I have ordered my autoflowering seeds and I am beginning to invest in the things needed to grow the weed indoor.....a big thing I do not want to screw up is my lighting because it is going to play a crucial role in my artificial environment. I have been doing some research and I have a few questions. First, can I use florescent lighting throughout my entire grow process and if I can will the more florescents I buy accumulate to a higher wattage based on the wattage of each florescent. And would that be an effective way to make up for not having a HPS or HIS Light system. I want avoid having to buy expesive lights for this first grow, but I will if I'm going to be disappointed with the yield, how much bud a get from each plant is important to me as I want to try get the maximum yield for each plant. Can I use a combination of florescent lighting and HPS or can I use the florecents with a combo of other commonly used lights to create better light for the plants. What kind of florescent or other lighting options is going to give me the highest wattage per lamp and where can I buy it. I would like to spend less money if I can to pull off a great harvest without a 250-600 dollar light to help me do it. Thanks for your help!
HELP with some indoor lighting questions plz???
- Thread starter Noizboi23
- Start date
If you dont want to invest in HID lighting then drop the florescents and got with CFL bulbs. They seem to be easier to work with. However you can NOT beat HID lighting. If you can scrounge some change together get yourself a ballast and a proper HPS bulb. You will not regret it.
On a side note : The more light the better. Use the florescents as side lighting ect...
On a side note : The more light the better. Use the florescents as side lighting ect...
the money you spend on alot of CFL's can be used for a nice 400 hps, around 130 from htg supply.
massah
Well-Known Member
Basically it boils down to this, the higher the wattage you can get out of a single bulb the better. The higher it is the better the penetration will be, so you want to shoot for the highest bulbs you can afford instead of spreading the money out amongst a bunch of smaller wattage bulbs.
CFL's: Available from local stores you'll have ranges of 60-150watt equivalent bulbs, so those range from 13-28 actual watts. Given the statement earlier, having two 13watt bulbs is not even close to the same as a single 28 watt bulb. The amount of light in lumens is going to be approximately the same, but because its given off by two separate light sources the amount projected is significantly reduced.
HPS: Available online and some local specialty shops you'll have ranges of 70-1000watts, the same applies to HPS in regards to penetration. Two 70watt HPS bulbs are not remotely the same as a 150watt in penetration factor.
The lower the wattage the lower the heat, the closer you have to keep it to your plants to keep them from stretching.
Now comes the "Where are you going to grow?" Question...when using low wattage lighting systems you want to get the most out of it possible. To accomplish this you must keep them close, and keep the light contained. 4 CFL's hanging from a ceiling over a couple plants in an open area will do jack shit except make the plant very thin and climb as high as it can. Now take those same for 4 CFL's and enclose them in a 1'x1'x2' box with reflective material on the walls/floor and a reflector just above the lights will be a completely different growing experience. When you concentrate the light into the area that's what you need for good growing and penetration. A good way to look at things is if the box you are growing in with the lights going is overheating it at like 100+F and requires you to put in ventilation to keep the temps below 85F, it's probably going to do OK, not great, but OK.
Since you are going to be using autoflowers, depending on the strain, they shouldn't grow more than 18-24" in height. There are some strains that are coined as "autoflower" that are actually iranian crosses that are "early flower" that will still flower under 18/6, but take a little bit longer, but dropping them to 12/12 after a month they will bloom quickly and finish in the advertized timeframe. Since you are not an expert(nor am I), expect to go 1-2 weeks beyond what the seed seller says it will take to harvest, do not harvest early
I didn't even touch the neuts/grow medium part, depends on what you are doing, if using soil make sure its airy and not dense, good way to tell is when you grab a handful of it it should feel a bit squishy and if you compress it with your hand it will hold its shape, but if you touch it with your other hand after compressing it it should start to fall apart.
So, in a nutshell, buy the highest powered light(s) that you can afford, grow in a small enough space for those lights, ventilate it, follow the growing guidelines for the strain, be gentle in watering/neuting, dont give low strength neutrients for the first two weeks, and gently increase it, etc...
Hope that all helps, sorry for the long post, just don't want you making the same mistakes I have made in the past
CFL's: Available from local stores you'll have ranges of 60-150watt equivalent bulbs, so those range from 13-28 actual watts. Given the statement earlier, having two 13watt bulbs is not even close to the same as a single 28 watt bulb. The amount of light in lumens is going to be approximately the same, but because its given off by two separate light sources the amount projected is significantly reduced.
HPS: Available online and some local specialty shops you'll have ranges of 70-1000watts, the same applies to HPS in regards to penetration. Two 70watt HPS bulbs are not remotely the same as a 150watt in penetration factor.
The lower the wattage the lower the heat, the closer you have to keep it to your plants to keep them from stretching.
Now comes the "Where are you going to grow?" Question...when using low wattage lighting systems you want to get the most out of it possible. To accomplish this you must keep them close, and keep the light contained. 4 CFL's hanging from a ceiling over a couple plants in an open area will do jack shit except make the plant very thin and climb as high as it can. Now take those same for 4 CFL's and enclose them in a 1'x1'x2' box with reflective material on the walls/floor and a reflector just above the lights will be a completely different growing experience. When you concentrate the light into the area that's what you need for good growing and penetration. A good way to look at things is if the box you are growing in with the lights going is overheating it at like 100+F and requires you to put in ventilation to keep the temps below 85F, it's probably going to do OK, not great, but OK.
Since you are going to be using autoflowers, depending on the strain, they shouldn't grow more than 18-24" in height. There are some strains that are coined as "autoflower" that are actually iranian crosses that are "early flower" that will still flower under 18/6, but take a little bit longer, but dropping them to 12/12 after a month they will bloom quickly and finish in the advertized timeframe. Since you are not an expert(nor am I), expect to go 1-2 weeks beyond what the seed seller says it will take to harvest, do not harvest early
I didn't even touch the neuts/grow medium part, depends on what you are doing, if using soil make sure its airy and not dense, good way to tell is when you grab a handful of it it should feel a bit squishy and if you compress it with your hand it will hold its shape, but if you touch it with your other hand after compressing it it should start to fall apart.
So, in a nutshell, buy the highest powered light(s) that you can afford, grow in a small enough space for those lights, ventilate it, follow the growing guidelines for the strain, be gentle in watering/neuting, dont give low strength neutrients for the first two weeks, and gently increase it, etc...
Hope that all helps, sorry for the long post, just don't want you making the same mistakes I have made in the past
Tha Dope man187
Active Member
check my grow i havent updated yet but curretnly have 3 plants a month in,m and aprox. 3-4 babies just sprouting im using a pc fan wired to a 9v ac adaptor, with (1) 42watt cfl 6500k and (1) 26watt 2700k they are doing great! only one streched and i think its cuz it was a male. no sex yet tho, but they def work if u want the best lighting FOR A SMALL AREA! i say cfl, hps and hid sure their better but i was broke at the time so the cfls are working fine my 2nd grow 1st indoor. im using 0.14-0.14-0.14 that i transplanted them into cuz i noticed the soil i had had lil fly-tyype gnats so i tansplanted and they got healthier! i WAS wusing 20-20-20 all purpose but nute burned them early on..unless it was the gnats..not sure but cfls surely work! if u want say a o each plant dryed id say u need like (2) 42watt cfls for vegging, then another 2 42watt for flower or ause one for veg and add a extra fopr flower thats what i did cept i only have one 42 and only a 26 after mine broke 