Tutorial to Growing with Cfl's

DOC. GREENTHUMB said:

but will the lights i have work i only have 2 26w cfls?nhow many budded plants can that support to flower with?

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one

420weedman said:

if your flowering with t-5s you need more help than co2.

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why do you say that?

Hemlock said:

why do you say that?

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for the price of co2 + setup you could easily buy a hps light and have way more bud than some t-5s + co2

you rock dude! i'm real green to this whole thing and you just answered a lot of questions. appreciate it. go internet!

sooo this seems to pretty much be an ongoing theme/discussion/argument but basically my question is if i should go with fewer, higher wattage cfls, or more lower wattage cfls...??

like i said i know this is a constant debate, and i read this thread a few times and saw a few different opinions, but here's whats going on if anyone has any opinions about what i should do...

i vegged my plant outside...she(hopefully) looks pretty to me , just some bagseed...the pic below is before i trimmed her up to get more light to the lower branches...

anyways im bringing her in to flower...built a nice room inside...about 3' by 3' by 5'ft tall...i'd say the plant is about 2.5' right now...ill measure later if its really important...got a good ventilation system in there so heat isnt an issue, i just dont want to drop big $$ on an HID right now...

right now i have 2 42W 2700k CFLs ready to go in there...but before i bring her in there i know i need some more light...these 2 lights put at about 5200 Lumens and from what I've read im going to need at least 10,000...

so...finally to the question, lol should i buy a 100w to go on top, and then use the 42 watters on the side? or buy 2-3 more of the 42 watters and spread them out over the top/side?

another way to go would be to put 2 of those 68 watters that they sell at home depot over the top in a V shape, then use the 2 42 watters ill already have and use those on the side - this is what i was planning on doing.

anyways just looking for some opinions, anything would help

happy smokin guys

pdeezy said:

another way to go would be to put 2 of those 68 watters that they sell at home depot over the top in a V shape, then use the 2 42 watters ill already have and use those on the side - this is what i was planning on doing.

anyways just looking for some opinions, anything would help

happy smokin guys

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id go with that way,
is that plant in a pot or just in the ground ? its always better to start in a pot have to be careful diggn that up if not...

if that plant is 2.5' now you should bend the top over cuz i've seen people flower that tall with cfls and get to 6'

420weedman said:

id go with that way,
is that plant in a pot or just in the ground ? its always better to start in a pot have to be careful diggn that up if not...

if that plant is 2.5' now you should bend the top over cuz i've seen people flower that tall with cfls and get to 6'

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Thanks for the help bro...

Ya i was pretty set on that idea, guess i just needed a second opinion, ill be headed to the depot after i get paid on friday to buy either 4 of those 42ers, or a couple of those 68 watt ones, depending on my mood, lol

The plant IS just in the ground so im going to have some trouble getting it out, but i think itll be ok, ill probably leave it outside in a pot for a few days just so its not going into too much shock before she comes inside to flower...

BTW, this isnt really the thread for this, but a quick question, you think she'll be able to finish in a 3.5gal pot? or should i just go ahead and up to a 5? I'm predicting she'll be around 5.5' - 6' tall when she's done even after a little bending and leaning...same as before any opinions will help, thanks guys,

maybe later on tonight ill post some pics of my set-up so far, see what u guys think of my homemade reflector i made for these 42's...

anyways plus rep for the help weedman and happy smokin guys

pdeezy said:

Thanks for the help bro...

Ya i was pretty set on that idea, guess i just needed a second opinion, ill be headed to the depot after i get paid on friday to buy either 4 of those 42ers, or a couple of those 68 watt ones, depending on my mood, lol

The plant IS just in the ground so im going to have some trouble getting it out, but i think itll be ok, ill probably leave it outside in a pot for a few days just so its not going into too much shock before she comes inside to flower...

