FinShaggy's First CFL based grow

I have used CFLs before, but just a few. My main light has usually been a panel of 4x 24w T5s, and in my last grow it was a 400w HPS.

So. This time I have...

4x 24w T5s
2x 125w CFLs
1x 400w HPS

So I am wondering... How do you guys think I should set this up if I want to do a perpetual grow?

Here's what I am thinking.

1-2 plants in the flower room
4-5 plants in the veg room
400w HPS in the flower room
125w CFL in the flower room
125w CFL in the veg room

and the 4x 24w T5s used whenever the veg room has small plants, maybe a "pre" veg, since I will probably have a mother plant in the veg room after a while.

Any thoughts?

This video was made yesterday. I don't have all my lights or the 10 gallon buckets yet.
[video=youtube;BuWOh3E-TiE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuWOh3E-TiE[/video]

Also:

I will be growing in multiple growing mediums. I have 2 blocks on Coco Coir coming that should make a good 20 Gallons of growing medium. Plus I got 25 lbs of some soil with all kinds of stuff like blood meal and bone meal and enzymes and bacteria. I got some beneficial nematodes. Timers. Mylar. An inline fan (240 CFM) and ducting. A heater. And a 3 in 1 Ph/Temp/Humidity meter that won't be here till after Christmas because it has to ship from Japan.

T5's are awesome for clones and mother plants fin..
So in all honesty, I'd maybe put max two moms under the t5's.. are they the long, like 2 or 4 foot deals, and if so, how many bulbs ? I have a 2 foot, 4 bulb. and its awesome ..
I'd take clones and put them under CFLs if you use the floros for the moms, or vice versa, doesn't really matter ime..

Take clones from the moms, root, maybe 2 weeks veg, put into flower and take a new round of clones. Keep rotating as needed..

Finshaggy said:

Also:

I will be growing in multiple growing mediums. I have 2 blocks on Coco Coir coming that should make a good 20 Gallons of growing medium. Plus I got 25 lbs of some soil with all kinds of stuff like blood meal and bone meal and enzymes and bacteria. I got some beneficial nematodes. Timers. Mylar. An inline fan (240 CFM) and ducting. A heater. And a 3 in 1 Ph/Temp/Humidity meter that won't be here till after Christmas because it has to ship from Japan.

Click to expand...

If you run the lights mainly at night time, I don't really see the need for an added heater though tbh, but you'll know once you get rolling what your temps look like.

Why is there only 1-2 plants in the flower room (prob tall) and under only a 400w and 4-5 in the veg ? Plus you're cloning? Move the CFLS into the veg and concentrate on a short crop with more small clones. try to up the HPS w

lahadaextranjera said:

Why is there only 1-2 plants in the flower room (prob tall) and under only a 400w and 4-5 in the veg ? Plus you're cloning? Move the CFLS into the veg and concentrate on a short crop with more small clones. try to up the HPS w

Click to expand...

I was thinking that too.. you could cram in a bunch of.smaller plants and go sea of green, which would probably be better suited for a 400 w ups IMO..

racerboy71 said:

T5's are awesome for clones and mother plants fin..
So in all honesty, I'd maybe put max two moms under the t5's.. are they the long, like 2 or 4 foot deals, and if so, how many bulbs ? I have a 2 foot, 4 bulb. and its awesome ..
I'd take clones and put them under CFLs if you use the floros for the moms, or vice versa, doesn't really matter ime..

Take clones from the moms, root, maybe 2 weeks veg, put into flower and take a new round of clones. Keep rotating as needed..

Click to expand...

I'm going to just use the T5 for clones and as a light for YouTube videos. I plan on growing a BIG mother plant, so I will probably have just one. I think it's 2 foot 4 bulb, if not 2 ft it's 1 and 1/2.

If I were to put clones under the CFL 125w and switch them to t5 96w it will be ok? That is kind of a drop? I guess the mother plant room WIL have less plants... But they will be bigger. I should probably get 1 more CFL or FL soon huh? I just found that 2 foot 4 bulb when looking on Amazon and it does look nice, if you have the same one I am looking at.

racerboy71 said:

If you run the lights mainly at night time, I don't really see the need for an added heater though tbh, but you'll know once you get rolling what your temps look like.

Click to expand...

I need a heater just for myself if not the plants, it will be like right outside their door.

lahadaextranjera said:

Why is there only 1-2 plants in the flower room (prob tall) and under only a 400w and 4-5 in the veg ? Plus you're cloning? Move the CFLS into the veg and concentrate on a short crop with more small clones. try to up the HPS w

Click to expand...

I am using 10 gallon buckets, so the flower room will be full

I won't be cloning much for myself, I will root the clones and give them away. I do not want to go over my plant count.

No, 125w in the veg, but CFL so equivalent to 1000w

I will try to up the HPS soon, but I don't have that many plants to flower.

I just FIMed all my plants in like 5 places each, and I plan on FIMing them again in like 2-3 weeks. These are going to be some bushy ass plants.
[video=youtube;t1z07AQgIEg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1z07AQgIEg[/video]

[video=youtube;Q5gh7dV8y58]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5gh7dV8y58[/video]

[video=youtube;BDXwLy3hrWs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDXwLy3hrWs[/video]

I got the other 10 gallon in, but I'll wait till tomorrow for that so that maybe we will have some growth. I got timers so they recently switched from 24/0 to 18/6 and that plus new yeast and molasses is making them look pretty lush since the FIM

[video=youtube;9K4WBBfdCgQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K4WBBfdCgQ[/video]

I did a stress test (started out as just taking a clone, and turned into a stress test) and it turned out REALLY well.
[video=youtube;CKZi7hARF80]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKZi7hARF80[/video]

The vid cuts out while you're mid-sentence, so unfortunately we can't see how it turned out.

SunnyJim said:

The vid cuts out while you're mid-sentence, so unfortunately we can't see how it turned out.

Click to expand...

I know, I ran out of memory on my phone. I named the video something that lets you know it's not a full video. I will post a new one like tomorrow.

How is this cfl based when you have more watts if hps than cfl?

tip top toker said:

How is this cfl based when you have more watts if hps than cfl?

Click to expand...

Where do you see a HPS in these videos??

And I still have another CFL to get, after someone suggested something about light I realized that if I was going to veg 3-4 plants while I flower 1-2 I will need another CFL.

So I will have... 125 + 125 + 125 + (24 x 4) > 400w which is all I have for HPS...

Looks like you missed something.

Plus most people give a multiplier to CFLs because they do offer more light.

So if you add that in, you get like 7:1 CFL to HPS wattage