# Can you use CFL's to help out flowering??



## johnnybuds (Apr 11, 2009)

If you can what kind?? they will help out my T5's


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## NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer (Apr 15, 2009)

CFL (Compast Flourescent Lights) can be used in addition to other lights in flower to aid in growth.  However, CFL's tend to run hot, in fact they run much hotter than flourescent tubes, and will generate more heat per watt than a HID light.  This is a fact that most people don't realize.  In order to get the same # of lumens out of CFL's as a HID light, you would have to use so many of them it is pointless.  I would use the T5 for vegging and get an HPS light for flowering, it will be worth every penny you spend.  If you MUST use flourescents just use the tubes, they run cooler and emit light over a larger surface area (which is better than the lght coming from a point like in a CFL).   

If you use only fluroescent bulbs you will end up dissapointed, and wondering where all of the crystals (trichomes) are.  Your plants will not be nearly as potent, and your yields will be very poor.


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## zipflip (Apr 15, 2009)

so your saying that when i switch my cfl's all to 2700k for flower that my 16 or 18 26watt cfls will be alot hotter than say even a 400watt HPS?
  i'd really really love to go HPS but no gardening hydro stores round here and i dont have anyone else i can ship it to for me  an i aint havin one shiped to my home lol. i can trip a lil further and find a lowes home depot watever just  do they sell anythin along line of a 250 - 400watt HPS that i could use or modify to use effectively.  just my space is small but if it'd be just as cool or cooler than teh 16 cfls i got now then...


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## NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer (Apr 15, 2009)

all I know is more heat per watt is generated in CFL's than by HID lights, let me see if I can link the reference, give me a min.

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1968

It is in Mutt's link.
"HID vs. Fluorescents

HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lamps are: Efficient. They put out more light, with less energy usage, than any other type of illumination available to indoor growers. Bright. HID's produce more light than other types of indoor horticultural lighting. Expensive. HID's cost more than flourescents. They range in price from $50-$600 dollars. Hot. HID's produce considerably more heat than standard fluorescents. Fluorescent lamps are Inexpensive. Shoplight fixtures can be purchased for as little as $7. Compact fluorescent bulbs only cost a couple of dollars a piece. Locally Available. Most discount stores and home improvement stores carry inexpensive, fluorescent fixtures and bulbs. Fine for vegetative growth. Fluorescent bulbs put out plenty of light for plants growing vegetatively, including mothers, seedlings and clones. Some growers prefer fluorescents for vegetative growth because of the slower pace of growth and better root development. Fluorescents need to be in close proximity to achieve their rated output, which means their canopy penetration is more limited than HID's. Comparatively inefficient. 10 forty watt fluorescent bulbs use the same amount of energy as a 400 watt HID, but produce far less light. Since they use the same amount of energy but produce less light, the remaining must be given off as heat. Contrary to how it may first appear, fluoros actually run hotter than the equivalent wattage of HID-- they just disperse the heat over a wider area."


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## UKgirl420 (Apr 15, 2009)

*people have flowered great buds with just cfls on here ,,,,
but if you have asequate ventalation and space i would go with a hps ,,,

but yes in answer to your first question ,you can add cfls to help flowering the more lumens the better  *


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## zipflip (Apr 15, 2009)

yeah i see good and bad with cfl's everyehre online and here .  personally i think its really more how you use them and how many really.  only downside, yes alot more watts used wit cfls to get the lumens  an hps would put out than using an actual hps 
 and from everythin i read and gathered  i think its a horse a piece. an hps gives more luens  per watts but makes way more heat. and cfl's can give right amount of lumens and less heat but take more watts  or watever. lol .  its either watts over heat for me and with my space i aint in no room to gamble with heat really IMO


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## johnnybuds (Apr 15, 2009)

UKgirl420 said:
			
		

> *people have flowered great buds with just cfls on here ,,,,*
> *but if you have asequate ventalation and space i would go with a hps ,,,*
> 
> *but yes in answer to your first question ,you can add cfls to help flowering the more lumens the better  *





My T5's do well for what they are.i was going to drop a couple between the plants to lighten up the darker sides. I'll post a pic tonight of what ive got now.It does look as if the HPS is alot better.


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## johnnybuds (Apr 15, 2009)

I do run the Sylver starT5 Ho 6 tube 4'er.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 15, 2009)

zipflip said:
			
		

> so your saying that when i switch my cfl's all to 2700k for flower that my 16 or 18 26watt cfls will be alot hotter than say even a 400watt HPS?
> i'd really really love to go HPS but no gardening hydro stores round here and i dont have anyone else i can ship it to for me  an i aint havin one shiped to my home lol. i can trip a lil further and find a lowes home depot watever just  do they sell anythin along line of a 250 - 400watt HPS that i could use or modify to use effectively.  just my space is small but if it'd be just as cool or cooler than teh 16 cfls i got now then...



  "an hps gives more luens per watts but makes way more heat. and cfl's can give right amount of lumens and less heat but take more watts or watever. lol . its either watts over heat for me and with my space i aint in no room to gamble with heat really IMO"

Yes, your 16-18 26W CFLs are going to put out _*more heat and far less lumens*_ than a 400W HPS. You are operating under a misconception if you believe that the HPS will put out more heat.  The bottom line is that watt for watt and lumen for lumen, CFLs will cost more to purchase initially, will cost more to operate every month, will run hotter, will produce significantly less lumens, and produce less bud that a HPS.  

LOL--There is absolutely no reason to be afraid to have a light shipped to your home.  Millions and millions of people order growing supplies on line with no consequences.  I have always believed that you are far safer having things sent to your home than having to tell a friend to have things sent to their place.  I am also way more leery of local hydro shops where overzealous LEOs (little Barney Fifes) can sit and record license plate numbers.


