Need Help With lighting.


Okay i got a grow ballast im not sure if its mh or hps a friend gave it to me but i was going to use a fluorescent bulb in it because its fairly cheap its 75w
The Color is 4200K and the Lumens are 1093 on the bulb. Would this be enough for a grow box to give enough light to 2-4 autoflowers or how many more cfl bulbs will i need? All imput is appreciated
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
3 to 4 per plant, your best bet would be research the ballast and find the bulb for it. Please dont stick the cfl where the hps or mh bulb would go, it would spell bad news for everyone
 
no i know that im saying i was going to use a fluorescent bulb its a long tube the size of my ballast its 75w
The Color is 4200K and the Lumens are 1093 ALSO if that is not enough how many more cfls would i need besides that in y splitters.
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
no i know that im saying i was going to use a fluorescent bulb its a long tube the size of my ballast its 75w
The Color is 4200K and the Lumens are 1093 ALSO if that is not enough how many more cfls would i need besides that in y splitters.
It all really depends on your space, you need a min of 3000 lumens per sq ft but its best to have 4000 lumens per sq ft for veg and 7000 to 10000 for flowering.
 
So for autoflowers i need 10000? And roughly how many cfls you think 4-6? In a big cardboard box with fans and mylar intake and outake fan.
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
So for autoflowers i need 10000? And roughly how many cfls you think 4-6? In a big cardboard box with fans and mylar intake and outake fan.
Just do as many as your cooling system will allow, if it only allows 3 then go with that but if it can have more great. I have about 120 watts and im about to pull a zip plus, maybe even 2.
 
Just do as many as your cooling system will allow, if it only allows 3 then go with that but if it can have more great. I have about 120 watts and im about to pull a zip plus, maybe even 2.
Thank you. ill see how hot it gets inside with extra cfls i turned the light on and left it on for a little bit to see how hot it would get and it seemed fine but im not sure yet.
 

file13

Active Member
it doesnt matter what the hell it is. you go trying to use a random ballast with random bulbs ur gunna start a fire. you do not need a ballast for cfls. and you can buy a 2 bulb flouro shop light with ballast and reflector for about 20 bucks. that one flouro at 1000 lumens is not worth it at all tho. youd be better off with just cfls
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
Thank you. ill see how hot it gets inside with extra cfls i turned the light on and left it on for a little bit to see how hot it would get and it seemed fine but im not sure yet.
You can do the hand test but its much easier to find a thermometer, their usually about a dollar
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
it doesnt matter what the hell it is. you go trying to use a random ballast with random bulbs ur gunna start a fire. you do not need a ballast for cfls. and you can buy a 2 bulb flouro shop light with ballast and reflector for about 20 bucks. that one flouro at 1000 lumens is not worth it at all tho. youd be better off with just cfls
He has a flouro tube and we've been over the differnet bulbs in a ballast so he will be ok
 
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