growing with cfl bulbs

I have 3 cfl bulbs 6500k cool,daylight 23w bulbs 1450lm 66Lm/w would these be all right to grow with or do i nee bulbs with a higher wattage....and what would be recommended. (6500k&3000k)

any help would be greatly appreciated.

You can start with that but will definitely want to get more within next few weeks. You have the right spectrum of bulb, you might want to look into some higher wattage bulbs. If you dont have a local shop to purchase from than check out Light bulbs, Rope Lights, Halogen and Fluorescent bulb - 1000-Bulbs - The Light Bulb Superstore.

Also, keep those bad boys as close as you can to your plants. I have a few, they dont get that hot.

thanks alot will keep in mind i need more lights but how much watts will i need say any thing over 40w will that do or will more of the 23w work just as well as say 1 with a higher wattage

yes more of the 23w bulbs will work just as well.

40watts = 200watts

the higher the wattage the better. as its been said u have the right light spectrum. ur bulbs are ok for now. depending on how many plants ur growing is gonna determine how many lights u need.

ur ok for now, but u will need red spectrum bulbs when u come to flower.

You can stick with the 23w CFL's if you can't afford the 42watt bulbs. The 42 watt bulbs give you about 1000 or so lumens more. Honestly, it depends on the size of your space. Most important thing to remember is LUMENS are more important than WATTAGE. 23w = 1600 (or 1750) Lumens. I say OR 1750 because it depends on the brand of 23watt you are buying. It should tell you the lumens and spectrum right on the package. You can take the different brands and compare them side by side and go with the higher LUMENS. 42 Watt CFL's give off 2700 Lumens and are equal to 150watts. You need about 2000 lumens per square foot. Just measure your space and do the math. Figure out how many LUMENS you need. Your spectrum is right on for veg. 6500K. When you are ready to flower you can switch to the "Soft White" CFL's. They are in the 2700K part of the spectrum. Basically, the red, yellow, and amber you need for flowering. You can buy these CFL's anywhere... Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc... Just make sure your entire plant is covered at all times. Add more as it grows or as you can afford more.

5 6500K CFL's (23w or 42w -- obviously 42w will give you more lumens) are equal to One MH lamp

5 2700K CFL's are equal to One HPS Lamp.

I've read that in many places...

This is what I use for 2 to 3 plants

Also I forgot to add... In speaking of "depending on the size of the space". If you are in a smaller space (like myself). The 23w will also give off less heat. Granted they don't give off that much heat to begin with (compared to MH or HPS lamps) but as I doubled my number of 23watt lights my temp went up about 5 to 10 degrees. I was lingering between 75 and 85 degrees. As I added 5 more lights to have a total of 10 - 23w CFL's my temps are now between 80 and 90 degrees. I'm not sure if heat is an issue to you... In our case it was causing some issues but all grow spots are different and heat many not be an issue to you. Just thought that was an important side note.

well i use about 5 for 2 plants and it works just find flower or not

Last response to this thread was 05-23-2008, 06:54 PM.

Bringing up old threads is LAME

haha real cool from what i see your on hear to so i would shut the hell up

yea people can be gay on here but for the most part there cool

haha..

you replied to his statement and it was from MAY...haha...thats funny

Shit im replying 6 years latet