i need lighting help

Ok so i have a grow cabinet i made. it is 4.0' wide and 4.0' tall I've devided it in half so i have a side for get and a side for flower ... on the veg side i have two fluorescent tubes, one on the left wall and one on the right wall, both going up and down for side and bottom lighting then on the top i have 6x6500k daylight fluorescent bulbs I'm pretty sure that's sufficient! My problem is my flower side i dont have lights yet!!! I was told only hps for flower, but i can't afford hps. what are my other options? My plants are all in there first week of veg, started with seeds, so i have a little time. can i use 3400k warm fluorescent bulbs to flower????? What options do i have? all you green thumbs please help!!!!!!!!!!

you can use 2700k warm white or soft white cfls. thats what ive done.

Any other options.??? that might be what i do!

thats what i do. works fine.

I like that option cause I'm quite fond of my floro lighting... How hot is too hot plants are right around 88°f with how close they close they are to the light

2700k CFLs are perfect for flowering when hps is not an option.
88 is pretty hot, get a fan in there and some kind Of exaust.
Put your hand at the top of your plant, if your hand can't take it, neither can your plants.
Hope this helps & good luck on the grow!

I just went to the store they only have the 3400k is that two much?

You really want to find 2700k... Your plants should be Okay until you can find some.
Do you live near a Walmart?

I do but I'm in cancun Mexico where wallmart sucks... but ill check home depot.

mikerob said:

I just went to the store they only have the 3400k is that two much?

Click to expand...

yes it is, 2700K only, home depot will have them.

HPS is not mandatory..it is in fact a legacy thing. before efficient flourecent and LED lighting came on the scene the only options you had were the sun or HPS. That is not true today. Florescent lighting, T5 or CFL works great. And remember..it is all about lumens per watt.

You say you are in the Yucatan peninsula. Good. Latin America is very big in the CFL bulb so you have them..you just have to look.

Rules are ( and have been for a long time ) 5000 to 7000 lumens per sq foot. So you need about 120 watts per square foot if you err on the side of caution. That is the AMOUNT of light you need (900 to1300 watts per meter sq). The QUALITY of light is in less debate then the quantity. You need a warm light to flower. CFL's are made in the 2700 K range and they are in your town. Often called "warm white" they are popular for lighting in non working areas of the home.

YOU CAN FLOWER WITH THEM.

3400 may work. That number, 3400 is the peak temperature of the light but others are there. You should get some 2700 and you can do that.

Cancun is no problem. Just go to the local stores. They have 2700 K CFL's.

get some cfls =)

the easiest way is to get some 26w cfl 6500k for veg and 2700ks for flower its easy and they work wonders if utilized in the proper manner