CFL Lights, HOW MANY WATTS Do I Need?

Thrasher645

Thrasher645

Well-Known Member
Hey whats up,
I have a 6500k,5000k,4100k,3000k all 105w bulbs. I know I could use the first 3 for vegging but I dunno about the 3000k. I just figure I could use the extra lumens for veg since its just sitting here till its time to use it for bloom ya know? what do you guys think? could I add the 3000k to the mix?

alrite peace everybody
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Actually the lower the number the better for flowering. 2700-4100 is in the red spectrum. anything above is in the blue vegging spectrum. But a mixture is definitely not hurt anything. Adding lumens are our friends, but Kelvins are more important in flouro's Stick with the blues for vegging and the reds for the beautiful buds!
 
smileyman11

smileyman11

Active Member
armlengthbuds said:
Ok smiley, soft and warm are going to get you in that 2700-3000k range. which again is the important reds needed for flowering/buds. as i dont know how many watts ur running??? stick with warm whites. At 32 watts, a warm white bulb will give you 2000 lumens.... Cool whites are a full spectrum bulb 4100K. Fulls have the entire light spectrum (used for depression) 4100K and would work for growing, but no good for our lil projects!! I just dont think they have enough reds! If u can stick with warm for the reds, and daylights for the blues you'll be fine...... Hope this helps..... p.s. ask anything, and i'll do my best to answer quickly!! laters hempy bucket, FIM. vs. standard topping will get you more yield, especially since fluoro..
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WOW Arm you are soo helpful thanks so much. Your answer clear alot of questions. ALso the warm whites are 23watts with 1650 lumen. I was thinking of haveing 4-6 of them. Is that fine? Also do you think i can use 5500K for vegging?

RandyRocket said:
I only read the first post. my thougt on cfl's for yor question. I wood stop buying at 3-4 26watt or 2 42watt.
if you want or need more than 4 it maybe time to think small hps 150watt or less.
After 4 cfls @ 26 watts you get some heat. 42watt one are hotter yet. Now the heat is not bad and a few fans will deal with it.
It come down to $in/production. At somepoint hps will give more light fror less $.
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Yeah i was thinking of buying a hps light but i dont know where. Do you know a reliable site where they sell them? NIce plants
 
RandyRocket

RandyRocket

Well-Known Member
smileyman11 said:
WOW Arm you are soo helpful thanks so much. Your answer clear alot of questions. ALso the warm whites are 23watts with 1650 lumen. I was thinking of haveing 4-6 of them. Is that fine? Also do you think i can use 5500K for vegging?



Yeah i was thinking of buying a hps light but i dont know where. Do you know a reliable site where they sell them? NIce plants
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Home Depot has the bulbs you need a ballest also. Some small ones may have the ballest like the cfl's?

on line http://www.hydroponics.net/
 
RandyRocket

RandyRocket

Well-Known Member
smileyman11 said:
ok so home depot has HPS bulbs. can u recommend me a good small bulb for a reasonable price. thanks
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look at the other link, pick products tab, page down to light bulbs. Look those over then look at what HD has.

That will help you more then my guess.
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Well honestly the more watts, the more money. I couldn't quote off the top of my head how much price difference, but i know that you could buy a switchable HPS/MH 400watt for the same price.... Anyways, what helps keep this setup cheap is that walmart stocks these items and then prices them even cheaper. the fixtures are 32 watt with ballast and the lights, minus the 6500k daylights @ 9.89 for a 2 pack. If this turned into a constant garden you could go to www.1000bulbs.com and buy in bulk to save a cuple bucks. Before i bought my swtchable HPS/MH 600 watt lamp (very recently and through HPS ebay site) I had a setup identical to the above mentioned) Except i had 6 fixtures!! That is still only around 12,000 to 18,000 lumens, but I got a very decent yield. out of a combo of FIMing and Scroggin. (my own version, of course) I had 10 haze x skunk and got around 15 ounces out it. It was a lil more airy and because i didn't cure the yield it suffered in potency.. Either way, get great seeds, some BMO nutes, FIM or scrogg these dudes and depending on how many you plan on growing, you could be greatly rewarded!! holla if i can help with anything- armlengthbuds
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
you could def use 5500. it would just slow you up and affect ur outcome.... thxs for the props. Best of luck to you and you pups!
 
smileyman11

smileyman11

Active Member
armlengthbuds said:
Holler if i can help with anything else. This horticulture stuff is my passion! Dont hesitate....
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hey also i found an aquarium light fixture and light in my alley is it good. It one of those rod lights i dont know anything about them

The light is called: Penn-Plax Aquarium Lux 24" FL-20. I want to know if i should buy the replacement light or is it useless.:blsmoke::blsmoke::bigjoint:
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
smileyman11 said:
hey also i found an aquarium light fixture and light in my alley is it good. It one of those rod lights i dont know anything about them

The light is called: Penn-Plax Aquarium Lux 24" FL-20. I want to know if i should buy the replacement light or is it useless.:blsmoke::blsmoke::bigjoint:
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a t5 may fit in there sice that started off as an aquarium light anyways. abest thing to do is do some googling with all the info you have. I really just dont know this one???? take it easy and let me what you find out.
 
