callin' all cfl stealth growers

ok guys no matter where you go all over the forums you have people bashin the cfl. in the interest of fairness i would like to ask all the hardcore super stealth cfl growers show what can be got from these lil babies. i have seen some people here pull 4 oz from a rubbermaid tub using cfls. everyone says you cant get a dense bud from a cfl, i believe different so if you have a cfl grown bud and you think its worthy of showing off please post it. also if your using a small stealth cabinet lets see it too so people can see what you can get from such small spaces.

come on people are we really gonna let the hid people shame us and let them think they are right?

Good thread I have been growing for over 13 years. I grow with CFL's because they give me everything I need, simple as that. Bud density is as good as HPS, I know because I used HPS for almost 11 years before changing over when I moved house. We keep hearing this 'get yourself a HPS' line don't we?

What I will say is that CFL's work best with small heavily trained plants becasue they wont penetrate a canopy the way HPS will BUT you can get them MUCH closer couple of inches from the buds with no issues at all. I'd never go back to be honest, I'm happy with CFL's and what they can do and I have been smoking herb for over 30 years!

You can see my small 3 pot cabinet in my thread link below, thats ALL I grow in my house and it keeps me smoking happily every day of the year with those CFL's. I'll dig up a close of my CFL grown buds later to show the density you can achieve.

Come on you CFL growers!

I'd like to see this too as I'm in the middle of fixing up a small cfl grow setup and can't wait!

nice grow cerebralvibrator + rep those buds look scrumptous

I'll admit my personal experience is limited, but I have already noticed a very strong tendency for my plants to lean towards a specific set of cfl's I have and basically seems to ignore the other set of lights, even though they are all the same wattage.
I can't say I understand the reason for this but they've shown the preference from early seedling stage when they all started leaning heavily to the side those lights were on. Unfortunately I can't tell you exactly what they are as they were already present in the house and were basically scavenged from the sockets they already inhabited.
I don't know if this is really on topic or not, but I thought I would throw the ideal out there that the plants seem to respond in a rather drastic way, to various cfl's.

ok mystic do the lights have different shades like some look orange and some look white?

nitroman said:

nice grow cerebralvibrator + rep those buds look scrumptous

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Thanks nitroman, I appreciate the comment.

I just don't understand why so many growers are against the modern flouros, they are greatly improved over the old strip flouros that everyone used to grow with back in the day, but its rare to read a CFL grow thread without someone posting "get yourself a HPS" .

For small cabinet grows the CFL's are perfect. Personally I think its better to use lots of smaller bulbs rather than a couple of big 'envirolite' type bulbs, they are easier to position where you want them around the bud sights.

The 2700k's are very easy to find, every supermarket and hardware store carry them. The 6400k 'blues' can be got online, they are slightly more expensive but not by much.

Anyway, a 'bump' for this thread, anyone else want to contribute? I'd also love to see your CFL grown buds

In the new (February) Skunk Magazine there was a question in the "Ask Ed" section that just made my night last night when reading it...
The question was...

Tiny Grow Space

I intend to grow a single cannabis plant in a space 1' x 2'. What light would you recommend? I was think of using four 30-watt compact fluorescent lamps. Will this be enough? Cost isn't an issue but I am deterred from getting a high pressure sodium [light] because of the amount of heat the bulb produces.
Barry, Internet

As you mentioned, you have several lighting systems to choose from, including compact fluorescents and high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. Among HPS lamps you have a choice between a single 100-watt lamp which uses a total of about 120-watts and emits about 8,800 lumens(73 lumens per watt) or a 150-watt lamp, which uses about 180 watts and emits almost double that-15,800 lumens (87 lumens per watt).

A 42-watt compact fluorescent (CFL) emits about 2700 lumens(64 lumens per watt). Four CFLs use 168 watts and emit 10,800 lumens. Other size CFLs have a similar efficiency.

However, that is only part of the story. Plants use mostly red and blue light. Yellow and green light is of little use to them, so light that is emitted in these spectrums is wasted energy. Most of the light emitted by HPS lamps is in the yellow spectrum. Only a small amount of the emitted light is is in the orange or red spectrums, which plants use efficiently. Warm white fluorescents (2700 Kelvin) emit a greater portion in the red and orange sectors.
Although fluorescents produce only about 75% of the light per watt that the HPS does, the amount of light usable by the plant is equal or probably higher with the fluorescents. You may wish to experiment to see if adding a single cool white CFL to replace one warm white results in shorter, stouter stems and more vigorous growth. The reasoning is that warm whites don't emit much blue light, which the plants use for photosynthesis and to regulate their growth. The cool white bulb supplies the blue light.

My call for your unit would be to use several (three to five) CFLs with a total input of between 120-160 watts. Although the 150 watt HPS is a bit more efficient that the CFLs in total output, watt for watt the fluorescents provide as much useful light as the HPS lamp. Heat is another consideration. The HPS runs much hotter and emits more heat than the fluoescents.

Make sure to use reflective material around the garden so that any light escaping the garden is reflected back to the plants. Any light that doesn't get to the plant leaves is wasted.

im still in the process of doin my first cfl grow but man your cabinet looks like something straight out of a star wars movie l0l

nitroman said:

ok mystic do the lights have different shades like some look orange and some look white?

Click to expand...

This pic shows both COOL WHITE and WARM WHITE, or high and low kevin bulbs:

nitroman said:

ok mystic do the lights have different shades like some look orange and some look white?

Click to expand...

