CFL for Vegetative Growth, more red or not ?

Hi all!

I've learned a lot in the past month and i wanted to say thank to all of you!

This is my first grow and i have a question:

First my setup is:

Type : Veg. Chamber : 15"l x 18"w x 36"h
Light : 6 x 40watts of CFL - 240watts total with homemade reflector
Plants : 9 x BigBud from Nirvana
Extraction : 1 x 130CFM Delta 120mm PC Fan
Intake : Passive
Nutrients : Advanced Nutrients 3-Part
Big Bud
SuperThrive
PHup / PHdown
Other needed ?

Flowering Chamber: 4' x 2' x 7'
400watts HPS

Under Construction....


Now for the question:

I have five 40watts CFL "CoolWhite, more blue" and one "WarmWhite, more red" for a total of six so 240watts total.

I know plants need more blue light in vegetative grow but do they still need red light ?

It is better to mix the light type so the plants get more red in vegetative grow or its better to stick with the blue spectrum exclusively ?

Whats would be the ideal mix ? 3 blue and 3 red ? all six blue ?

I must say thats those light are for VEGETATIVE MODE only! flowering will be under a 400w HPS and maybe some added CFL for extra light like 4-5 40watts WarmWhite.

Now how about my nutrients range do i need something else to feed my plants?


I will try to post pics of my setup later today i'm at work now :/ ...

Thanks a lot,


skaos

for vegetative growth you should choose the 'cool white' light. This is also acceptable for flowering, but a 'warm white' light will be better as it is stronger in the red end of the light spectrum which is more suitable for flowering.

https://www.rollitup.org/view.php?pg=faq&cmd=article&id=25

Thanks for the reply, but my question was more like this:


Its is better to use EXCLUSIVELY blue spectrum CFL in VEGETATIVE GROW or mix red and blue spectrum ? is so at witch ratio (blue vs red) ?

Thanks!


skaos

if it was me i would put in 1 or 2 red bulbs among the blue because a plant always could use the red.. for example look at the sun it doesn't have all blue light one part of the year and then change to red. it has all colors through out but has a higher concentration at times.

I've always heard a "Full Spectrum" is better. I would say an equal amount of blue and red lights.

yea but you need some variation between veg and flower but skaos has the finial say ... i always thought "full spectrum" was all the colors that the sun has like greens blues reds yellows purples.. every color of the rainbow.. i don't think that cfl's offer all those colors but i do agree that a half and half situation would be good but i would put more blue for veg then add only 1 or 2 blue bulb for flower to even the spectrums and to make it like it was actually growing outside.

gardenman is right. If you're going for a vegetative light you want to get the extreme upper end of the color range. Like 6500K or thereabouts.

But it's better to mix them in my opinion. Personally I use somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths whatever I'm looking for. So 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 blue spectrum for veg and red spectrum for flowering. The great thing about CFLs is that you can switch out lights as you see fit.

hooked.on.ponics said:

gardenman is right. If you're going for a vegetative light you want to get the extreme upper end of the color range. Like 6500K or thereabouts.

But it's better to mix them in my opinion. Personally I use somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths whatever I'm looking for. So 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 blue spectrum for veg and red spectrum for flowering. The great thing about CFLs is that you can switch out lights as you see fit.

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Actually I would disgard all this info. Use 6500k (daylights) for vegetative on 24/7. Use 2700k for flowering 12/12.

Nope mix those lights!!! BUT in the end have more blue light for veg and more red light for flowering!

I'm not an expert on cfl growing but I've been reading up on it and it says to only use the blue spectrum for veg but I could be wrong.

skaos said:

I have five 40watts CFL "CoolWhite,"

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is that what it's called on the package ? if so they are no good, you want Daylight CFLs for growing. https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/cfl-growing/240662d1226605588-5000k-vs-6500k-hortgraph2.gif

i use 2 "daylight" at 6500k

To answer your question you can use small amounts of red it doesnt hurt and if anything it will keep them nice and toasty warm. I use them with no problem plants turn toward them. Everyones setup is diff.

If you're trying to say that CFL's that output in the redder end of the spectrum put out more heat than those in the blue end I'd like to see what you base that opinion on.

The difference between the two is negligible, if any.

The simple fact is that bluer light promotes more vegetative growth and redder light promotes flowering. This is due to the angle which sunlight reaches plants depending on the season. In the spring and summer light reaching the plant is richer in blue spectrum light, and in the fall (when they naturally begin flowering) it becomes redder.

Thus the recommendation that you provide greater blue light in vegetative growth and greater red light in flowering. The exact blend that's optimal is where opinions vary most, but most people recommend a blend of both in both cycles.

hooked.on.ponics said:

If you're trying to say that CFL's that output in the redder end of the spectrum put out more heat than those in the blue end I'd like to see what you base that opinion on.

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I will add that when someone that i know had two 2700k bulbs in their box they ran warm(duh) But when two of the same wattage bulbs that were 6500k they actually ran cooler. It could be due to the chemical differences in the bulbs. You have to make a different chemical mixture to emit a certain type of light. I mean the sun is gas. All sorts of types. What do you think is in those bulbs? So i can say that a different gas mixture will burn at a different temperature. Just like propane will burn at a different temp than say butane.

Red spectrum actually helps root development early on... Just sayin. Its not as simple as blue for veg and red for flower. Full spectrum is better in either cituation. You just give them a little more blue in veg to keep them from stretching towards the lights and a little more red in flower to aid in flower production. You still need red in veg and blue in flower.

TotallyRandomGuy said:

I will add that when someone that i know had two 2700k bulbs in their box they ran warm(duh) But when two of the same wattage bulbs that were 6500k they actually ran cooler. It could be due to the chemical differences in the bulbs. You have to make a different chemical mixture to emit a certain type of light. I mean the sun is gas. All sorts of types. What do you think is in those bulbs? So i can say that a different gas mixture will burn at a different temperature. Just like propane will burn at a different temp than say butane.

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you replied to a 5 year old thread and ask a question to a member that has not been on-line for a few years..... don't fell bad if he's slow to reply

ISK said:

you replied to a 5 year old thread and ask a question to a member that has not been on-line for a few years..... don't fell bad if he's slow to reply

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Mainly wanted to clear the insulting way he talked to the other person. And spread some truth a log the way. Sorry for the grave dig i just kind of had to for some reason.

If one wants to get right down to the right spectrum . . . . for seedlings and cuttings

You'd have all red for the first two hours of lights on (sunrise), mixture towards the middle of your day, if you're a nerd, nearly all blue for two hours at peak running down to all red at night . . . .

The blue during the day promotes vegetative growth, the limited red, evening and morning promotes root growth . . . .

imho . . ..

Just my couple of hundred bucks worth