cfl maybe im doing it wrong

M

moses.of.smokers

Member
ok so i started a plant from a seed that fell from heaven. did 3 weeks of research (crammed in 2 days due to unemployment) so i took the cheap route and grabbed 3 i think its 20 w cfl spiral bulbs. placed in delta form over the seed around 4-5 inches from the plant at all times organic nuets 3 and a half to 4 day water cycle 18-6 for 2 months from seed to weed. after im calculating is 4 months im in flower 12 12 perfect dark upgraded to 3 cfl swirls and 2 fish tank 40 watt tubes im 3 weeks into flower with whats looking like a 1 oz maybe 1 1/2oz harvest wtf did i do wrong? now wait the buds are lovely looking plenty of hair lots of gooey drips on em funkier than a skunk in a box in the Kentucky sun, but i need more than this ...clone story coming up next BTW im growing in peat moss vermi and potting mix using some neuts i got from intown organics shop 5 gallon bucket ph is 6. even been that way almost every test vented with 2 fans one in one out plus osculating fan. please let me know where i went wrong
 
Mr.Head

Mr.Head

Well-Known Member
CFL's. You aren't going to get good weight off of them for the most part. With CFL's it's all about managing your distance and trying to not allow the plants to grow into the lights, which is quiet hard during the stretch I'm sure you know :)

Get a good HPS or LED panel. The cost of getting enough CFL's to do the work you want it to do will probably cost the same or more then a HPS unit. LED's are more expensive but are good for closet growers who are concerned about heat. I ran about 350 in CFLS upgraded to a 400 watt HPS and yields have increased per plant and buds are denser. The only issue I have is the smell and taste is diminished a little. But I am trying to fix that by adding more blue light in the room.

First few weeks are stretching and the starting of development of buds. It will speed up. If it's an 8 week strain weeks 5-8 are the money weeks generally you will see the plants pack on the fat around that time.
 
Rusty Trikes

Rusty Trikes

Well-Known Member
You do not have anywhere near enough light to produce any kind of dense nuggets. If using solely CFLs, I would recommend 4 2700k and 4 5500k 23watt bulbs. That still only comes up to 200watts of power (puny) and a very limited spectrum. You need at least a 150w HPS to go along with what you've got. www.htgsupply.com has them super cheap. I use a 400w CMH along with 4 2700k 23w CFLs on the sides for a 7 sq. ft. setup, if that gives you any idea of how much light is needed. CMH's can be used for the entire grow, both stages, and burn cooler, last longer, etc. than a standard HPS or MH. Comparison charts at www.advancedtechlighting.com .
 
zubey91

zubey91

Well-Known Member
How tall is she? I grow cfls cuz of the small electric bill(my bill goes up 20.00 a month instead of 400.00), when i chop they are at about 2.5 feet and i get 1.5-2.5 ounces per plant(depending on strain) my colas get pretty thick but nothing compared to natural sun or hps ... In my grow box i can fit 2 plants with about 15, 23w 2700k(when flowering) cfls spiral bulbs. But yeah if you want a huge harvest try adding co2 or get an HPS no lower than 800w.
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I pull a lb using 750watts of cfl over 8 plants.....2 week veg heavy sativa..heavy heavy-16+ weeks
(Put up a new avatar yesterday...random shot of the plants I run)
 
K

kermit2692

Well-Known Member
Lol ^ adding co2 will do nothing with that little light..when using cfls you need to keep them very close, also make sure they say daylight for veg and something else for flower Idk since I flower with hps and only veg with the fluorescents...you will pack alot of weight on in the last two Weeks Idk why nobody mentioned that yet..but nowhere near the amount of an hps probably like a half o a plant if your not a cfl pro instead of an easy two zips a plant with a 400 w hps..if your positive you have done a good job and it will be quality herb (the shittiest weed looks good growing) then I would finish it out with an hps..next grow - buy name brand dirt and it will be Ph balanced, buy a full nutrient line, and leave tap water out about two days before use doing those three things negates the need to worry about Ph since those things will be pre balanced..also start learning how to lst, proper training will give you a nice even full canopy and increase your yield
 
zubey91

zubey91

Well-Known Member
True about the co2 with his setup lol... But yeah here is a pic of the mid to lower buds at 5 weeks with cfl. 2 plants, one on left is critical plus the other skywalker og, unfortunately the skywalkers phenotype isnt a spectacular producer.
 

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zubey91

zubey91

Well-Known Member
kermit2692 said:
Not bad at all nice nugs, don't know if I could replicate that using only cfl..but then I haven't tried :bigjoint:
Click to expand...

Thanks! Ive done 17 grows under cfl, i think ive done everything possible (except going the T5 or sungod route) to get the most out of very little, when i move ill do a hps set up and 12 plants, but until then this works for me! Sorry for hijacking your thread moses
 
SilvaDuss

SilvaDuss

Member
start use some nutrients,because CFL (minimum are 125w / real,not a numbers what write on the box,but how much she take real per hour) yea 125w CFL per plant are good in flowering stage,and later only if You use some homemade hydroponic system,yea hydroponic and CO2 rocks don't forget about it and maybe,later for You can be possible get from 2 mounts work 8-12 Oz per plant. It's like in real live if You have very old pc and You put inside 2GB ram and think now I play minecraft,but for normal play need video cart, better processor and not a 11 inches monitor,wtf...? ,I think You understand ;)
Peace
 
wpxtacoman477

wpxtacoman477

Active Member
Don't forget that with less light, the plants will use less nutes.. There is a ratio not often taught.. Photosynthesis, where you have light, to nutes, to co2 and idek the best ratio, but when one uptake goes down (such as light), the other uptakes go down with it. You need all 3 and when light is low, than that plant doesn't have enough light energy tansfered to support the amounts of nutrients compared to a plant in very good lighting.. Because those little cells need that extra light to deal with the extra nutrients and/or co2.. Which also is why they grow bigger when all are all optimal, because the plant gains more of those cells and it needs more room within it's self to deal with the large number of small scale cells at work and so the plant grows rapidly and makes room to handle all that light and co2 and nutes.. That's from what I understand, could be wrong about the science.. But I'm pretty damn confident about my info lol
goodluck man
 
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