Brewing up is right.....to a point. MH and HPS are the preferred lights to grow weed....period.
But....There are times when either of those lights are not an option....limited price, space, and ventilation may restrict some growers from using these lights.CFL's are a good start, and adding bulbs as you get into growing weed is pretty cheap. One newbie's misconception is that CFL's are not hot.....and that's not true. I have a 5x7 grow room and I added 4 100 watt CFL's along with my 400 watt MH and they raised my room temp by 5 degrees.
I'm a BIG fan of vegging with T5 HO florescent lighting. Very little heat issues, bulb options are plentiful, and there's a bunch of people that flower their plants under florescent lighting. You can find good deals on T5's on Craigslist (I got a 4' four bulb for $50). The best part is that pot plants love vegging under florescents. Stay away from T12 and T8 "shop lights"....they just don't have the brightness needed to grow plants.
