Advantage V. disadvantage CFL's

Why is it that the OP refuses to believe in periods?....jesus, the first post was the longest run on sentence ever. That shit made my head hurt.

appears so... Sorry I missed your thread when asking about cfl's yesterday... I have started with 2 t8 4' strips and plan to add 150 watt cfl bulbs after plants started good

Cfl gives better spectrum than hps and also gives uv which hps lacks. It is easier to cool cfl if using just a few, the heat is spread slower with cfl, although in time it is the same as hid.

Around 2-300 watts you will want to go with hid or LED, cause it would be such a hassle to keep a bunch of cfl's moved around. The grams per watt is usually on the side of hid, but I have seen cfl grows that get near a gram a watt, if not a gram. These are optimized grows from people that have been growing pot for years under cfl. Most people using cfl are fairly new to growing and that is why the low yields, not the lights.

If you want to grow a plant more than 1 foot tall the cfl kinda goes to hell. The penetration of hid in the higher wattage is really good. A good reflector is needed for a cfl to use it's light efficiently, but a fan is advised to cool the plants right under the reflector. 1 or 2 inches max for distance of cfl light to plant to get anything.

For those who dont think CFL's work. They do. I've been using CFL's with success for almost three years and I grow 3 to 5ft tall plants. I bought them from this guy http://cfl-growlight.com/ before he had a web site. I wont say they are better than HiD or HPS but when used properly, they are as good. One thing I have not heard talked about on this thread is the USABLE lumen out put of CFL's VS HPS. It seems that thats what the old time HPS growers kinda hang their hat on..."A 1000w HPS has over 150k of lumen" While a 1000w equivalent CFL setup only has 16 -18.5k in lumen. Its seems clear whats better ...right? Until you look a little closer. The CFL has lower lumen but you plants can use 100% of it because its in the correct spectrum's while the HPS bulbs having all that almost useless lumen because most of it (87%!) is in spectrums completely unusable to plant life at all. Yes, thats right! A whopping 13% of the light emitted from HPS bulbs is usable to plants! The rest of it...you feel it in excess heat or wasted heat and energy. Anytime you plug something in and it produces heat when thats not your goal...its wasted energy, and in this case lumen.

JamboJones said:

CFL Grow

Veg Setup:
6x T5HO 24W 6500K 1900lumen each
3x 18W CFL 6500K 1150lumen each
1x 32W CFL 5000K 2060lumen
1x 85W CFL 4200K 4500lumen
Total: 21410lumen

Bloom Setup:
6x T5HO 24W 2700K 1700lumen each
2x 32W CFL 2700K 1700lumen each
1x 18W CFL 6500K 1150lumen
1x 32W CFL 5000K 2060lumen
1x 125W CFL 2700K 9000lumen
Total: 25810lumen


Cabinet Size:
Width: 50cm
Depth: 60cm
Height: 90cm

15ltr Pot

1 Bubblelicious clone

Now at 5 days 12/12,

yield? yet to be determined?!?!

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Check these out. http://cfl-growlight.com/store/1400-watt-vegitation-spectrum-cfl-grow-unit-p-16.html ... I use these lights but I have the 1000w and 1200w versions before this dude had a website.
Here's the flower setup: http://cfl-growlight.com/store/1400-watt-flowering-spectrum-cfl-grow-unit-p-17.html

mickwag said:

Fn useless. HPS IS DEFINATLEY THE WAY TO GO FOR HARDER SMOKE AND YIELD. _CFL=NO GO

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Spoken like someone who doesn't really know... sounds like you heard it through the grape vine or something.
I've done both and CFL's can do the job, in fact for quality you cant beat cfl's if you know what your doing, but you've got to use enough light. Most CFL growers don't use enough light to compete with HPS, and thats why CFL's have a bad rap. Try blending your spectrum's with HPS, or mounting your HPS lights for side and undergrowth...not happening. Ever wonder why they dont use HPS and MH lights for tanning booths? They use fluorescent light BECAUSE IT CAN MIMIC THE SUN. Don't you think your plants would like more than one spectrum of light..eh? Like the sun? I'm not going to totally shit on HPS units though. I'm getting about 10% - 15% less yield BUT, I more than make that up in the increased quality and smaller power bill....MUCH SMALLER!

