flourescent only?

J

Jolly Green Giant

Active Member
is it possible to grow with using only flourescent lights?

This is my first grow (and possibly my last), and i am not going to be able to obtain HPS or MH lights for it. If i just use flourescent instead, will i get any yield at all? how greatly will it be affected?
 
yes you can get good yeilds from just cfls from what i hear just make sure you try and get the ones with the most lumens some of the advantages of them is they dont put off much heat so you can get your plants real close to them (you need them to be close just for the record) the more you get the better more than likly so have fun

Peace Aces..
 
the more the better cfls put out quite abit try and get 42+ watt cfls 125s work well...

400 watt hps put out about 52000 lumens

42 watt cfl is something like 2400 or something so you would need many moer than one.. if your growing a few plants
 
there not very expensive the 42 watts the 125s are alittle bit more but there better..

you will need a few atleast.. the more the better

peace aces
 
how many lumens would there be from 400 watts of cfl roughly,how much more would i need for 4 plants?cheers
 
Ok, i got another question; what is the difference between warm and cool flourescents, and why are both important? How do i tell them apart (will the packaging tell me)?

How many lights should i have (assuming i am using half warm, half cool) for a 4-6 plant system? I am assuming just one (of each), but i really have no idea...
 
well this is my first grow and my first post, so i hope i get a respose. i want to know, i changed my clf lights at 7 weeks into flowering, from about a 4,500 lumen cfl setup to around 22,000-25,000 lumen (new 4 ballast setup from stealth hydro). my actual ? is: will this help me out on increasing my yeilds. i beleive i have a super skunk stain, the room is 2'x3' closet, and only one baby to take care of. i also was wondering if ii will have to go longer than what they usually take to complete flowering stage. im at 8 weeks now, and getting anxcioius to enjoy my fruits, any advice is helpful. thank you for your time.
 
Hey Jolly Green Giant. I am growing with fluorescent lights through the whole thing, and I'm seeing some good results. Now, the diffrence between a cool white, and warm white fluorescent is cool whites give off the blue spectrum which is ideal for the veg. growth. The warm white fluorescent give off more of the yellow, orange, red spectrum, which is the best for flowering. Warm white fluorescent also promote thicker branching, and 5% denser buds at harvest time. I used cool whites all through the veg. period. Then replaced 2 of 4 with warm whites during flowering, then halfway through flowering replaced all cool whites, with warm whites. I'm not saying your gonna get better results than if you used an HPS, but even if you get a lil bit of bud, its a succsesful grow. Good luck and keep us posted. Question before I go: What is the diffrence between T5 and T12 fluorescent lights?
 
Hey Deviant. Not much experience in hydro grow, but you should definetly see better results. Is your plant indica or sativa strain. If its indica then most likley you won't see any improvment because indica's flowering time is 7-9 weeks. If its sativa then you still got at least another month which is enough time for those lights to kick in. The more lumens the better. Some 1 once asked if you could have too many lights. Awnser: You would have a problem with heat before a problem with too many lights!
 
cool white = blue spectrum 6500 K
warm white light = red spectrum 3000 k

full spectrum = good for vegetative
wide spectrum = good for flowering
not really recommended because slows down growth. and more expensive!

wal-mart 32 watt 48'' fixture = $15.88
2pk daylight cool white 6500k = $10.00
this will put out 2000 lumens

2pk warm white light 3000k = $6.00
this too will put out 2000 lumens.

T5 more lumens (5000) and way more expensive. AFC Sun Blaze T5/HO 48" 20,000 lumens 6500k $185.00. A lil more money and u can get a switchable HPS/MH 400 watt with reflector 36,000 lumens 5x5 grow coverage for $230.00

Go to the dollar store and get wrapping paper that has the mylar esque backing.(works perfect) As of now you may have spent around 70 dollars for mylar and qty. 2 flourescent light fix. plus bulbs. You should be pulling 4 to 5000 lumens with reflector. good enough for 2 to 3 plants!

So, depending on the money u want to spend, i would say the hell with the CFL (depending on the space ur working with)
and by multiple of the above. Stick with
cool white 6500k to begin with and when your ready to flower, switch to 3000k warm white light 2 pk. bulb sets. Keep em close to the plants and you will pull out a yield. Combine this formula with a scrogg set up or FIM technique and it will only get you a bigger harvest. Keep in mind. It still wont be as big as HPS/MH but a yield nonetheless!! Good luck.
 
armlengthbuds said:
cool white = blue spectrum 6500 K
warm white light = red spectrum 3000 k

full spectrum = good for vegetative
wide spectrum = good for flowering
not really recommended because slows down growth. and more expensive!

wal-mart 32 watt 48'' fixture = $15.88
2pk daylight cool white 6500k = $10.00
this will put out 2000 lumens

2pk warm white light 3000k = $6.00
this too will put out 2000 lumens.

T5 more lumens (5000) and way more expensive. AFC Sun Blaze T5/HO 48" 20,000 lumens 6500k $185.00. A lil more money and u can get a switchable HPS/MH 400 watt with reflector 36,000 lumens 5x5 grow coverage for $230.00

Go to the dollar store and get wrapping paper that has the mylar esque backing.(works perfect) As of now you may have spent around 70 dollars for mylar and qty. 2 flourescent light fix. plus bulbs. You should be pulling 4 to 5000 lumens with reflector. good enough for 2 to 3 plants!

So, depending on the money u want to spend, i would say the hell with the CFL (depending on the space ur working with)
and by multiple of the above. Stick with
cool white 6500k to begin with and when your ready to flower, switch to 3000k warm white light 2 pk. bulb sets. Keep em close to the plants and you will pull out a yield. Combine this formula with a scrogg set up or FIM technique and it will only get you a bigger harvest. Keep in mind. It still wont be as big as HPS/MH but a yield nonetheless!! Good luck.
Click to expand...

I went to home depot and bought the 30 Watt BD Bright White Compact. I am guessing this is cool white but it doesnt say it anywhere on the package.
 
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