# gotta use these cfls, hows this setup look for flowering? diagram included



## Noob84 (Dec 22, 2006)

i posted this in my grow journal but decided this was a better section for it;

getting closer to flowering, i am going to have to use cfl's, i dont have the money this time of year to afford an hps, you know christmas time and everything. so here is my suggested setup:
6-23 watt 6500k lights @ 1600 lumens = 9600 total lumens
3-42 watt 2700k lights @ 2800 lumens = 8400 total lumens

total lumens = 18000 
4.4 square feet, 4090 lumens/square foot

not quite 5000/foot, but close. how much production will i actually lose because of having cfls? will it be significant? the 250 watt HPS has only 1,000 more lumens total, so.....it doesnt seem to be any worse and i can put the lights WAY closer. suggestions?


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## Noob84 (Dec 24, 2006)

i guess everyone is tired of the newbies and their cfl's. lol


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## cyberquest (Dec 24, 2006)

could you reduce your square footage a little bit? if you go down to 3.6 it would be 5000 on the money. but i am a noob too so hell if i know, my closet is CFL heaven too.


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 24, 2006)

Hey Noob, lumens are a measurement of light at a distance from the outer shell of a bulb to the surface of a globe where the closest point of the globe is exactly one foot. The combined reading from the globe surface divided by the number of readings gives the lumens average for that bulb.

Since your fluorescent bulbs can be much closer than one foot from the plant canopy, you've probably got closer to 6K lumens. If you can keep those bulbs as close as possible, (about 2 to 4 inches), from the plant canopy, you should have good results.

I'll be monitoring your grow closely. This will be the first time I've watched an entire grow with 6K, or so, of cfl's.

Good luck!


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## Noob84 (Dec 26, 2006)

perfect, i keep them much closer than a foot away. they will probably be on average 2-4 inches away unless the bigger 2700k's put out a lot more heat but i doubt it. 

are my spectrums correct or does it matter? is it the 12/12 cycle that puts the plants into flowering or is it the spectrum of the lights? i just want to make sure i have the right combo. they should start flowering in about a week.


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 26, 2006)

Noob84 said:
			
		

> perfect, i keep them much closer than a foot away. they will probably be on average 2-4 inches away unless the bigger 2700k's put out a lot more heat but i doubt it.
> 
> are my spectrums correct or does it matter? is it the 12/12 cycle that puts the plants into flowering or is it the spectrum of the lights? i just want to make sure i have the right combo. they should start flowering in about a week.


You'll need to look at some of the posts on lighting that have been made. Lot's of your questions are already answered here in this part of the forum. Spectrum, lumens, light types, all of that. Please, do some searching before asking questions. It will help you a lot.

Thanks.


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## Noob84 (Dec 27, 2006)

i have read and read. i am talking more specifics. they say around 2 blues for every red, which is what i did but the red's are twice as powerful to get me more lumens. i didnt mean to ask "are my spectrums correct" i meant is the balance of the spectrums correct? (ie. between reds and blues)


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 27, 2006)

One of the FAQS from Overgrow.com:
(I couldn't have said it better, so I won't)

Fluorescent bulbs have the most range of spectrums than any other bulb. The spectrum comes in various spectrums, determined by the type of phosphor with which the bulb is coated. The following fluorescent types are as listed, along with what they may accomplish for you. 


Full spectrum fluorescent bulbs have all the colors of the Kelvin scale. This bulb is good for vegetation stage. Note: This spectrum fluorescent is used in hospitals nationwide in helping people with "depression". 

Wide spectrum fluorescent bulbs will restrict development of side branching, helps plants mature faster. This fluorescent is high in the red, orange and yellow color range. In fact, this fluorescent is the highest than all other fluorescent bulbs. As a matter of fact, this fluorescent is much like an HPS color range, which makes it the best all around choice for flowering stage. 

Daylight spectrum fluorescent bulbs are very high (if not the highest) in the blue range on the Kelvin scale. This fluorescent promotes an arctic blue look. I suggest this fluorescent during vegetation stage. 

Cool spectrum fluorescent bulbs will promote multiple side growth, nice green foliage. This fluorescent is high in the blue range, giving off a bright white appearance. I suggest this fluorescent for vegetation stage. 

Warm spectrum fluorescent, will promote extra thick stems and branches, and will give you about 5% denser buds than other spectrums. This fluorescent is high in the red range on the Kelvin scale. 

In the old school of fluorescent growing, an even mix of warm white and cool white tubes has been proven to be the best combination of light spectrums to use for flowering stage. If wide spectrum bulbs are unavailable in your area, then this is the combo to use.


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## bombbudpuffa (Dec 27, 2006)

You should just forget the cools for flowering and go strictly with warm for flowering. The cools should be used for vegging. Having cool with warm during flowering wont hurt but all warm bulbs will help because of the red spec. Hope this helps!


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## JadeMonkey (Dec 28, 2006)

Stoney Bud said:
			
		

> In the old school of fluorescent growing, an even mix of warm white and cool white tubes has been proven to be the best combination of light spectrums to use for flowering stage. If wide spectrum bulbs are unavailable in your area, then this is the combo to use.


 
hey SB, so can i read this as saying, "you don't need HPS as long as you have the correct flouros?"  i'm finding it hard to find Sodium Vapour Lamps in Ireland :rant:If not, can i do everything with Flouros? :bugger: 


and by the way,

Happy New Year!!!