Looked at those lights and they use a y splitter and reflector. That is how I do it. I measured with lux meter and it doubled the reading with reflector. The y splitter aims the sides of the cfl into one stream of light, doubling the lumens and penetration.

I use 55 watt pl-l flouros mostly now. They are more efficient than the coil bulbs.

nice site for the cfl grow unit. Have you veg with the cfl and then use hps. Ihave a 400 watt grow tent and i want to have the tent working on veg and then grow room for flowering so i can have 16 going at a time. I have 8 in the tent.

Hi friend ,,,I am growing two plants (northern lights & blue cheesed) indoor
Am using cfl lights with 2700k 105 wat, was thinking of using MD or HPS, however I was worried about the heat which will be caused by these lights
Anyway my Q is, what is the best number of cfl's bulbs required (watts,quantity..etc)?
My aim is to reach the same yield or more like we do with
HD & HPS lights, but using cfl's

completely cfl, almost done 5 plants

Garden Knowm said:

never heard that one.... kinda funny.... i smiled.. i like it...

The other day.. I read on the site "go suck a bag a dicks"

i really like that.. i thought it was hilarious.. A WHOLE BAG!! LOL

I woule personally type it like this... KAK SMACKER

I like to say the word COCK.. pronounced KAK

I also like to say KAK and BALLZ... "KAK and BALLZ"

say it kinds fast.. it has a nice ring...

please discuss amongst yourselves...

iloveyou

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and I love you

stickyhits said:

you didn't sink nothing you little f*ggot and 35 cfl's will not produce 42oz's with the strains you have and everything you have to say don't even prove anything and your pictures are also garbage for that matter if you wanna be a b*tch about it wow your a journeyman so that means you grow 2 times better then serious seeds with a way less yielding strain you should be banned for being a phony post some proof or shut the f*ck up already your probably a kid or something men show proof boy and your weak setup wouldnt get you 14 3oz plants like you claim

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u mad?

seiously, y u mad tho?

Love HPS with CFL for side lighting been serving me well so far.

LOL... I think you doing alright bro nice set up.... Stay high my friends

Hi, and welcome to a newcomer. My first thread. Didin't grow anything, YET : )
- ( EDIT . : . It's a reply\post, not a thread. My bad : )
Idgit says w007 ?

lastfrontier said:

its about filling the box for less dollers with the same quality shit.



i was not trying to boast about the set up if i came off that way then i am sorry you feel that way i mean what do i care what you grow and how good or bad it is i have my own and i know what works for me its not about my set up its about CFL's doing there part and nothing more i am not the best in the world but i do have good strains and i do hold my own you know what ever. it is what it is so sorry if i talk a little to much how about you go fucking die under a rock where the smell of your decaying body wont bother me ha ha ha haand stick a period in that whore.......

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Just wanted to tell lastfrontier he should start growing some new strains...
If his current stash is making him BOTH retarded AND negative : )
Make me lol why dont'chya... : Þ~~
Be Well John Spartan . o /

This is what I'm using. 55 watts, 5000K. Works great for veg.

wots up with ur photos bro? da guy up the top

I like your cfl setup, but am not sure about your yields.....I would really like to see a better picture of your light box. And pix of your plants...

Titania said:

If you could tell us all the details, how long you vegged, nutes, photo period ect. then we will be able to determine whether it is possible. I'm not saying your lying, maybe you just got your figures wrong, or maybe you just guessed without weighing?

The only time I've heard someone getting 2 o a plant was vegging for 6 weeks, with cfl's surrounding the plant, usually around 260w per plant.

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CFL plants normally produce less than 2 os?? I have a plant surrounded by almost 400 watts fluoro lighting of daylight cool white and soft white spectrums, guess that means I should still get the hps man. I really didnt wanna deal wit that shit but guess I have 2