I want to do a small setup.

What are ballasts exactly and do i need them to do a cfl grow? should i just get a bulb and a socket and plug it in the wall socket or do i need the ballast for a cfl light.

What light spectrum do i need for veg + flowering. 6500k?? i got lumens covered.

For the filter i will use a diy carbon filter. How often does it need to be replaced?

Since i dont want to plant to be too tall. do i do a 20/4 light cycle until its my desired height and then quickly switch to 12/12 or gradually switch down by 2 hours every 2 days until 12/12.

thanks

You DON'T need a ballast for CFLs. CFLs screw into regular light sockets

6500 + for veg, 3000 and lower for flower

I don't think the light schedule has much to do with height. I'd use 24/0 for veg, then switch to 12/12 for flowering. I've heard about gradually going down, though I don't think it's necessary

For height restrictions, place your CFLs as close to your plant as you can WITHOUT BURNING THEM so they won't stretch. YOu can also tie them down using LST

I'm doing all of these things in my grow if you'd like to look

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ohh finally thank you, i've been waiting on other forums for over two days for a response! thanks man!

ok, for about 1 or 2 plants i should get 2 cfls 23watt.
and for the flower period i get two cfls again but get lower spectrum got u.

the dual light sockets can be found at any hardware store rite? and what do you use for a reflector?

I would get more lights than that. I put together a nice board setup with 8 lights for under $50, look at my grow

Yes you can get the mounts, cables, Y splitters at Home Depot. I would recommend lights at Walmart, they're cheaper

Or if you don't want to make your own mounts and wire them yourself, you can go to Lowes and get a 4 socket light fixture for like bathroom medicine cabinets for like $15 or $20, then just buy your Y splitters and lights

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hmm, i thought that you only need about 3k lumens for veg? i may be wrong

and what is your socket base for the lights called? i typed in google socket base and no lightbulb stuff came up

The sunlight emits about 10000 lumens per square foot

So if you want to mimic that, the ideal conditions of sunlight, that's what I would recommend. You can never have too many lights....lights are what grow your plants, so if you're going to spend money on anything, I would recommend spending money on lights

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ah, ok i see, good point.

and is the socket base called "socket base"? i cant seem to find any on amazon.com...

Here's a nice place to buy lights online

I buy mine at Walmart in the Light Bulbs section. They have like 275294723 of these on the shelves. I don't know exactly what the 'socket' kind is called, but the link I sent you is what you're looking for.

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