30w & 42w CFLs Enough To Veg???

Hey guys,

Got a quick questions regarding vegging under CFL. Right now my first grow is under a 150w HPS and 2 26w CFLs but im having a problem with the plants probably due to MG soil (3-weeks from seed, see my other posts). I wanted to start up some new seeds and start vegging just in case my 4 other plants dont make it. I've set up another small space with a 30w CFL and a 42w CFL (5,000 lumen total), will this be enough to veg a few plants for the time being??

itll be enough to veg 1 plant..

Alright, how about 1 30w, 1 42w, 1 26w tubular (3 tube), and 3 13w CFLs??? Just trying to veg a few seedlings, 4-5 if they survive. And i got the ventilation taken care of also.


***And i know CFLs arent that great but I DID NOT go out and buy any of these, they were just laying around the house***

100W equivalent per plant. my friend goes 200.........better

Yea it will be enough. I use 26w CFLs. I have 8 for 4 plants and I grow them till 1 ft and flower. No issues and they were very healthy.

** By the way, make sure you check the spectrum of the bulbs. 5500-6500k for vegging and 2700k for flowering. You can mess around with it but I believe the general consensus favors these standards on bulbs as to mimic the sun's light.

you have plenty of light for that many seedlings just grow them and once they get bigger then put then into your normal grow zone

CaptainCarnival said:

you have plenty of light for that many seedlings just grow them and once they get bigger then put then into your normal grow zone

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Yeah that what i'm planning. Electricity is not an issue because its all included in the rent, so i'm just going to keep them on 24/0.

View attachment 2055664View attachment 2055665Im using a lil over 300 watts fluorescents primarily CFLS and my plants are looking ok. theyre in flower and my seedlings will just be 12/12. once they are all grown out im not gonna grow until i have my own place

I had mine on 24/0 and I think one is reacting bad to that. REALLY skinny leaves and they are sagging down. Is this a normal response to 24/0 and should I switch to 18/6??

of course you can malcom.................

del66666 said:

of course you can malcom.................

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.......? A little confused by that one

soz its off an advert......you can veg under very little light if needed just keep it in a small space so you use the most of the light you have.

This whole topic boild down to defining "veg."

Yes, it's enough to get them started with a couple sets of leaves.
No, it is not enough to veg them for 3 or 4 weeks.

del66666 said:

soz its off an advert......you can veg under very little light if needed just keep it in a small space so you use the most of the light you have.

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Thank you!!! +rep.

That lanky picture about 4 post back, is that from too much light too close??

didnt look lanky to me...cfl needs to be close, a fan is good too...will strengthen the plant...what ph is the water you give it?

CFLs close - Check
Fan - Check
Ph of Water - ***No Idea***


I've been using filtered water that has been sitting out in an open container allowing any chemicals to evaporate out. I combined seed starting mix with the soil that has Lime added which will hopefully keep my ph in check.

slpboarder said:

CFLs close - Check
Fan - Check
Ph of Water - ***No Idea***


I've been using filtered water that has been sitting out in an open container allowing any chemicals to evaporate out. I combined seed starting mix with the soil that has Lime added which will hopefully keep my ph in check.

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your filter takes out calcium and magnesium i believe and your ph could be high..........

Would i be better off with city tap water?

slpboarder said:

Would i be better off with city tap water?

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im no expert with soil............thats why i changed to coco...to many problems...........use tap water but id want to know what ph as nutes can be locked out.

Man this stuff is complicating. What I did with my main grow was water for 2 weeks with Distilled Water. I was hoping that would allow nutes in and flush my sh**ty Miracle Grow soil of excess nutes. I think i'm going to go to a more beginner friendly strain if i buy more seeds next time. Thankfully i've only used 2 out of my 10 WW seeds. My other 7 plants are bag seeds.