Lighting

Meethrip

Member
I know.....!

This has probably been posted hundreds of times on this website but I really cannot find anything.

Getting to the point...

I am going to start a grow after Christmas of ONE marijuana plant in a grow room that is 4ft tall, 2ft wide and 2ft long and I am going to use a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) all the way from the minute I put my baby in light to the second I take it out.
(THE WHOLE PROCESS OF GROWING)

All I want to know is what wattage of CFL light bulb will I need so that my baby can live off it from vegetation, flowering, all the way through to harvesting. (START TO FINISH).

It does not bother me how many bulbs I will end up with, just want to know the wattage that I should put into this grow box using CFL'S.

I CANNOT MAKE IT ANY CLEARER THAN THIS.

I am sorry to any of you if I seem demanding or an arrogant little f*** but for the past 3 months I have been researching and absolutely NONE of the research I have collected is set in concrete because there are some real idiots out there who do not have a clue what they are on about.

Please, only reply if you are absolutely sure that what you are saying is correct.

Sorry again if I do seem like an ass hole.

Thanks a tonne, meeth.
 

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
you will want to go with the biggest watt cfl's that you can get your hands on.. i think they make up to like a 46 watt that can use a standard socket..
make sure that you look at the actual wattage of the bulb, and not the comparable wattage..
the higher k bulbs are for veg, like the 6500k, and the lower ones are for flowering, the 2700k ones..
i would say get as many of them that you can fit into your grow room.. the more the better.. and at first, keep them around 3 inches or so away from young seedlings, as they get older, you can move them to within an inch or so of the plants..
hope this helps some..
 

Meethrip

Member
hmm.......2ft wide and 2ft long....
That would be like 9 CFL's in one grow box, I don't fully understand what you mean but do you mean like as many 46 watt CFL's as I can or as many bulbs adding up to 46 watt?

If so that would be like 414 watts worth of CFL in one grow box for one plant, you sure? :o
 

wasd

Member
If you vegging get some "Daylight" 26w CFLs and mix in acouple of the 43w 2700k bulbs. The more the better. Mixing the 2 light spectrums is the best for the plants.
But hes saying follow the 26w not the 120W replacement as it says it is. So its not 120w your getting your only getting 26w so count the 26w when your adding up your total thats what counts.
 
I

Illegal Smile

Guest
One plant I would start with 2 42w in 6500 to veg till 8 inches or so then add some more. When you flower go to mostly 2700k and add watts. Toward the end I would have 5 or 6 42w positioned all around. Clamp reflectors work well for that, plan ahead to create places to clamp them remembering that cfls have to be in close to the foliage.
 

Meethrip

Member
right, so i'll have two 42w, 6500k, CFL'S for vegging then as I move into flowering I should add more 42w CFL'S as I go along but instead of adding 6500k's i'll add 2700k's so in the end i'll have two 6500k's and four 2700k's?

Is this right?
 

Stoney384

Active Member
yeah i agree with illegal smile on the watts and how many bulbs to get.
you can get those at menards, lowes, or your local hardware store for about 9-10 dollars a piece.
 

Meethrip

Member
Ok, I got three opinions that agree, thank god, people who actually know something for a change.

so, I think i'm gonna put 2, 42w, 6500k, CFL'S at the top of my box then 1 42w, 2700k, CFL on each side of my grow box set at different heights in the box so I shine light all around my plant.

think i'll put the 2700k's in right at the beginning but just leave them switched off until they are needed, sorta makes it easier so I can just turn the other 4 on when I decide to start flowering.

