Which size buld is right for me.

lastfrontier said:

just remember people that the higher you go in watts when buyin a single CFL bulb the lower you go in lumens per watt

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i've gotten that from another post but is it proven? should i go with say 26 watt over 42 watt?

like is it better to go with say 4 42 watts or like 8 26 watts?

(I cant spell bulb. lol)

how many lumens does each 42/26 watt produce....(eg) i have one 11 watt cfl over a seedling now it produces 550 lumens

It all depends... but 8 x 26w cfls still uses more watts than the 4 x 42s, so go with that. 8 26w bulbs is also very cheap... at Walmart they are 97c each (2700k Lights of America). Just make sure since cfl's aren't as direct (due to its shape and no reflector) you try to focus that light. Reflective walls, and having it right by the plant helps (Mine are like an inch from my sprouts, but since they still make heat you will need a fan this close).

The only thing is... do you have 8 bulb sockets? As far as budget-ghetto goes, I would say go and pickup a simple $8 surge protector, get 3 of those lightbulb socket outlet adapters and y splitters then put them a space apart on the surge protector. Glue the back to a big turkey pan, and you have an excellent 6 light bulb socket fixture.

Or you can make a light rack like I did (check out bottem link in sig), personally I go with the lower watt bulbs (26w-27w). There cheaper and easier to replace if they go out.