BTW, this isnt really the thread for this, but a quick question, you think she'll be able to finish in a 3.5gal pot? or should i just go ahead and up to a 5? I'm predicting she'll be around 5.5' - 6' tall when she's done even after a little bending and leaning...same as before any opinions will help, thanks guys,

maybe later on tonight ill post some pics of my set-up so far, see what u guys think of my homemade reflector i made for these 42's...

anyways plus rep for the help weedman and happy smokin guys

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no prob , just put in a 5 gallon bucket

420weedman said:

for the price of co2 + setup you could easily buy a hps light and have way more bud than some t-5s + co2

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No Kidding....I know that, however, my situation dictates the use of t-5's. Thats why I asked the question.

again I'll ask

does c02 do any good if you are using t-5's?

Hemlock said:

No Kidding....I know that, however, my situation dictates the use of t-5's. Thats why I asked the question.

again I'll ask

does c02 do any good if you are using t-5's?

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Co2 will help with any light setup.
I watched a video of a fella with a 10'x10' growroom with a very sophisticated ventilation and co2 system but, all the lighting was t5 fluoro. It was an ebb and flow and the plants were very impressive.

Hemlock said:

No Kidding....I know that, however, my situation dictates the use of t-5's. Thats why I asked the question.

again I'll ask

does c02 do any good if you are using t-5's?

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co2 is usually used in where there is temps 85 + to benefit
it may help a little

Hey guys, I'm on my first grow and really dig CFLs. I was in Home Depot looking at bulbs. I saw the Philips T8 Daylight Deluxe (32w, 6500K, 2800 Lumens) and my question is would these be acceptable for vegging? Thanks for your help/input.

Great info dr. I feel it should also be said that even if you are growing with HPS or MH, it's a good idea to help supplement the HID light with CFLs of the opposite spectrum.

Those are ideal for vegging about 7 or 8 plants. Generally less the bigger they get, but you should be fine for a while with those.

I appreciate the post. Iam stating my first grow and still dont know how many cfls should i use for a 2x2x2 box, i was thinking 8 23 wat full spectrum bulbs for the veg than iam building a 5x5x6 room for flowering? Some inout would be nice.

This may sound like a silly question, but ive dug up five 23watt phillips CFLs but i cant find the kelvin rating anywhere on the packaging or bulb, all it says is 1550 lumen and E27, so im not to sure where i stand with these. Should i purchase some higher wattage online(i know i should and i will anyway) or are these ok to use on my seedlings until i get more or do i need to rush out and get stronger ones?

what is the most bud you can get from cfls. Is it possible on a 2.5 foot plant to get an ounce

QUESTION? Is it true to say you get more light penetration from the higher wattage CFLS's. I know penetration is just a few inches with CFL so the taller your plants get the less light down below.

The reason I ask is, I just got two mogul base lamps for about 1/3 normal retail price at Meijers and they also had the 150 Watt 6500 K bulbs in the box. Plus they had additional full spectrum bulbs for about $7.00 on clearance. Scooped up several of those and may go back for the rest. A 300 watt light system with extra bulbs for about $60. All I need is two 2700 K bulbs for flower now. Im going to scour the other outlets around here and see if they have some warm white bulbs for the same price. Now I can just side light with the old stuff and set up a seedling chamber with some smaller bulbs!

I have been using four 42 watt bulbs all the way through for three or four plants. In veg I used two cool whites in the mix. I got nice tops but buds down below were pitiful last grow even with some side lighting. So, I figure the lack of penetration can be made up for using LST training and the big watt mogul bases. What do you guys think.

I have a grow going in Organics called " Third Times the Charm" for anyone one interested in seeing what I am up to. I was going to get a 250 HPS but due to my good fortune on the mogul bases Im going to stay CFL for another round.

lots of good info!

thanks 2 all for the info!!! i still need to do more research but think im going to start my first garden using (2) 5 plant bubbleponics systems with (??) cfl lights...im not sure what type of lights i'll be using yet, but im sure cfl will best suit my needs! hopefully i'll be up and running in a few weeks! thanks again!