CFLs come in 15, 26, 42, 65, 85 and 105 watts and recently last year, even larger wattages.
The 26s and smaller are not as efficient to me.
26s to 85s do not put out any noticable heat unless oyu use a lot of them.. The 105s do put out some heat, but not as much as HID lights.
I can touch and hold a burning 65 or 85 watt bulb.
The 42's are about $9 each.
65 watts are abut $24 each, 85s are $30 each, 105s are $39 to $42 each, average is $40 each for 105s.
A CFL needs a reflector, like a hood. I like the $10 heavy duty clamp reflectors at Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart. They also offer a cheaper $8 reflector but it is smaller and flimsey.

With CFLs, you need the DUAL SPECTRUM, red and blue spectrums. That does not refer to the color of the bulb that you see. It refers to the kind of rays, like UVA or UVB, or the color temp, called kevins.
CFLS come in 2700 kevins, 3000, 4100, 5100, and 6500.
2700k is for BLOOM OR FLOWERING , 6500k is the VEG Spectrum. The others are "MID" spectrums or in between.
IF you sue the MID-range bulbs (4100) then also use the 6500 and 2700s.
In outdoors, the sun produces different rays in the spring (VEG Rays called Blue) and late summer for Bloom spectrum, the RED spectrum. (see more below)

CFLs are new on the scene, in 2006 the biggest made was 65 watts. When we talk about CFL watts, we are talking about the actually electricity used, NOT the equivalant. For example, a 15 watt CFL bulb puts out 60 watts.

Spiral and Tube type CLFS emit LIGHT FROM THE SIDES, NOT THE ENDS OR TIPS.

YOU CAN GET SPIRAL CFLS (15, 26, 42, 65, 85) AND TUBE TYPE CFLS 105s.


Color rating - Measured in Kelvin (K). The higher the number, the more bluish the light. 4000K-7000K is mostly on the blue side of the spectrum for Vegging or GROWING, while 3000K and under goes from a white spectrum, to a redder spectrum and is best for BLOOMING or FLOWERING.

Roseman said:

In the new (February) Skunk Magazine there was a question in the "Ask Ed" section that just made my night last night when reading it...


"However, that is only part of the story. Plants use mostly red and blue light. Yellow and green light is of little use to them, so light that is emitted in these spectrums is wasted energy. Most of the light emitted by HPS lamps is in the yellow spectrum. Only a small amount of the emitted light is is in the orange or red spectrums, which plants use efficiently. Warm white fluorescents (2700 Kelvin) emit a greater portion in the red and orange sectors.

Although fluorescents produce only about 75% of the light per watt that the HPS does, the amount of light usable by the plant is equal or probably higher with the fluorescents".

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that Roseman. Good info. I have read similar articles before saying basically the same thing..... the CFL's when used correctly are EXTREMELY efficient and especially so in small cabinets where the entire inside can be covered in reflective material.

now if we can just get some of these hard core hid guys to just try cfls the right way they would be impressed.

nitroman said:

now if we can just get some of these hard core hid guys to just try cfls the right way they would be impressed.

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Yep, I think many would be VERY surprised. But its what takes your fancy I guess.

I think Roseman's shots say it all really..... look at those buds, solid foxtails everywhere.

Its time to approach CFL's with a more open mind. CFL growing is an art unto itself... its an art well worth learning, and I'm still learning and totally enjoying it ... shit that took some typing after that fine CFL grown Kush

Hello Happy People!

I've been trying to decide on a lighting system for my bloom room. The area is 6'x6'x8' and daily temps range from 72-80. I intend to grow 12 Super Skunk clones since that is the legal limit in my area. I will be using a DIY RDWC system. As usual, I've been told to use HPS lighting for best results. However, heat is a concern for me and I hate the thought of all the electricity I'll need to run those things. Are CFL's a viable choice and what sort of lighting setup would I need to get the best results? So far, I've only come up with perhaps using a 4' x 6 bulb T5 fixture on a light rail. I'm a total greenhorn and any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is a little something of mine.I have a mother room that I made from 1-18 gal rubbermaid, 3-4 6500k cfls(23wt), and a 4inch pc fan. Im attempting a bonsai method done by DrBud, from ICMag. The strain is Super Skunk, and she is 3 weeks old in a 4 inch pot with MG Soil.The pics with the cheapo, health clinic rubber are all her. With those seedings out of they way, I could fit the clone trey, 2 mothers in 4 inch pots, and the cloning equipment. For those who need cuttings about every 3 or more weeks, these little ladies will more than provide. The cuts I are usually between 1-2 inces. Prune roots about every 1-2 months to keep her healthy and happy. Thers also a few hots of a bagseed grow that show my setup a bit.

CFL def works, at least it has during my try at the cfl micro grow. I def give props to all the cfl micro growers out there pushing a small area to its limits is a bitch so def props to everyone who does cfl.

16 days into flower with cfl.
(pic does no justice, camera sux. base of the bud is wider than the lighter already.

This is my stealth CFL grow. It is a 2 stage veg and flower(white cab is veg, chest of "drawers" are flower). The bud is from my first grow and the plants in there are my second grow(clones off of the original 2 clones I was given). If it wasnt for this site and particularly all the CFLers out there my plants would all be dead. I am running 400watts of 2700K in my flower cab with fruitopia reflectors, and bout 200watts of 6500K in my veg cab. I am using PC fans hooked up to a variable volts converter as exhaust and intake on both my cabs. Go CFLers! Good growing everyone

PS. I threw in a sweet pic of a snapping turtle I took.