Deciding which cfl's to use for veg

[markisraeli]

hey guys,

i'm deciding which cfls to use for the veg stage and how many. my growing space is 3 long by 3 wide and 5 high, so i've decided a 400watt mh/hps is too much for the limited grow space. i decided to settle for a few cfl's and thought about gettin 3 120watts and fitting them into a reflective hood. i'm just wondering if anyone got any better ideas/suggestions/advice... any and all is greatly welcome and appreciated.

thanks!

[Andy Botwin]

Honestly, with a proper intake/exhaust system, circulation fan and definitely an air-cooled reflector, you could run a 400W HID light in there without any space or heat issues...(I'm using less space w/ 400W MH/HPS...no problems...)

...Pros? Mods? Am I incorrect?

[notreallyhere]

the biggest cfl's I've seen are 42watt- and they putt out 2700 lumens.
get the biggest ones you can, and as many as you can.
hardware store has adapters for one light bulb socket to two, as well as outlet to socket.
a power strip becomes a chandelier fairly easily....

[FreakNature]

Yes those 150 watt equivalent 2700 lumen 42 watt CFLs can be had at Stuff Mart for about $8.50 apiece. I bought some similar at a lighting store that seem to be warm white (better for flowering), but the ones at WallyWorld seem to be cool white.

[Umpsy]

Originally Posted by notreallyhere

the biggest cfl's I've seen are 42watt

I use a 200w 5000k CFL for flowering and a 125w 6400k for veg. Not equivalent, those are actual output wattages.

-Umpsy