You guys think this is a good idea?
 

darkdestruction420

Well-Known Member
they make 65w bulbs that works in a standard outlet now, im not sure if this next part is true but i also heard somewhere they have a 105w one like that too now.
 

ieatglue88

Well-Known Member
if I was you id use 26-42 watt bulb easily found in stores and for 1 plant at the seedling stage 1 light would workat first if directly on the plant 3-4 would work for the rest of its life more obviously being a bit better you can add those extra lights whenever in vegging and the last one when going into flowering keep the plant short by using a smaller pot not super tiny but a smaller plant is better for cfls they will make great buds if kept as close as possible without causing burn I have done this exact same thing and it worked all the way through ... if on a budget you can purchase 2700k bulbs normally for flowering but they WILL work for vegging if not on a budget you can buy 6400k for vegging or mix it up have 1 6400k and the others 2700k you can still use the 6400k in flowering just not all 6400k I would start the grow with more than 1 plant just incase something happens you dont want to lose the plant and have to start from the beginning if really needed later on keep the best plant and kill the others or for a small price purchase some extra cfls and keep em the target out here sells 26 watt cfls by GE for 1.96 where as the cheapest 42 watt is 9.99 they also sell clip lamps for 5.99 so for 8.00 you can add another light

anyway your going to get a lot of different opinions but everything ive mentioned is something ive done so I might not have the most experience growing in general but for your specific question I have grown with those exact methods and had success
 

Meethrip

Member
See, I was gonna use a small bubbleponic system, does this affect what lights I should use? and should I activate all of my flowering lights at once or add them on as I go along?
 

Meethrip

Member
Oh, and also, ieatglue88, how tall do you advise me to have my plant before putting into veg stage?
If the smaller the plant the better the buds then I would rather have a smaller plant.
 

mrmadcow

Well-Known Member
... I think i'm gonna put 2, 42w, 6500k, CFL'S at the top of my box then 1 42w, 2700k, CFL on each side of my grow box set at different heights in the box so I shine light all around my plant....
all good except you want the lights as close to the plants as possible so make the top lights adjustable so you can raise/lower them to the right height.
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
Check my avatar, that is one plant under a 65 watt 2700K CFL in a 10 inch reflective hood with a 12 inch T9 6500K (for lower lighting)

The mylar is one of those windshield sun blocker things 8)

growspace is 1 square foot :bigjoint:

Plant is doing just great
 

mrmadcow

Well-Known Member
..... im not sure if this next part is true but i also heard somewhere they have a 105w one like that too now.
$30 ea
http://www.1000bulbs.com/105-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent/

if I was you id use 26-42 watt bulb easily found in stores ..... the target out here sells 26 watt cfls by GE for 1.96 where as the cheapest 42 watt is 9.99 they also sell clip lamps for 5.99 so for 8.00 you can add another light....
my local lowes sells a 65 watt CFL for about $15 or a 6 pack of 23 watt CFL for 1/2 that. 3 of the 23 watt bulbs use 4 watts more but also produce more lumens than the 65.


Oh, and also, ieatglue88, how tall do you advise me to have my plant before putting into veg stage?
If the smaller the plant the better the buds then I would rather have a smaller plant.
CFLs doesn't penetrate deeply into thick foliage so keeping plants smaller helps.the plant will double in size when you switch to 12/12 so keep this in mind so you dont outgrow your 4 foot height.
 

conbaba

Member
I accept with information:If you vegging get some "Daylight" 26w CFLs and mix in acouple of the 43w 2700k bulbs. The more the better. Mixing the 2 light spectrums is the best for the plants. But hes saying follow the 26w not the 120W replacement as it says it is.
 

Meethrip

Member
the 26 watters have the best lumen to watt ratio. and are easy to find in both 2700 and 6500 k.
hmmm......when you say "the 26 watters" do you mean the output or the input?

Those energy savers that shops sell are like in the pennies in price and they output a lot more than they take for input, in my house we have some energy savers that take 11w as input and the wattage that they output is 75w, would these not be better?

can someone please elaborate?

I am confused to whether these "26 watters" take 26w as input or output 26w?

If they output 26w then I don't see why I shouldn't use energy savers as some of them can output up to 6 times their input, and if there is a reason why people don't use energy savers can someone please explain why?

I know I seem like a cheapo but just trying to be as cost efficient as possible here, thanks.
 
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