DYI Veg Tent CFL Requirements?
- Thread starter Brakins
- Start date
Gr8Xcape98
Well-Known Member
Hey Brakins,
Those two CFL's will keep your babies alive, but they aren't the best. You'd do much better with a lamp/reflector designed for growing. If you can pull together $100 something like this would serve you well. And if this is for vegging plants spring for the "pure par" bulbs.
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-Supply-2-Foot-2-Lamp-PLL-55-Tek-Lamp
Also, the color of the light is really important. Blue light (6500k or 10000k) for veg, and red light (2700k or 3000k) for flower. If you're trying to veg your plants with 2700k bulbs you're likely to be a little frustrated by the results.
If this is set up is all you can get your hands on then keep working with what you got. Keep those CFLs as close to the plants as you can without burning them. I'm talking 2 inches are so away.
I don't have any experience with LEDs but I hear they can produce some pretty kick-ass results.
Good luck!
Those two CFL's will keep your babies alive, but they aren't the best. You'd do much better with a lamp/reflector designed for growing. If you can pull together $100 something like this would serve you well. And if this is for vegging plants spring for the "pure par" bulbs.
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-Supply-2-Foot-2-Lamp-PLL-55-Tek-Lamp
Also, the color of the light is really important. Blue light (6500k or 10000k) for veg, and red light (2700k or 3000k) for flower. If you're trying to veg your plants with 2700k bulbs you're likely to be a little frustrated by the results.
If this is set up is all you can get your hands on then keep working with what you got. Keep those CFLs as close to the plants as you can without burning them. I'm talking 2 inches are so away.
I don't have any experience with LEDs but I hear they can produce some pretty kick-ass results.
Good luck!
Mount
Well-Known Member
Mount
Well-Known Member
For your LED side... see this... http://www.growweedeasy.com/led-upgrade-guide
Brakins
Member
Thanks for your very detailed replies as always! I can't get together $100 at this time (Christmas was quite draining) but I did gather together $20 and I got 4 23w CFL bulbs and some other cheap parts and gave my smaller clones some more light (6500k). If the 2 big bulbs will keep them alive then I'm sure these guys wont hurt anything. Once again thanks and have a good one.Hey Brakins,
Those two CFL's will keep your babies alive, but they aren't the best. You'd do much better with a lamp/reflector designed for growing. If you can pull together $100 something like this would serve you well. And if this is for vegging plants spring for the "pure par" bulbs.
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-Supply-2-Foot-2-Lamp-PLL-55-Tek-Lamp
Also, the color of the light is really important. Blue light (6500k or 10000k) for veg, and red light (2700k or 3000k) for flower. If you're trying to veg your plants with 2700k bulbs you're likely to be a little frustrated by the results.
If this is set up is all you can get your hands on then keep working with what you got. Keep those CFLs as close to the plants as you can without burning them. I'm talking 2 inches are so away.
I don't have any experience with LEDs but I hear they can produce some pretty kick-ass results.
Good luck!
Thanks! This was helpful in picking out the bulbs.
Gr8Xcape98
Well-Known Member
Hey Brakins. That's a sweet little set up you got there! Nice blue light to veg those babies and a bulb for each plant. That's working with what you've got! Isn't it strange how growers are so creative...
Keep on growin...
Mount
Well-Known Member
Happy Growing !!! Keep us up to date on how things progress for you.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
I run 432 watts of t5 in a 2x4.
Brakins
Member
I'm going to be doing a very similar setup soon
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
Its hard to keep cool.I'm going to be doing a very similar setup soon
With these warm temps instead of winter my cab has been hitting 90+. The girls don't like it.
TommyDuhCat
Well-Known Member
Crazy. I have about 260w in my 2x3x6 and am tying to get to a running temp of 80, but day temps are 82-84. Luckily the plants seem happy, but id like to be below 80... or if i can get to 80, add 50 more watts of light and end up back at 82...
TommyDuhCat
Well-Known Member
I got two 6" clip fans to replace my single 10" fan and it was a total bust. Installed it and 30 minutes later the cabinet was at 89 degrees. Put the old fan back, but put one of the clip fans at the bottom of the cabinet next to an intake hole pulling fresh air in and up. Temp is holding steady at 81. I think im going to restructure how my wardrobe is set up in the next few weeks and install a more powerful exhaust. Mine is a cheap 65cfm 4" in line duct booster fan with a diy carbon filter. Ill repurpose that into the drying bin/rack im going to need in 4-6 weeks.