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## thedonofchronic (Apr 15, 2009)

not only that,
cfls are a waste of time setting up and wiring. imo.
of course you can grow with flourescent lighting, but why even buy
them if you know for a fact that HIDs produce more light for less cost?
confuses me some people would rather bust their brain and spend their time hooking up more than 20 cfls when you could just buy an HID, suspend it and turn it on. then your done! :ciao:


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## crozar (Apr 15, 2009)

greetings , 
guys im in a country where i thought i cant find grownig lights but i bet you this in every country they sell HPS or HID lights !! garanteeed , maybe not for growing but i think its still for growing isnt it ?

i recently came across a light store where they sell all kinds of light and found myself a 400watts HPS ( floodlight ) , they come with a stand and it has a built in ballast , ive asked the store engineer if its possible to customize it for me and il pay you 40$ more for it , he said sure , i told him the heavy cover is about 5 killos and i dont want it , i just need the reflector and the bulb and the ballast however i need the ballast cable to be 5meters , he says its possible but now ill have a custom HPS , what do you think are these italian HPS 400watts Eurolight ( floodlight ) work for growing ? 
if so then you also can get it and any1 else  it costs 140$


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## zipflip (Apr 15, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> "an
> Yes, your 16-18 26W CFLs are going to put out _*more heat and far less lumens*_ than a 400W HPS. You are operating under a misconception if you believe that the HPS will put out more heat. The bottom line is that watt for watt and lumen for lumen, CFLs will cost more to purchase initially, will cost more to operate every month, will run hotter, will produce significantly less lumens, and produce less bud that a HPS.
> 
> LOL--There is absolutely no reason to be afraid to have a light shipped to your home. Millions and millions of people order growing supplies on line with no consequences. I have always believed that you are far safer having things sent to your home than having to tell a friend to have things sent to their place. I am also way more leery of local hydro shops where overzealous LEOs (little Barney Fifes) can sit and record license plate numbers.


  idk i get so thrown around mentally when it comes to that cfl vs hps an mh vs this vs that lol... but i'll take ya word on it that my 16-18 cfls are hotter than a 400w hps.  
  so if that being true then if im capable of controlling my cfls and temps accordingly then i should have not a problem controlling temps wit an hps. 
  only thing is i wanna know i can keep mj alive indoors first and i already got the cfls   my thinkin is im gonna go the cfl route im thinkin first to see how it goes before i go run out an spend 150-300 $ on a good lite set up especially if i cant keep em alive tiis way lol.  but who knows.


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## crozar (Apr 15, 2009)

il show you photos soon, im running 8 T8's and 3 compact fluorecents , my heat rises up to 31 degree's , im using a 120x120x200 growbox . , i leave the windows of the box open and have air from X sides blowing upwards to remove heat towards the windows , and i have a strong fan which exausts my room temperature of 24 degree's and blowing it in the tent , im now on 24.9 degree's inside the box with 39% humidity.
i still think i can make my lights give better light to my plants but its too tireing to fix it up when your dull from the shower's of pain


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## SPEARCHUCKER (Apr 15, 2009)

I found this page about using compact CFLs at a beanbank site. Has some pics too.
hxxp://howsitgoineh.com/growguide/CFL.htm - (Hope I did that right this time)


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## zipflip (Apr 15, 2009)

wow, even my girls aint that stretched out as in them in the pix on that link. and i use cfl's.


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## SPEARCHUCKER (Apr 15, 2009)

zipflip said:
			
		

> wow, even my girls aint that stretched out as in them in the pix on that link. and i use cfl's.



I was thinking that exact same thing. lol.
But I guess if your one of the 20k a day losing work in the US. Following that, getting a couple bulbs this week, couple next week, and wanna keep the bills low. Its better than nothing.... Maybe  :confused2: ...


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## WeedHopper (Apr 15, 2009)

4ft 6tube 30,000 lumens T5's 7 weeks flower
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=107219&d=1238540573

HPS is better for flowering. I already had these though I got from a consignment deal.:hubba:


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## johnnybuds (Apr 16, 2009)

CowboyBudsky said:
			
		

> 4ft 6tube 30,000 lumens T5's 7 weeks flower
> http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=107219&d=1238540573
> 
> HPS is better for flowering. I already had these though I got from a consignment deal.:hubba:


 

This is the same light setup!sylver star 4' 6 tube t5's bloomers :hubba:


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## WeedHopper (Apr 16, 2009)

johnnybuds said:
			
		

> This is the same light setup!sylver star 4' 6 tube t5's bloomers


 
Yep,,very cool. Plants look nice. Nothing like your own Bud huh?:hubba:


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## johnnybuds (Apr 16, 2009)

CowboyBudsky said:
			
		

> Yep,,very cool. Plants look nice. Nothing like your own Bud huh?:hubba:




I love it!!! I would like to bud with a 600watt Hps and veg with the T5's.


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## crozar (Apr 16, 2009)

ok i changed my setup , il be posting pic's tomorrow for you zipflip 
i got 8 CFL's , added integrity is 1000watts output over 80000 lumens 
and 4 T8's , 2 bulbs on the right and 2 on the left to cover the grow area , 
ive nearly finished my new setup im exausted and cut my finger just by opening up the covers lol . i hope if i can find a better reflector soon .


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## johnnybuds (Apr 16, 2009)

crozar said:
			
		

> ok i changed my setup , il be posting pic's tomorrow for you zipflip
> i got 8 CFL's , added integrity is 1000watts output over 80000 lumens
> and 4 T8's , 2 bulbs on the right and 2 on the left to cover the grow area ,
> ive nearly finished my new setup im exausted and cut my finger just by opening up the covers lol . i hope if i can find a better reflector soon .




Crozar

What kind of CFL are you using?? I would like to drop two down between the plants.


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