Flowering Advice: CFL Lights

[Champion510]

Currently, I've got two plants of g13 about a feet tall each which has been sitting in vegging stage for over month and a half. they look mostly all healthy. I've 5 26 watt Florocent white bulbs on it.

I'm thinking of putting them into flowering stage soon, just wanted to understand if I need seperate (high watts bulbs) for flowering or could I make do with 5 26 watts? should I put more bulbs on it or 5 are enough during flowering stage.

DID Someone say Pics? Just uploaded pics, taller one is 16 and half inches, shorter one is probably 14.

I have received more adviced in this CFL forum about using HPS for flowering so not sure which one is the right way to go? in a bit of confusion here on why people in CFL forums are promoting HPS? is it truly better for plants for flowering?

I live in apartment and sometimes am gone for the weekend so safety is number 1 issue! any suggestions on the setup? anything I should change at this time?
I have also spread them out so all parts of plants are getting equal light.

 

[TheDankness]

I've flowered two plants successfully under 164 watts of warm white cfl. With that said, I believe it to be the bare minimum for two small plants. I would go for a couple 80 watt bulbs if you can, otherwise four 42 watts would be a good option. Make sure you get warm white, that translates to 2700k, best for flowering. This is what my buds looked like grown under four 42 watts...

 

[Champion510]

So What is the ideal setup that I should be getting for flowering stage? I already have sockets in there. I just have to replace the bulbs? Should I do combination of cool white + warm white? If there is a sticky read on it, please point me to it.
thanks

 

[Champion510]

I've heard 200watts per plant is required during the veg. so it would be 26watts bulbs * 8 bulbs = around 200 watts
so i would need 16 bulbs for 2 plants?ehhhh.. or should I go with higher watts plants?

 

[OregonMeds]

You could invest $20 (plus shipping) and get one of the 150w hps's everyone is getting lately and get some real growth out of them.

Since you said they've been in veg a month and a half and are still only around a foot tall I can pretty much guarantee you won't be happy flowering with just the lights you have. That's slow growth so either your lights suck or aren't close enough or something.

Even if you work out how to get more from the lights you have (getting them closer, and in a more reflective environment) that ~$30 investment in the little HPS will pay you back many times over just in this one grow alone.

All it has to do to pay off is grow you an extra eigth, but it would probably get you an extra ounce or two from the sound of things.

I would suggest two, $54 shipped. You'd yield around 3oz's pretty easily if you aren't doing something else really wrong. That's all I'm using at the moment is two of those little things and I'm really happy with them. (And I've had every other light before including 1kw hps's and halides.)

Little hps's (no smaller than 150) used right really can impress even a seasoned grower when all you want is a little personal grow.

 

[KushIce33]

Im doing a PC box grow just to test it out, i got all the materials for free just wanna know what to use, I cant use an hps in that small of an area it will be an easy bake oven...I think if i did like 4 42w cfl and LST some clones i get prerooted from the club either 1-2 should i go 12/12 right after the root into my medium and lst? or what my comp is 12x12x8 im thinkin 1 small bushy plant

EDIT:I didnt mean to quote that, just curoius what lighting and such

 

[OregonMeds]

4x42w cfl's in a pc case is also an easy bake oven, but that's about right for the light you need.

Yea, get those, and you'll just have to exhaust the heat well.

 

[cnymoeman]

Or you can get a 150watt HPS and make a cool tube...That would be sick in a PC case....I haven't seen that done yet but i sure it has....You could have a great grow with 150hps in such a small space if ya can keep the temps down....

 

[KushIce33]

yep it seems exhaust is the main prob but i think the fans im adding can push the air...im actually most worried about smell, or if I start them 12/12 will that decrease smell? im not sure i know i want a quick flowering strain that stays small and bushy

 

[cnymoeman]

When you put them into flowering they will smell more because they will start to bud and thats where most of the smell comes from...You can make a DIY carbon scrubber if your worried about smell....But with that amout of lights your not gonna be able to grow 8 full plants....I mean you possibly could but your gonna have a bunch of popcorn buds on your hands...If ya wanna pack on the weight you really should think about getting a HPS maybe a 250 or something like that....Some dimensions of your grow area would help alot more maybe a pic of your setup and plants???

 

[lifeless420]

if your doing cfl's warm white 2700k are rec. for flowering. then look at lumens more wattage doesnt mean more light it means more electricity light energy is measured in lumens, so more lumens is better than more watts. 1-2 inches away for cfls is best, but you will need a fan to keep your plants from being burnt. 2500 lumens per sqft. is the minimum needed for growing. hope that helps.

 

[Top 44]

Check out SeeMoreBuds book "grow 8oz for less than $100". Great info on cfl growing

 

[Champion510]

I thought this forum was all about CFL growing, why are people advising to get HPS for flowering?
I've safety and budgeting reasons why I want to go with CFL for entire grow. I have seen 4 people mentioned to me in this post that I should use HPS instead of CFL, what's going on guys?

 

[Champion510]

When you put them into flowering they will smell more because they will start to bud and thats where most of the smell comes from...You can make a DIY carbon scrubber if your worried about smell....But with that amout of lights your not gonna be able to grow 8 full plants....I mean you possibly could but your gonna have a bunch of popcorn buds on your hands...If ya wanna pack on the weight you really should think about getting a HPS maybe a 250 or something like that....Some dimensions of your grow area would help alot more maybe a pic of your setup and plants???

Pics posted

 

[frmrboi]

I have seen 4 people mentioned to me in this post that I should use HPS instead of CFL, what's going on guys?

a large % of the population here are mentally ill, when their level of rage builds up to unbearable they use newbies to dump their rage out on.

 

[Champion510]

ha ha
All I'm looking for is some honest advice from experienced grower who uses CFL.

 

[cnymoeman]

Well CFL's are great for smaller grows....But when you start getting into the bigger grows it's better to go with the HPS because the light penitration isn't that great...I'm not saying that HPS is the greatest thing and the best light to grow with it varys from grow to grow...And if you choose to use HPS for flowering then you would use CFL's for veg....See this is all bout CFL's....

 

[KushIce33]

Ya I never said anyhting about 8 plants, not sure if you were responding to my post lol, I plan to have 1 MAYBE 2 in my little pc i was talking about with 4 42w cfls...ya i def gotta make a carbon scrubber if someone has a link straight to a DIY one that woul dbe cool, I looked for another one i saw in the boards but couldnt find it again

 

[Champion510]

Ya I never said anyhting about 8 plants, not sure if you were responding to my post lol, I plan to have 1 MAYBE 2 in my little pc i was talking about with 4 42w cfls...ya i def gotta make a carbon scrubber if someone has a link straight to a DIY one that woul dbe cool, I looked for another one i saw in the boards but couldnt find it again

Thanks for hijacking my thread bud.

 

[cnymoeman]

Ya I never said anyhting about 8 plants, not sure if you were responding to my post lol, I plan to have 1 MAYBE 2 in my little pc i was talking about with 4 42w cfls...ya i def gotta make a carbon scrubber if someone has a link straight to a DIY one that woul dbe cool, I looked for another one i saw in the boards but couldnt find it again

I was talking to champion....It it his thread.l..