SativaMe@420
Well-Known Member
I've been considering that same 2-Foot PLL-55 Tek Lamp to Veg a mother plant in a small 2'x2' tent. Do you have experience with that fixture & especially the PURE PAR bulbs? Based on their description its seems those PURE PAR's are THE fluorescent bulbs to use for Veg. They claim they are engineered to produce the exact wavelengths associated with plant growth, so if that is actually the case then I imagine they would perform fantastic.
There are so many gimmicks & scam products out there that I always try to get actual user feedback on something before I buy it. I learned that the hard way with the new Hortilux PowerVeg T5's, supposed to be the best UV lamps on the market yet they don't produce half the UV that the ReptiSun 10.0's do, not to mention their approx. $10 more.
So if I go with that 2-Foot Tek Lamp would you recommend I use one 6400K bulb & one PURE PAR or just use two PURE PAR's? We are only doing small SOG grows currently, however if we decide to increase production then the 4-Lamp Tek Light seems perfect. If we did get it what is your opinion on using: 2 x PURE PAR's, 1 x 6400K & 1 x 10,000K? I just have a feeling that combination of bulbs/spectrums would produce some very vigorous vegetative growth, what do you think?
Gr8Xcape98
Well-Known Member
Hey Sativa.
Yeah, I used the 2-Foot, 2 bulb Tek Lamp for my first grow. I think it works great. And yes, the PURE PAR bulbs are fantastic! I would say if you get the two bulb lamp you would do better with two PURE PAR bulbs than you would with one PURE PAR and one of another spectrum. That said, I've stepped up to the 4 bulb Tek Lamp and I now veg with two PURE PARs and two 10000k. I've been super happy with the results, very vigorous veg growth. In fact, I flower under that light too, but with two 3000k and two 6500k bulbs. Then, two weeks before harvest I switch to 10000k and 6500k to give the plants an extra kick. Upon switching to flower I hang the two bulb fixture vertically (loaded with two 3000k bulbs) to get light to the lower buds.
I feel as thought these little Tek Lamps put out more than enough light. Remember, the 2-foot PLL bulbs are pretty much 4-foot T5's that have been folded in half. Each bulb puts off the same light as a 4-foot T-5, but in half the footprint. I just pulled 48oz (wet) from my 3x3 tent using 2 Tek Lamps (a 2 blub unit hanging vertically and a 4 bulb overhead), and four 40w CFLs.
So in closing, given the price, low heat signature, and bulb spectrum selection I'm a huge fan of those little Tek Lamps.
SativaMe@420
Well-Known Member
I am VERY glad to hear that, I was really hoping those PURE PAR bulbs weren't just hype, now I definitely can't wait to try them.Hey Sativa.
Yeah, I used the 2-Foot, 2 bulb Tek Lamp for my first grow. I think it works great. And yes, the PURE PAR bulbs are fantastic!
I have a feminized Super Skunk seedling from AMS seeds, its just a baby at approx 3" tall & on its 3rd set of true leaves (Pics Attached). Due to heat issues I can't use my 600W HPS atm, so I'm just going to use my DIY 4-bulb CFL fixture that I built (as well as a 4' 1-bulb T5 HO fixture w/UVA/UVB lamp, for increased resin production) until I can buy either a PL-L TEK lamp or an LED panel. The 4 CFL's I have in my DIY fixture are 65W, 3 x 2700K & 1 x 5000K. I also have a 125W 6400K CFL grow bulb that I will use to mother my Super Skunk plant, at least until I get a PL-L TEK Lamp or something better for her.
I have a bunch of REALLY EXCELLENT Organic Nutrients, Amendments/Additives & Growth Enhancers/Biostimulators that I am very, VERY EXCITED about trying on this Super Skunk genetics (not to mention my AACT recipe that ROCKS, Pics Attached are 24hrs into the brew). I'm going to start a thread or journal on this as I have bunch of stuff I'd like to talk about & get my fellow growers opinions on. In the mean time tell me what you think of this cute baby Super Skunk (the larger LST'd plant is a Space Queen that Ive been testing some training techniques on, which have been going quite well) .
Attachments
Last edited:
What's your tea recipe?
kiweed_kid
Member
Just had a play around with a 2 tube 55w pll setup by Starlight.1 2700k 1 6400k with 1 auto kush in a 10 litre pot.Got 1.5 oz of dried hard nugs not bad for a noob.Have since brought a 4 tube setup for flowering and keeping the 2 tube to veg