cfl vs sodiums

[epicstuff]

Hi , my first dilemma.

I've alway been a big fan of HPS's as thats what I've always used.
but now I'm growing in tropical latitude the weather is hotter and more humid for that reason I decided against Hydroponics which I always did before . thinking running water will make more humid conditions.

money and the fact my grow room isnt a sealed unit means I won't be using aircon or any kind of climate control I'll be relying on old fashioned air circulation.
but here my question . I went to buy a sodium today . It meant I had to get fglood light system and a big extractor fan to take away the heat.
so I started to price up CFLs.
Warm white give out a color temp of 2700K seems about right.

I could have 15 x 25W cfls for around the same price that would kick out more than 23,000 Lm and much closer to the plants. + produce less overall heat. which will help the humidity issues.
according to the box a cfl will produce 5X that of conventional bulb ( I don't know if a sodium buld is concidered conventional or not) but at 25 w thats eq of 125W x 15 = equivalant of 1875 w which is more than the 400w I was going to buy.

Has anyone got any feed back on this I'm just paranoid about using anything other than sodiums.

 

[Hick]

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54867 <-------

 

[Roddy]

Don't fall into the cfl trap.....

 

[epicstuff]

Ok I read that other thread, I think pretty conclusive. So back to sodiums again, no problem.

BUT...... what about SOG; i planned, after I get enough cuttings to go sea of Green . I thought that was recomended to use tubes or CFL's.

Is the advise the same .... don't do it? Can't really fit a 400w sodium under a shelf and get a nice even spread , shelf is 2 m 0.5M
I thought SOG was supposed to give better overall yeild for the space. Any thoughts on that?

 

[ozzydiodude]

SOG works the best under HPS. you have more light(lumen) getting to the plant with enought power to greach the bottom of the plants also

 

[epicstuff]

ok. give up on all this alternative light idea ,,

last thing on the lights isue then...
I was worried coz the only light fitting I can find is the all inclusive flood light . Ballast on the side of the light, cant find the traditional shade for growing even if I made the fittings up myself. Is there any draw backs?
Should I remove the glass.? it has quiet a steep angled dimpled reflector at the back not really the norm for growing . The design is for football pitches or something similar; but will it do.? or is there going to be a design issue with that fitting?

Oh yer,,,,, about the SOG / shelf growing; can I side light instead of from above?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I would say that unless you can get some kind of ventilation system set up, it is a moot question. You are not going to be able to grow without some kind of ventilation set-up. Good old fashioned air circulation is not going to work, especially in a hot humid climate. In addition, you are absolutely going to need a "sealed unit" (something 100% light-tight) when you flower.

You are going to get your best yield from a HPS. When talking about lighting, watts are immaterial (equivalent wattage doesn't count at all in growing). When figuring lighting needs, we use lumens. You need a minimum of 3000 lumens per sq ft for vegging and 5000 lumens for flowering. These are minimums and most of us have more. So, how large is your space? A 400W HPS is good for a space a little under a sq meter. Fifteen 25W CFLs will cover a space 4-5 sq ft--a little under a half meter square.

IMO, there is really no growing method that will make a big difference in yield. I personally like to grow fewer larger plants rather than many small ones.