CFL or what...NEWB first grow.

pottx

Member
I am working on a plan for my first grow box and would like the advice of anyone willing to help. I need a small stealth grow with low heat output. I would also like to get a good yield as possible. From what I have seen that is all about Lumen's

First question is what is the lumens of the 90 watt UFO light? I have yet to find the answer to that. Is that even how LED's work? Or is it just on the wavelengths of the LED's that are supposed to be the key to them not the lumens output.
I have see a few grows with the UFO and not sure what to think about it overall yet. I see and understand the idea behind the LED's but not sure if it can stand on it own and work as well as CFL.

I have a HON metal storage cabinet half stack 42 h x 36W exterior / 32 H x 36 W interior. I am looking for low heat output so I don't have to vent the cab. I have looked into CFL's I can get about 19,200 lumens with 12 CFL's 23 watt, 1600 L each. I am thinking about adding the LED UFO 90 watt to add more power with less cords around the box. I would like to keep it simple overall less cables.
OR
I can get three clamp on lights take the reflectors off and put 4 y splitters on each of them. That will give me 4 CFL bulbs each per clamp light.
OR
I have also thought going with two sockets with 4 bulbs. Then add one socket in the center with one 85 watt CFL that put out 8000 Lumens at 5000K. That could give me some balance with different Kelvin temps. My first config was all 27K setup.
OR
Does anyone think that I can go with a 50,70,100, or 150 watt HPS? Still getting a good yield and keeping the heat down and not going with vent.

BTW... I have some girls outside... 7 total in one 5 gallon bucket. I threw them in and forgot about them. I saw them poking out of the bucket and started thinking I need to do something about this. So I am kind of in a hurry now and don't want to mess it up. Any ideas or links to other post I may have missed would be very good.
Thanks for the help in advance!
 

karr

Well-Known Member
Just keep reading, i learn more and more each day. Here so far i have learned (from exp);
4 cfl bulbs in about that space with no ventilation will put your temps up to about 130 (ambient at 77-83) and almost cook your plant as fast as your thermometer rises. your talking about 3 times that amount.

LEDs work, but only when you pay for them. IE the cheap 90w ufos are generally crap. look into spending 400$+ on a small light (120w from stealth mike comes to mind). They can and do grow well, yet even the good ones when reviewed unbiased(almost everyone has some bias) say the buds have some fluff.

A small hps will put out similar heat to the 12 CFLs your thinking of.

Air with no ventilation=stagnant. This means the plant uses all available co2 and has nothing to live with. Same principal as head in a bag.

Also; many plants in one bucket is mixed but most people agree its just bad. Roots fight for nutes and different plants use more or less and the rest die off. Or diseases, male plant selevtive killing(males=BAD), etc and your left with their root system rotting laced in with your good roots.
 

pottx

Member
Thanks! I can't stop reading... I am obsessed with doing this now. I hadn't seen anyone saying temps for CFL either... 4 CFL's = 130º in a 32x36x18...OUCH!! That could put me way above 200 with 12 total. I guess I will have to look into some ventilation. I will stay away form the LED's for now if that is the case too. That is too much money for now. So CFL or HPS! I don't like the idea of HPS for the heat signature it gives off. I will have to think some more before I buy anything.
Any good ideas for vent fans? The cab wall is 1/16th" thick so I don't have much to mount on. I guess I could put some wood in the box and mount to that.
7 girls in one bucket is never good I understand that but I really didn't think they would grow! Guess I was wrong about that. I started with 18...Next time I will do one per pot for sure.
Thanks for the reply!
 

fabfun

New Member
you will need a lot of cfls or a 400 watt hps for 7 plants but the hps require more ventilation
 
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