Cfl lumens?

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DR. GROW GREEN

Active Member
hi im new to growing(not started yet but the seeds are germing cheack out my grow journal its a stealth cabnit mini grow wit clfs in my signature but anyways the question i have is i have 5 seeds i bought off a friend that he got out of his bag of bc kush or so told and i am using a small grow cabnit (check grow journal for diamentions)(i believe they are around 15" deep 16" tall and 9" in width i have a normal power bar and waiting for a power bar with a built in timer(buying off a friend or walmart) the seeds are not germing its been 2-3days and no action but ill be patient one seed i put directlyinto the soil i have with clear plastic party cups(i will be using black hockey tape when i get some to cover the roots so i dont get mold)the question is i only have 13w cfls and if i am growing 5-6 seeds after theygerm will 5 13w cfls be good enough? one for each seed? the lumens are 800 and the k rating is 2700k(i know for flower but i am doing everyting DIY so low-non budgit and i no yeild wil be small but i needto know if this will work becuz if i plant the seeds and they dont pull through then i know it is the soil the soil is unknown top soil from last year tha my girlfriend used for a flower garden it is VERY clayie so i need to know if 4-5 13w 2700k cfls is good enough for 5-6 seed/seedling fro m harvest to flower or at leas throw a bit of veg the lights will be set to 12/12 oncei obtain a timer(soon) the lights i automaticly turn on at 7am and off at 7pm somtimes 5 mins late or early shouldnt be a problem tho but will these 13w cfls work? yes or no? the 4-5 cfls would give me 3200 or 4000 lumens is that ok? plants will be set to 12/12 from seed-harvest and no nutes, and i am a begginer i know a quit lot but i need help on this one
 
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DR. GROW GREEN

Active Member
also forgot to add the plants will only grow about 13" til harvest i am doing a lst tho so it should be fine also the plants shouldnt be cramped becuz i will be saving only 2-3 all females then i may try and make another set up and move half the lights but thats probly not going to happen please reply and send ur help and
+rep will be givin if it helps at all
 
Greendude

Greendude

Well-Known Member
you will need more light . I run a total of 24 lights for 4 to 6 plants ( 12 23w 6500k and 12 43w 2700k ) from seed when I flower I take out my 23w and add 12 more 43w
 
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DR. GROW GREEN

Active Member
shit.....but wont it atleast be fine for seeds? and i can switch them once they break the soil? (i have no job and hardly any money and i need to get soil for the frist thing the soil i have is sooo shity and its really clayie and i cant fitthat many lights i can only fit like4-5 what w should i use? the cheapest ones from walmart or adollar store that i can use?
 
Greendude

Greendude

Well-Known Member
use the 23w 2700k lumens as many as you can fit . I use alot but I get a really good deal on them . you can get them at wal-mart same price as the 23w 6500k .
Not sure where your from but here in the states . I know alot of elec. companys will help you out if you tell them your wanting to switch from reg lights in your home to cfls . I know where I live they will give you 12 bulbs to try out .
 
joker152

joker152

Well-Known Member
DR. GROW GREEN said:
shit.....but wont it atleast be fine for seeds? and i can switch them once they break the soil? (i have no job and hardly any money and i need to get soil for the frist thing the soil i have is sooo shity and its really clayie and i cant fitthat many lights i can only fit like4-5 what w should i use? the cheapest ones from walmart or adollar store that i can use?
Click to expand...
a few 13w cfl's will be fine for the next few weeks, the thing is the more light the faster and generally healthier the plant will grow, you will know when there isnt enough lite for your plants to grow well, when they get big enough to where your current lights wont penetrate past the canopy, i have seen sone weird lst jobs though so who knows you might be able to use those for most of your grow but your yield will suffer. walmart usually has good deals on their cfl bulbs, generally 1-2 dollars for good 23w bulbs
 
Bud Frosty

Bud Frosty

Well-Known Member
I agree with Greendude. You're gonna have to have 100 watts of cfl to finish per plant minimum. You can use less but, it will be a struggle and you wont like what you get.

compactfluorescentusa.com 42w 2700k 3000 lumens $4.97ea.

Good luck.
 
TeaTreeOil

TeaTreeOil

Well-Known Member
Individual CFL wattage isn't as important as the total wattage and getting good coverage. They pretty much all emit the same lumens per watt. Unlike HID, and some other forms of bulbs; which increase lumen/watt with increased wattage.

13 watt bulbs have nearly 70 lm/W. 200 watt CFLs decline to 50 lm/W. The easiest range to buy/obtain for highest efficiency bulbs is 13-65 actual watts. Just do the math when you're shopping(most cell phones have a calculator).

23 watt bulbs seem to be the most affordable. Under $2 a piece when on sale. I've seen 4 packs for under $8(including tax). Get some y-splitters, usually $1.50-$2.
 
Drgreenz

Drgreenz

Well-Known Member
nah, i use 4 200w cfl's for 5 plants. 2 true blue full spectrum and 2 6500k, i make my own reflectors but in a 2.5x2.5 area i have had great success
 
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DR. GROW GREEN

Active Member
thanks for the help guys this will help my grow i think i will just see how this goes and get different soil and different lights if they dont even sprout but thanks guys +rep to all:) happy 4:20 to all and to all good high:)
 
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DR. GROW GREEN

Active Member
the only reason i thought this would work is becuz its such a small grow cabnit and second a question if i use 4 23w cool white would those work? for 4-6 seed/seedlings? and 2-4 short like 14" plants? to bud with? (will switch to warm white when i start to flower)(i will be using 12/12 from start to keep them small but i will be using the coolwhite bulbs for seed/seedling/veg and then just witch the bulbs in a month to warm white will this work?
 
TeaTreeOil

TeaTreeOil

Well-Known Member
DR. GROW GREEN said:
the only reason i thought this would work is becuz its such a small grow cabnit and second a question if i use 4 23w cool white would those work? for 4-6 seed/seedlings? and 2-4 short like 14" plants? to bud with? (will switch to warm white when i start to flower)(i will be using 12/12 from start to keep them small but i will be using the coolwhite bulbs for seed/seedling/veg and then just witch the bulbs in a month to warm white will this work?
Click to expand...
If you have seed trays, or about 3"-4" pots, or jiffy cups, rock wool cubes, etc. plenty of options in this size range. One 23w CFL can easily cover about half a dozen of these until they're several inches tall(2 of these bulbs per square foot of seedling is plenty).

I'd just add more light. No need to replace.
 
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