105Watt CFL distance from plant?

maximum

maximum

Active Member
Ive been using 26 watt cfl inches from my plant. Now I finally invested in a couple 105watt cfl lights. Do those also go inches from the plant?
 
dgaf757

dgaf757

Active Member
yeah trunkneck is right about that as a general rule. i use 2 85 watt cfl's and i keep them right at about 4-12 inches away. but 105 watt cfls wont get nearly as hot as mh/hps so you can still keep them close
 
maximum

maximum

Active Member
dgaf757 said:
yeah trunkneck is right about that as a general rule. i use 2 85 watt cfl's and i keep them right at about 4-12 inches away. but 105 watt cfls wont get nearly as hot as mh/hps so you can still keep them close
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And they can penetrate light deeper than 4 x 26 watt bulbs right?
 
K

krok

Active Member
Bump... I would like to know this too.

Does a higer watt CFL bulb like 125 Watt penetrate deeper than lower watt CFL's? Or is this the big drawback of using CFL's, they simlpy don't penetrate even if you have 250W?
 
T

trunkneck

Member
maximum said:
And they can penetrate light deeper than 4 x 26 watt bulbs right?
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Yes, more light equates to more penetration, hence the reason using CFL throughout the entire grow usually results in "Popcorn" style bud. If you read through some of the growers (Me included) that are budget growers they most ultimately suffer the same fate. Perfect for starting and maybe half the veg time, but when ready hit them with 6500K Metal Halide and watch the explosion. Follow that up with a High Pressure Sodium spectrum enhanced bulb and the results will be incredible.
 
maximum

maximum

Active Member
I got 2 ounces off my first grow and single plant. I was happy with it and it was all CFL. 42 watt individual light was my highest single bulb. I wouldnt consider it popcorn buds but maybe I dont know any better.
 
dgaf757

dgaf757

Active Member
well id figure the higher watt the cfl the more penetration, but it isnt much more. the best way to grow with a cfl type grow is to use some sort or training like lst. you want a uniform canopy because they dont penetrate very much. my first ever grow i did with cfls and i was very unhappy about the results as i got right around an oz. about this time last year all home depot and lowes had a huge sale on hps and mh. i bought like 10 70 watt hps for around $8 a piece. yes $8. right now i use 85 watt cfls and 26 watt cfls but i have 1 400 watt hps and a 150 watt hps. my last grow using only 1 400 watt hps i yielded almost 4oz off one plant and 2.7oz off another. the 4oz i got were from a white widowxhaze which is my avatar.

(edit-lowes sells 65 watt cfl's for abot $15 a piece and theyre standard base not mogul. on ebay you can find up to 150watt cfls for around $30. these types are classified as photograph booth lights. just keep in mind if youre gunna use them for the entire grow... get either 2700k up to 5000k as 6500k wont produce the right results in flowering. i found that out the hard way too)
 
Propagate

Propagate

Active Member
krok said:
Bump... I would like to know this too.

Does a higer watt CFL bulb like 125 Watt penetrate deeper than lower watt CFL's? Or is this the big drawback of using CFL's, they simlpy don't penetrate even if you have 250W?
Click to expand...
No, as with hps it is better to spread the light out around the plant ... ask the hps growers if they would rather have (1 400w/ 1 600w) or (1 1000w) I can tell you they would say the 400+600 would give much better results

but you should also use lst if your going cfl
 
maximum

maximum

Active Member
dgaf757 said:
well id figure the higher watt the cfl the more penetration, but it isnt much more. the best way to grow with a cfl type grow is to use some sort or training like lst. you want a uniform canopy because they dont penetrate very much. my first ever grow i did with cfls and i was very unhappy about the results as i got right around an oz. about this time last year all home depot and lowes had a huge sale on hps and mh. i bought like 10 70 watt hps for around $8 a piece. yes $8. right now i use 85 watt cfls and 26 watt cfls but i have 1 400 watt hps and a 150 watt hps. my last grow using only 1 400 watt hps i yielded almost 4oz off one plant and 2.7oz off another. the 4oz i got were from a white widowxhaze which is my avatar.

(edit-lowes sells 65 watt cfl's for abot $15 a piece and theyre standard base not mogul. on ebay you can find up to 150watt cfls for around $30. these types are classified as photograph booth lights. just keep in mind if youre gunna use them for the entire grow... get either 2700k up to 5000k as 6500k wont produce the right results in flowering. i found that out the hard way too)
Click to expand...
I wonder if you used 400 watts with cfls and surrouned the plant instead of having 1 400watt hps, what would be better? When you added the hps did you still have the old cfl lights there too?
 
maximum

maximum

Active Member
Alright I called the hydro store and they told me that due to the higher voltage in the 105watt cfl the penetration is deeper than having 4 x 26 watt lights. More power in the light pushes the light further and deeper.
 
C

chrisopher

Active Member
I use a 105w cfl for vegging only and it works great and as long as the plant doesn't actually touch the bulb I think you can have it as close as you want. I personally think 4-12 inches is too much, I have my plants within 1-2 inches of the bulb but I have to check it daily so that the plants don't actually touch it. I think the smaller watt bulbs are actually the best in terms of lumens per watt and it's supposed to be better to use multiple bulbs because you can surround a plant more easily but then you have to worry about multiple fixtures. Good luck with it. Good luck.
 
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