CFL Experience?

anima.stella

anima.stella

Member
I wanted to use cfl's to keep my power bill manageable. Right now I'm running 6 100w replacement 6500k bulbs. I was wondering if anyone had some good advice for using these? Like how many per plant? Would they need a longer light cycle than usual? Comparing my plants to others the same age I feel like they're kinda puny :/
 
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Buddy McBuderton

Member
Firstly: What type of 100w are you using or are those the CFLs you speak of? So like 23w CFLs equiv to 100w reg incandescent bulb. Then we need to also know how many lumens per/ bulb. So we can then get our total lumens.

They say 2500 lumens for VEG per.
 
kmksrh21

kmksrh21

Well-Known Member
Buddy McBuderton said:
Firstly: What type of 100w are you using or are those the CFLs you speak of? So like 23w CFLs equiv to 100w reg incandescent bulb. Then we need to also know how many lumens per/ bulb. So we can then get our total lumens.

They say 2500 lumens for VEG per.
Click to expand...
Who's they?...
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
IMHO i will tell you what works great for me. i have 3 Daylight 5000K Bulbs for my 1 1/2 foot x 1 1/2 foot veg. box each putting out 1,750 lumens x 3 = 5,250 lumens. i veg/clone 5 plants out of this box every 2-3 weeks before moving them into my closet. for the remaining veg and then to flower. mine come out of there short and very stocky and then when moved to closet they stretch for maximum yeild. then moved to flower. wont tell you my whole set up just yet. but do know that it is ALL CFL POWERED! no MH or HPS. Very nice with utility bill. easily pays you back :)
Good luck to you!
Happy growing!
4 all you takin a rip from your bong... Cheers ;) MR.PHD
 
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stonedpixie

Well-Known Member
MrPotheaddegree, Im using CFLs too, im using 8 14 watt lights, each equavalent to 75w, and each one gives 800 lumens, im using a pc grow box, that measures in total about 1.3 metres. would you say i would get a good yield from autoflowers, and how many plants do you think i could plant at once? any help would be great, thanks :)
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
@ stonedpixie
1.3 Meters = 55"
first to really have me help you out i need to know a few specs.i would say you have a great set up as long as the bulbs are tucked and secure at the top. what is your set up plan? how many fans are you running? when growing just put stuff under your pots (books, etc.) until they are big enough on their own to not need anything below them. great yield from autoflowering, but yet again, it has a lot to do with the strain. is it sativa, indica, sativa/indica hybrid?
also since it is a PC i would just get cheap plastic cups with slits in the bottom. maybe squish 4 in there, also you say you have 8 14 watts? are they 5000K-6500K Daylight or Cool White or are you determined on auto-flower so got the 2700K Warm White or Soft White? are you planning to flowering in your PC as well?
ANY ADDITIONAL INFO YOU CAN GIVE ME THE BETTER I CAN HELP YOU!
 
anima.stella

anima.stella

Member
I posted a reply but don't see it. Anyways I think ge has 2 versions of the 100w replacement bulbs. The first set I bought was 23 true w and either 1250 or 1750 lumens, 6500k daylight. The ones I recently purchased are 26w 6500k daylight but only put off 1610 lumens. So my setup has some of both. I'm just wondering if they need more light bc they're pretty puny, got about between 6-8 levels of leaves on each plant, I can only sex one so far, and I don't really have secondary branching from the nodes of The primary branches yet, some have a few leaves starting to poke out but at 4 months I think they should be more developed. Should I consider a 24hr light cycle? Is it too late to switch to this?
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
k the bulbs you have are fine for veg. (6500K) you can put in more light if heat isn't an issue. also one thing some people should forget about cfl's are dont pay attention to the equivalent watt. only pay attention to actual watts. trust me on this! and when you say puny, how big are you talking? from soil up how many inches does it stand? you said 4 months, i'm wondering if you over watered them a bit and they are not really working up the strength to stretch towards the light because they are watered down too much? it can shock plants to change light cycle but not bad enough to effect them negatively. what light cycle are you currently on?
 
anima.stella

anima.stella

Member
I don't really think they're short, all of them are a foot or taller in about a 1 gal pot. They just don't have much growth outward. I water every other day depending on the moisture of the soil, some need more water than others. They are on a 18/6 light cycle. I just wonder why there isn't much growth outward, will post a picture in a minute.



 
ROBSTERB

ROBSTERB

Well-Known Member
they are stretched alot, how far away have you got those cfl? they should only be 1-2 inches, also when you repot bury them down to the first sets of leaves, you really want 3-4 of those 20 watt bulbs for each plant!
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
they are stretched alot, how far away have you got those cfl? they should only be 1-2 inches, also when you repot bury them down to the first sets of leaves, you really want 3-4 of those 20 watt bulbs for each plant!

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I totally agree. you need more power and move the bulbs close as you can. when a plant gets big like that, to bush out it needs more energy!!! and dont forget about topping off my friend,
happy growing. cheers. ;) MR.PHD
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Xcon

Xcon

Active Member
anima.stella said:
I wanted to use cfl's to keep my power bill manageable. Right now I'm running 6 100w replacement 6500k bulbs. I was wondering if anyone had some good advice for using these? Like how many per plant? Would they need a longer light cycle than usual? Comparing my plants to others the same age I feel like they're kinda puny :/
Click to expand...
pic of your setup? That should be fine for 2 plants if they're placed strategically and the plants are trained right. With cfls, low stress training is necessary because they don't penetrate very far. If you don't train or top your plants, they'll get 3' tall requiring a christmas tree string of cfl bulbs around them. I've got a 12/12 from seed about to harvest and they're 3' tall with no topping or training (hps)

I would start tying the top of your plant down. string taped to the side of the pot works great, inch it down once per day or every other. This will cause a redistribution of growth hormones into lower shoots, throwing up shitloads of small colas which can also be tied back. Keeps a nice even canopy under your lights too.

Also, I'd double your lights up. Where I live, your setup costs $5 a month in electric for 18/6, that's a nickelbag a month. Even if your electric costs 3-4x mine, it's small potatoes.
 
anima.stella

anima.stella

Member
They look so stretched bc I've pruned off dying leaves from the bottom, trying to wait to replant until its time to flower (I read somewhere on here that 3 transplants is a good number? They are in their second pots for the time being.) Looked into lst and def going to give it a try, and hook up some more lights as well. When do y'all suggest topping them off? This is my first grow and I know I will run into problems the first time but I really want this to go well. I'm experimenting with different soils, nute concentrations, and environments atm (I have no closet space in either bedroom now lol) I'm gonna work on getting more lights setup and getting the sick babies back in shape and I'll share pics of my setup ;)
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
three transplants are plenty. make sure not pull any roots when transplanting. dont forget that its like surgery so wash your hands and throw on some gloves. You can tie it anywhere up to a few weeks before flower, thats what i have always done.
and since its your first grow. i think you could learn a lot in this thread. if you would like to learn how to tie down properly and this page also shows you how to low stress train and high stress train. what you decide to do and when to do it is up to you...
i know its hard sometimes to make up your mind. heres the link: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=104379&highlight=Overview+Cannabis+Training
pics are always great!
good luck on finishing your first crop!
Cheers ;) MR.PHD
 
MrPotHeadDegree

MrPotHeadDegree

Member
you need light also around the plant to bush out and like i said before. when back in good health. train it. look up forums do a lot of reading. its what it takes unfortanetly. good luck.
-cheers
MR.PHD :)
 
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