Lumen Question

moneyoverall

Active Member
I just read in another thread that T12s suck for growing. I have two T12s producing 2200 lumens each and a cfl that produces 3000 from what i remember. If my growing space is 2.6 ft squared is this enough?
 

DRCANNABIS

Well-Known Member
well take 5200 lumens and divide by 2.6 and you get 2000 lumens per sqft. Not enough. You need at least 3000 lumens per sqft. You would do much better with a 150 watt HPS which will give your roughly 6000 lumens per sqft in your particular space.
 

moneyoverall

Active Member
well take 5200 lumens and divide by 2.5 and you get 2080 lumens per sqft. Not enough. You need at least 3000 lumens per sqft.
i have TWO 2200 plus the 3000 so that equals 7400. so divided by 2.6 thats 2846 per square foot. that should do for veg right? appreciate your help on my first post
 

SlightlyStoopid

Well-Known Member
I agree with the dude above me, but if your low on cash like me... just go get a 5 dollar discount at lowes on some 20 watt CFL's... or be a panzy and buy em... =P
 

SlightlyStoopid

Well-Known Member
i have TWO 2200 plus the 3000 so that equals 7400. so divided by 2.6 thats 2846 per square foot. that should do for veg right? appreciate your help on my first post
Still not enough... minimume is 3000 lumens... and thats stretching it... a good amount is 5000... shoot for 4000-5000
 

moneyoverall

Active Member
i also have a 400w hps but i have some heat problems with it. i was going to use it for flowering in december when its colder. should i use it now or add a cfl or two? if i do add the cfl's, where should i position them?
 

DRCANNABIS

Well-Known Member
i have TWO 2200 plus the 3000 so that equals 7400. so divided by 2.6 thats 2846 per square foot. that should do for veg right? appreciate your help on my first post

Whoops yeah forgot about that you had two of those lights. Like the other dude said, 3000 is minimum, you should shoot a little higher than that if you want a decent yield. Good luck bro.
 

SlightlyStoopid

Well-Known Member
i also have a 400w hps but i have some heat problems with it. i was going to use it for flowering in december when its colder. should i use it now or add a cfl or two? if i doo at the cfl's, where should i position them?

add the CFL's and give ME the 400watt HPS =D haha just vent the HPS well... and keep it about 1- 1 1/2 feet away...

If you do use CFL's position them around the plants... I put them above the plants personally but people always say around the plants is best...
 

DRCANNABIS

Well-Known Member
i also have a 400w hps but i have some heat problems with it. i was going to use it for flowering in december when its colder. should i use it now or add a cfl or two? if i do add the cfl's, where should i position them?

Well if there's anyway you could vent or cool the grow area that would be ideal. Otherwise, yeah I would throw a few more CFL's on it, and then flower with the HPS when the temps are more favorable for your setup. Position them as close to the plants as possible without burning them. Get the highest wattage CFL's you can find. Also, if you can increase the refecltivity of your grow area that would help.
 

moneyoverall

Active Member
add the CFL's and give ME the 400watt HPS =D haha just vent the HPS well... and keep it about 1- 1 1/2 feet away...

If you do use CFL's position them around the plants... I put them above the plants personally but people always say around the plants is best...
lol nice try......is there a good bulb mount made specifically for the wall? i dont know how to vent my closet properly either im a rookie lol? oh well ill do some research or ask here thasnks for the help
 

bigdog

Active Member
go to lowes or homedepot and buy a 80-100 watt outdoor cfl flood light it will be in the outdoor or security lighting section. an 80 watt one gets over 8000 lumins and is vary bright. i got one and the plants love it. the only problem with it is that they only come in a few colers and not in the red spctrum so altho it will veg your plants like a champ and plants tend not to strech as much when swiched to flowering it does take 1-2 weeks longer to flower. but if you add just 1 30- 40 watt warm white cfl you can speed up the flowering consitrably.:peace:
 

DRCANNABIS

Well-Known Member
lol nice try......is there a good bulb mount made specifically for the wall? i dont know how to vent my closet properly either im a rookie lol? oh well ill do some research or ask here thasnks for the help

Venting can be as simple as running a fan with the door cracked, or more elaborate like cutting a hole in the wall or ceiling and mounting an exhaust fan. If you're a rookie, check the FAQ's, they have a ton of useful info. I'm happy to help with questions too. Have fun.
 
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