CFL Flower-Light Issues?
- Thread starter Indica89
- Start date
killacam88
New Member
I will tell you one thing I am growing with CFLs also and i am going into week 4 of flowering and the budding is slow and you have alot more light than me. So its going to be a slow process. Unless you decide to change to a HPS light. I have great bud sites but just in a waiting game. Would love to see some pictures of your setup!
Not much to see at a week and a half under any type of lights. weeks 1-3-4 are pretty boring not alot to see.
but yes better lighting is allways better. Do you have any red bulbs in there (3000k i think)? that could help till you upgrade to mh/ hps. my cfl came with the blue bulbs.
but yes better lighting is allways better. Do you have any red bulbs in there (3000k i think)? that could help till you upgrade to mh/ hps. my cfl came with the blue bulbs.
basementdwell
New Member
u dont need hid lighting just get one or two of those 125 cfl grow light or a 200w one they also make a 250 too. yes sprial cfl will work but u need alot of them where with the 125,200 &250 one on the top like a hid set up and you done
OldSkoool
New Member
Depending on the strain, you could see small progress. Additional pistols for example. But I'd have to say you need to really increase your light output. I do single plant CFL grows exclusively due to space. I use 8 42W 'warm' CFL's plugged into power strips attached to the sides of a 21"X21" foam board light canopy with excellent results.
i started out flowering with 2 45watt CFL flowering bulbs and was seeing slow gains after 3 weeks so added 2 more 65 watt and things have picked up nicely in just the last week. I would always say more is better when useing CFLs.
And @oldschool That plant looks great , did u just LST around the pot to get that or did u supercrop and top also?
And @oldschool That plant looks great , did u just LST around the pot to get that or did u supercrop and top also?
So this is my first grow, and I don't know how it will work out, but I'm trying tons of light, and a mix of the warm vs cool bulbs. Currently I have 320W of 2700K, and 155W of 6500K. 475 watts total. Some geeky math: 70 lumen per CFL Watt = 33,250 lumens. I'M growing in a 3.7 sq. ft box, so thats 8,986 lumens per sq. ft... sunlight gives 10,000. I'm still working on positioning the lights as close as possible without burning the leaves. Right at the top, the lights are about 2" to 3", and no burn so far. I'm now 10 days into 12/12 cycle, and the plant is confirmed female, but just tiny, whispy little pistils so far. Temperature is about 78. degrees.
Ok guys I'm gunna unload. I have bee growing with CFL and fluorescent lighting for 18 months now. I have pics i my profile of my plants.
If you use a mixed spectrum and use many cfl's and place them as close as you can to your plants, and use a good space with reflective white or Mylar, and use a basic 3 part nute system, use soil, veg for 6-8 weeks or so to get a good bushy plan, add more cfls as the plant grows, then flower for 10 weeks (maybe 12) and pay attention to your plants and ask lots of questions when you have problems you will yield some decent weight as a beginner grower. Like @ 1.5 - 2 ounces of bud per plant.
I used @600 W of total CFL,and 2 2ft 4 bulb T5 panels and surround the plant with lighting as close as I can get. In a 4ftx2ftx6ft cabinet (up to 5 plants) I was getting @7 ounces. Not that bad.
No real heat issues, cfls are cheap to buy and you can start small and scale up as high as you need. This is a great way to get into growing, or to maintain your grows if you cannot use HID lighting. You wont yield a TON but it is fun, and 7 ounces every 5-6 months = about an ounce a month if you save and store it well.
People say CFL's suck and fluorescent lighting is no good. I say my grows prove otherwise.
So please use your cfl's and fluorescent lighting, don't worry, and don't let others talk you down.
If you use a mixed spectrum and use many cfl's and place them as close as you can to your plants, and use a good space with reflective white or Mylar, and use a basic 3 part nute system, use soil, veg for 6-8 weeks or so to get a good bushy plan, add more cfls as the plant grows, then flower for 10 weeks (maybe 12) and pay attention to your plants and ask lots of questions when you have problems you will yield some decent weight as a beginner grower. Like @ 1.5 - 2 ounces of bud per plant.
I used @600 W of total CFL,and 2 2ft 4 bulb T5 panels and surround the plant with lighting as close as I can get. In a 4ftx2ftx6ft cabinet (up to 5 plants) I was getting @7 ounces. Not that bad.
No real heat issues, cfls are cheap to buy and you can start small and scale up as high as you need. This is a great way to get into growing, or to maintain your grows if you cannot use HID lighting. You wont yield a TON but it is fun, and 7 ounces every 5-6 months = about an ounce a month if you save and store it well.
People say CFL's suck and fluorescent lighting is no good. I say my grows prove otherwise.
So please use your cfl's and fluorescent lighting, don't worry, and don't let others talk you down.
faderharley
New Member
I'm wrapping up my second grow w/CFLs. I have had and continue to have great results using them. If you know what your doing using CFLs you can achieve awesome bud
kbkilla
New Member
Quality looks decent, but plants flowered under cfl's always look airy with not much density to them. If someone can prove me otherwise, please do.
faderharley
New Member
It's not all about the light when achieving grade A bud. I keep my CFLs moving in and around the plants. All of my main colas are getting thicker and heavier each day w/solid nuggets from 10 to 18 inches long. But it also helps the way one grows the MM. I grow aero-hydro which also enhances a great outcome...
kbkilla
New Member
yes, your buds look they have a decent amount of trichomes but they look lanky and stretched out with no real density. IMO you get more for your money with a HID.
I want to see someone with some dense nugs grown strictly under CFLs.
I want to see someone with some dense nugs grown strictly under CFLs.
kbkilla
New Member
If you have a plant that grows 'pistols' then you better patent that motherf*cker like Monsanto and sell them to every gun corp. known to man.
Take a look at my plant, in the thread "My first harvest". The buds felt pretty solid to me. I do believe that HID would have been better, but I didn't want to have to vent the heat away.
otterpoint
New Member
Nice
faderharley
New Member
Sativa strains stretch more so than indica strains. Blue Widow fills out in her last 2 weeks of ripening and fattening. Where as the Landrace Columbian Gold fills out at a faster pace. Currently I have to tie up most of the Blue Widow main colas so they don't snap and break, why is that? Perhaps of weight I wonder? Uhmm, yes I think so...photos of Blue Widow, cola structure, tie down
faderharley
New Member
Right now I have four 42 watt, 6500k, 3000 lumen in the mix w/all the other 2700k CFLs. The ratio is way under the 2:1 limit, right now I am burning
five 105 watts, 2700k, 5000 lumen
four 65 watts, 3000k, 4700 lumen
four 55 watts, 2700k, 3860 lumen
four 42 watts, 6500k, 2700 lumen
four 23 watts, 2700k, 1860 lumen
Just over 1200watts, +77,000 lumen for a 12sqft grow area and 4 plants...
They are doing great
faderharley
New Member
Thanks Norsemann, today marks 59 days into flowering. The trichomes are showing 60% cloudy w/hint of amber so I will start the rinse-root procedures later today. I'll rinse the roots for about 5 days, then cut the main colas, about 28 of them from 4 plants. The undergrow will get another nute boost and I'll let them go for a week or so before they are cut.
Next I'll re-veg the Blue Widow and the 3 Landrace Columbian Gold. Take cuttings and clone them. As this current grow come to a close, I'd like to add using CFLs worked excellent for me again. As much as I'd like to see what I can do w/hps, it's in the works for the upcomeing clone grow...
Thanks for your support my freind, good luck, stay safe...
Blue Widow laying on her side
CFLs providing light to the 3 BW colas that are to heavy to hold up and I can't reach to tie off
Columbian Gold
