How many 43w lights do i need

[kevstar25]

Hi guys, I’m thinking of starting a simple CFL grow, but wondering how many 43w cfl's I need.
I was thinking of 2 or 3, 43w @ 5800k for veg,
Then 5, 43w, @ 2700k for flowering? Is this enough you guys think? I'll be planting this in my own made grow box which is 1.2/1.2/1.2 meters more or less, and I would be putting the cfl's all around the box and not just spotlighting the top of the plant, and it will be 2 plants in there. If anything’s wrong with this, or if I have to use some 23w cfl’s, could you correct me please?
All comments welcome

 

[nutbutter]

buy 6500k lights. really. it's not expensive.

 

[kevstar25]

Whats better a 250watt hps, or a 250watt cfl

 

[beginningbotanist420]

Whats better a 250watt hps, or a 250watt cfl

250w HPS day and night. Some people might say that the cons outweigh the pros in stealth/micro situations. But your space is about 1.75 m3, and with proper ventilation, and maybe even a cool tube, HPS heat is manageable.

Just my $0.02

 

[Bamstone]

Best not to flower with CFLs. As good as they are for vegging, they are still a good bit less efficient than HPS. You cannot get the same light penatration with CFLs, thus you cannot get the same flower density. 250w CFL does not equal 250w HPS.

 

[kevstar25]

kk guys ty

 

[TheDankness]

If you don't think cfl's produce dense buds, click on the link in my sig and go to the most recent pic update. I am flowering 2 plants under two 40 watt cfl's and two 42 watt cfl's. They seem to be working just fine. I agree HPS is the superior option if you have the space and money, but for micro grows, nothing beats cfl's.

 

[kevstar25]

Well i was thinking of doing a CFL setup, but looking at the diffrence u pay for a ballast, with a reflector and a grow bulb already , ur better of buying the set, cuz its only abit more then getting a cfl setup if u get wot im saying. Cuz buying 3-5 cfl bulbs then all the hangers, then remember u gotaa have all these wires for each bulb, so the diffrence u pay in price for ur ballast complete set, your not just ggonna get more yield from ur project but ur making things easier for your self and even safer

 

[TheDankness]

I have my four cfl's hanging from a single cord. They're called socket splitters, they cost about $2, and they allow you to spit one socket to two, then two to four. I used an old cord and socket from a lamp I don't use anymore and wired everything with materials I already had laying around the house. There is no reason to worry about fire as long as you're not a moron. Cfl's barely even produce any heat, which is safer for you and your plants. Total cost of the four cfl's was around 30 bucks. All you have to do is be creative, and you can do the same things as the expensive equiptment does. I do agree going HPS would be easier and you'd yield more, but playing Mcgyver is cheaper and so much more fun hahaha.

 

[kevstar25]

Well yh, ok you are right, and maybe for my project then cfl might be easier, could u send me a link of these socket splitters plz

 

[kevstar25]

And also when ur plant is already in flower stage must u use lower k bulbs like 2700k or can u use the same ones u use in veg stage, u cant init?
So im going to have to be buying 2 sets of bulbs, one's for the veg stage and one for the flower stage right?

 

[Bamstone]

Well i was thinking of doing a CFL setup, but looking at the diffrence u pay for a ballast, with a reflector and a grow bulb already , ur better of buying the set, cuz its only abit more then getting a cfl setup if u get wot im saying. Cuz buying 3-5 cfl bulbs then all the hangers, then remember u gotaa have all these wires for each bulb, so the diffrence u pay in price for ur ballast complete set, your not just ggonna get more yield from ur project but ur making things easier for your self and even safer

I agree. Also, even with bright CFLs the penetration won't go beyond a few inches, so you may get decent bud at the very top, but they'll be small and less dense just a few inches down. With a 250w HPS you will get an 8 to 10 inch depth meaning your yeild will improve by a factor of 2 or 3. With a 400 watt HPS you will get 18 inches.

Not to mention heat - each cfl has a mini ballast of its own - you put a lot of these together and you get a diffused heat radiation that is hard to control. With an HPS the ballast sits outside the grow area and the heat from the single bulb can be easily evacuated through a cool tube, so heat isn't an issue. If you are restricted to putting everything, ballast and all, into a small cab then the heat issue evens out between the two.

