can put a wooden panel across the ledge with 2 fans fitted in it for input and output, and bad air will go straight outside plus fresh air in. I'll just have to get a filter to keep the smell from the neighbours. I could hang a HPS in there easily or alternatively puts lots of cfl's - some hanging and others fixed to the walls. I'm working on all these things now.