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 28, 2006)

JadeMonkey said:
			
		

> hey SB, so can i read this as saying, "you don't need HPS as long as you have the correct flouros?"  i'm finding it hard to find Sodium Vapour Lamps in Ireland :rant:If not, can i do everything with Flouros? :bugger:
> 
> 
> and by the way,
> ...


Thank you man! Happy new year to you and Kitty as well.

Lighting is no trick. Simple variables to remember:

1. 3,000 lumens per/sq ft minimum. 5,000 is the goal.

2. The correct spectrum for the stage of growth.

3. Watch the heat buildup from the lights.

4. Keep the correct distance between bulb and plant.

That's it. Nothing complicated.

You'll find it difficult to arrive at 5,000 lumens per/sq.ft. and still keep the temps down with flo's. It's kinda hard to squeeze them in that much area as well.

You could order a HPS to be delivered to you. Why not that? For all-around lighting, HPS is the way to go. Much better bang for your buck, and better lighting too.


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## sanchez (Dec 31, 2006)

JadeMonkey said:
			
		

> hey SB, so can i read this as saying, "you don't need HPS as long as you have the correct flouros?"  i'm finding it hard to find Sodium Vapour Lamps in Ireland :rant:If not, can i do everything with Flouros? :bugger:
> 
> 
> and by the way,
> ...



JM I feel your pain, cause I'm a few thousand miles to the south-east of you and can hardly find a good selection of fluoros even.  None of the good lighting shops across the pond ship across the Atlantic - another problem is the question of voltage.  If I was you I'd try to find a shop that sold outside lighting.  

Yeah, you could do everything with floros - you'd probably get some sort of descent yield just don't expect any contestants for entry into the Cannabis Cup.  BEst of luck.


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## cyberquest (Dec 31, 2006)

yeah a good place to look is for SECURITY LIGHTS, lots of "security" light are of the HPS,MH, and mercury vapor, we found several smaller 70-100w ones at out local stores. 

they might not be the big 400w grow lights, BUT they produce a much better light for the plants, even a nice 100w HPS i am sure they would love it, it could be placed a little closer cause it wouldnt put off as much heat as the 400w ones.
if your hunting a "grow light" your search might turn up empty handed, we found a couple mom and pops harware stores even cared them. 

here are a few examples of some HPS security lights. that first one pictured is a 150w HPS light that www.lowes.com has for $88. i would love to find that same light with a MH bulb to add to my CFL veg room that i have, i think it combined with the CFL's would make a nice spectrum of good light for younger plants, then off to the larger 400w HPS room for flowering.


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## sanchez (Jan 4, 2007)

dude have you heard of HIQ lights?  I gotta a language barrier to deal with where I live.  I tell em I want HPS/HID/MH lights, and they look at me like a just ordered a big mac combo.  

Anyhow, we got "HIQ" lights here, and they're pretty cheap.  I saw the bulbs, and they're tiny.


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## BSki8950 (Jan 5, 2007)

would those security lights work just as good as regular hps lights ???


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## sanchez (Jan 6, 2007)

i'm partial about security lights in a closet grow cause of the heat issue.  i'd go for an externally located ballast in this situation.


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## Stoney Bud (Jan 6, 2007)

sanchez said:
			
		

> dude have you heard of HIQ lights? I gotta a language barrier to deal with where I live. I tell em I want HPS/HID/MH lights, and they look at me like a just ordered a big mac combo.
> 
> Anyhow, we got "HIQ" lights here, and they're pretty cheap. I saw the bulbs, and they're tiny.


 
Hhahahaahaha, you've got a good sense of humor, sanchez. 

Can you find a light that is just like the HIQ light you're talking about and post a link to it? I'd like to see what that is.

Thanks.


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## sanchez (Jan 6, 2007)

i got good news.  most lighting shops carry Osram products, so the guys at the shop said they'll order whatever I need :aok:

the catalogue is found at www.osram.com on the main page.  i've been checking it out and there's lots to be found.

my setup is a closet ~ 3 sq feet on top, and about 1 at the bottom.  i want to be vegging one plant while flowering another at the same time.  i'm thinking cfl's for veg and a 100 or 150 hps.


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## cyberquest (Jan 6, 2007)

good job sanchez, glad to see you finally found a place to get you what you need!

good luck!


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## Stoney Bud (Jan 6, 2007)

sanchez said:
			
		

> i got good news. most lighting shops carry Osram products, so the guys at the shop said they'll order whatever I need :aok:
> 
> the catalogue is found at www.osram.com on the main page. I've been checking it out and there's lots to be found.
> 
> my setup is a closet ~ 3 sq feet on top, and about 1 at the bottom. i want to be vegging one plant while flowering another at the same time. I'm thinking cfl's for veg and a 100 or 150 hps.


 
That's a great thought...but....reality gets in the way.

Square feet is measured by "width times depth".

Measure the depth, then measure the width. Multiply the depth times the height. That's your square feet. Tell us the square feet of the grow area you're using.

I can tell you how to grow in that small of an area, but it's a hard grow.

Let me know what your area is from top to bottom. If you have a shelf in there, take it out.


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