Of course everything depends on the space you have and you can certainly grow good weed with cfls alone.

 

[Bamstone]

And also when ur plant is already in flower stage must u use lower k bulbs like 2700k or can u use the same ones u use in veg stage, u cant init?
So im going to have to be buying 2 sets of bulbs, one's for the veg stage and one for the flower stage right?

For veg use 5000k or 6500K CFLs. For flower use a lower temp like the 2700K. Most HPS are 2700k.

 

[TheDankness]

I agree. Also, even with bright CFLs the penetration won't go beyond a few inches, so you may get decent bud at the very top, but they'll be small and less dense just a few inches down. With a 250w HPS you will get an 8 to 10 inch depth meaning your yeild will improve by a factor of 2 or 3. With a 400 watt HPS you will get 18 inches.

Not to mention heat - each cfl has a mini ballast of its own - you put a lot of these together and you get a diffused heat radiation that is hard to control. With an HPS the ballast sits outside the grow area and the heat from the single bulb can be easily evacuated through a cool tube, so heat isn't an issue. If you are restricted to putting everything, ballast and all, into a small cab then the heat issue evens out between the two.

Of course everything depends on the space you have and you can certainly grow good weed with cfls alone.

We have a cfl hater everyone! Just playing man, but most of what you said is a misconception, have you ever grown with cfl's? I would like a little more light penetration, but I feel my buds are plenty dense. And there is almost no heat, maybe if you don't circulate your air, but if you do there is almost no heat. It hasn't once been an issue for me, which is more than most HID growers can say...

 

[TheDankness]

Oh I just noticed that last line, I retract my hater comment!

 

[kevstar25]

im indecisive still to use hps or cfl lol

 

[smppro]

I agree. Also, even with bright CFLs the penetration won't go beyond a few inches, so you may get decent bud at the very top, but they'll be small and less dense just a few inches down. With a 250w HPS you will get an 8 to 10 inch depth meaning your yeild will improve by a factor of 2 or 3. With a 400 watt HPS you will get 18 inches.

Not to mention heat - each cfl has a mini ballast of its own - you put a lot of these together and you get a diffused heat radiation that is hard to control. With an HPS the ballast sits outside the grow area and the heat from the single bulb can be easily evacuated through a cool tube, so heat isn't an issue. If you are restricted to putting everything, ballast and all, into a small cab then the heat issue evens out between the two.

Of course everything depends on the space you have and you can certainly grow good weed with cfls alone.

You can flower very nice buds with 4-42w cfls, if you are a good grower. Yes they do not have good light penetration so you make up for it with a small enclosure with reflective walls, trust me the light will penetrate and give you plenty of nice buds. Of course you need to train and top, but you can get dense nugs easily. As for the heat they will produce less heat per watt than hps, i have both trust me, 400w of cfl is easier to cool than 400w of hps. I agree that HPS is superior to cfl but if you know how to grow you shouldnt have to rely on big hid lights, just my 2cents
http://www.icmag.com very nice micro grow section with some great cfl grows

 

[Bamstone]

IF you are near a Lowes, they have them. A buddy of mine got four way sockets somewhere.

 

[Bamstone]

Yes I've grown with cfl's but HPS is an easy option for me. As far as heat goes, if you set up properly with a cool tube the temps will stay within a degree or so of the ambient room temperature. I grow indoors in a room without AC in Texas where it's still hot outside and I never have problems.

Didn't mean to start anything against CFL's, they are great, even better than great if you have limited space and budget.

 

[smppro]

Yes I've grown with cfl's but HPS is an easy option for me. As far as heat goes, if you set up properly with a cool tube the temps will stay within a degree or so of the ambient room temperature. I grow indoors in a room without AC in Texas where it's still hot outside and I never have problems.

Didn't mean to start anything against CFL's, they are great, even better than great if you have limited space and budget.

Yea i dont know what i was doing wrong with my hps, i had a cooltube and inline fan, but it was only a 4in 171cfm, maybe it was to small. But i have to admit i am planning to build a new cab for 2 150hps, hard to pass up for $20 a piece.