Bud Frosty

Bud Frosty

Well-Known Member
compactfluorescentusa.com Platinum 42w 2700k 3000 lumens 170w replacement $4.97 ea.

I have several of these doubled up in reflectors w/ 4' gro tubes for sidelighting and 26w cfl's hanging in the canopy. Very versatile setup that makes decent bud.
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Bud Frosty said:
compactfluorescentusa.com Platinum 42w 2700k 3000 lumens 170w replacement $4.97 ea.

I have several of these doubled up in reflectors w/ 4' gro tubes for sidelighting and 26w cfl's hanging in the canopy. Very versatile setup that makes decent bud.
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sounds like it's going to work out fine. Best wishes!!!! out of curiosity, how much$$$ was entire light setup???
 
Bud Frosty

Bud Frosty

Well-Known Member
Thanks

I have about $120 in the whole setup. 39000 lumens, 8 sq. ft.
Enough room to gro 4 bushy plants or 16 sog.
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Bud Frosty said:
Thanks

I have about $120 in the whole setup. 39000 lumens, 8 sq. ft.
Enough room to gro 4 bushy plants or 16 sog.
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your almost be running HPS numbers!!!! You'll have a great grow. Stick with proper technique's and you could scrog a shite load aof cheba!!!! later bro
 
Bud Frosty

Bud Frosty

Well-Known Member
armlengthbuds said:
your almost be running HPS numbers!!!! You'll have a great grow. Stick with proper technique's and you could scrog a shite load aof cheba!!!! later bro
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Some people would say that I may as well use hps but I like this setup better. It allows me to put the lights right on each plant adjusting for any difference in height, using the low heat 26w on drop cords down inside the canopy where needed. Plus, no elaborate cooling mechanism. Just an oscillating fan and a medium duty bathroom fan vented outside. Temps stay 79-82 deg.
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Bud Frosty said:
Some people would say that I may as well use hps but I like this setup better. It allows me to put the lights right on each plant adjusting for any difference in height, using the low heat 26w on drop cords down inside the canopy where needed. Plus, no elaborate cooling mechanism. Just an oscillating fan and a medium duty bathroom fan vented outside. Temps stay 79-82 deg.
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the minimum requirement (lumen) is around 3000 lumens per square foot for one plant. The proffessional amount of lumens is 7,ooo to 10,ooo per square foot. ( although that is a very expensive proposition) ..... Here's a simple formula for you: if you have a 1000 watt HPS light that produces 107,000 lumens. Divde this number by the square footage of your grow room. for instance, if you have a 4x4 ft growroom, you have 16 square feet. So take the lumen amount, which in this case is 107,000 and divide it by 16(your sqaure footage)... that equals 6687 lumens per square feet. Which is very ample. Hope this helps. :bigjoint:
 
Bud Frosty

Bud Frosty

Well-Known Member
armlengthbuds said:
the minimum requirement (lumen) is around 3000 lumens per square foot for one plant. The proffessional amount of lumens is 7,ooo to 10,ooo per square foot. ( although that is a very expensive proposition) ..... Here's a simple formula for you: if you have a 1000 watt HPS light that produces 107,000 lumens. Divde this number by the square footage of your grow room. for instance, if you have a 4x4 ft growroom, you have 16 square feet. So take the lumen amount, which in this case is 107,000 and divide it by 16(your sqaure footage)... that equals 6687 lumens per square feet. Which is very ample. Hope this helps. :bigjoint:
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Keep in mind though, that lumen rating is at 1 foot from the bulb. If you have to put that 1000 watter 3 ft away because of heat, your probably losing 60%. Putting you back to 42000. That is the beauty of the cfl, if you stay less than a foot from the plant you can multiply the lumen rating reaching foliage.
 
armlengthbuds

armlengthbuds

Well-Known Member
Bud Frosty said:
Keep in mind though, that lumen rating is at 1 foot from the bulb. If you have to put that 1000 watter 3 ft away because of heat, your probably losing 60%. Putting you back to 42000. That is the beauty of the cfl, if you stay less than a foot from the plant you can multiply the lumen rating reaching foliage.
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No, definitely your right!!! you will lose some of those lumens. As this was a general formula to go by... CFL's are well worth their weight in silver. But the importance of the type of reflector one uses with HPS/MH can also be a factor in usable growth light. One would still lose a little of those friendly lil lumens, but in some instances, very little.... I really think that there are plus's and minus about both.. The trick is to find what works best for your situation!! Good chatting with you, holla
 
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