CFL Flower-Light Issues?

[Aaron Quix]

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.

Um...OMG!!! that has to be one of the coolest meffin plants I've ever seen, and I've seen alot...

 

[art fog]

The thing I have always think about w/ any plants (and photography) was the Ks or kelvins. The veg period is blue around 2600-3200k and flowering is 5000 - 6500k. I am not sure about the heat but I think growing indoors w/ more watts can be a fuller experience

 

[sully508]

you should use the cfls in conjuntion w/ a 400w hps they are only 120 on ebay. but i know thing can be tight. i have 2 400watt lights that i got on ebay 100,000 lums. plus 4 26 watt 6500k cfls w/ clamp reflctors. im still using 904 watts. i used to use all cfls w/ the 200w 6500k and 6 26 watt cfls. i think they are great for veg.

 

[faderharley]

you should use the cfls in conjuntion w/ a 400w hps they are only 120 on ebay. but i know thing can be tight. i have 2 400watt lights that i got on ebay 100,000 lums. plus 4 26 watt 6500k cfls w/ clamp reflctors. im still using 904 watts. i used to use all cfls w/ the 200w 6500k and 6 26 watt cfls. i think they are great for veg.

Right now I got over 1200watts of CFLs burning on my 3 run on a re-veg, put them in flowering on the 12th of march

 

[art fog]

Sully do you find the 400w sodium's better then say stacking cfls w/ the same blue range and watts because of the heat or what? If so can you just bring up the temp w/ a space heater? I can see you breaking up things into smaller (26 watt) parts to get to niche spots ( i.e. 6500k) sprinkling them around the plants but isn't it about temperature again? I am setting up things here and sticking w/ cfls 100w, 42w & 13 w using 5000k and 6500k (instead of HID) for flowering. I want to keep things simple besides i am getting close to the same lumens w/ less watts. In the end I guess we both want a productive plant and I hear the hps has the best chance on the veg side by itself but I am not sure. The lumens seem the same the biggest difference is temp. Of course I am learning and if any one can explain this to me please do. thanks

 

[faderharley]

imho, moving CFLs around the colas, you get some nice thick colas, I consider the CFLs intensity is far more effective than a over head hps, they loose alot of intensity/inch away from the plant. I mean really, look!!

 

[art fog]

I am impressed that is amazing and w/ CFLs? How many watts?

 

[faderharley]

I am impressed that is amazing and w/ CFLs? How many watts?

During that grow, about 1290+watts give or take a 23watter or 2. 82,000 lumens, got 15 snuggly packed pint jars of true bliss....from 3 Colombian Gold and one Blue Widow plant from seed.....I re-vegged them for this current run...

 

[Jango]

anyone wanting to see good high producing cfl grows just needs to check out skooterclowns grows, good hydro, good setup, and good care using appropriate strains for the lighting can get very good yields from cfls, im a new member so i dont have any journals posted yet but i regularly get 2 or more z's a plant in a 2x3 cabinet using 9 42w cfls

 

[sully508]

i love cfls as supplemental light, due to the lum/ sq. ft. is very poor and very ineffcient. iused to use fluorescents for veg using t-5 vho 48 inch 95 watts each per bulb i have a t-5 vho 4 bulbs total wattage380 watts w/ 93 CRI 6500kelvin. the cri at 93+ makes all the differnce. wide spectrum of colors. depending on the vho lamp purchased. i use 5900k w/ 96+ color reference index. cfls (max blue) w/ clamp reflectors 42 watts w/ 10" reflectors
i also use compact led (blue veg) 420nm. im in flower now so im using red and blue for bloom. gives off a purple light.
i also use 2 400watt HIDs 1 hps agromax 2100k red/orange.
and a 400 watt 7500kelvin opti blue metal halide bulb made by ushio.
the agromax bulb gives off 50000 lumens, the MH 36000 lumens. all surfaces are lined w/ mylar 2mil. 2 compact led bulbs. the t-5 panel gives off 28000 lumen 6500k mounted to wall for side light and 4 2700 k cfl's w/ clamp reflectors, so you can position the light accuratly. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH LIGHT. durind budding i use 2 hps lamps 100,000 lumens.
i like the 6 inch clamp reflectors so you can target specfic areas, like the colas.
all we can do as growers is to maximize light, keep the ph nice and steady at a setting that maximizes mineral/nutrient uptake. co2. the right ratio of nutrients at the right time. no to over or under nute. rotate plants, lst, etc.
basically just doing everything your supposed to do. and a heavy duty timer.
i like cfls due to the fact that they compact and have wide spectrum of colors and stay cool in the summer. i want more light like a led panel.

 

[faderharley]

started flowering the other day, will post photos later this week...

 

[sully508]

i need the heat in the winter. so hps and MH lights work great for veg. too. i still need an electric heater for the dark periods. or else i couldn,t grow in the winter. i need the the heater especially during 12/12. until around may. its very cold here.
the heat can become a problem in the summer. ive done cfl grows. ive done led grows and hid grows. and find that for the best grow is to use all of the above. sometimes hids are not an option.
when i rented an apt i used cfls in a grow tent, in a closet. the cfls did excellent. i used a 200 watt 6500k w/ cfl hanging reflector for veg and clones.
had a 4 65watt cfls 300 watt equivelent i got from home depot 3000k. i also used the larger clamp reflectors. i couldnt use hids. the cfls were warm enough. being inside the grow tent.
for budding i used the gro-lux vho t5 fluorescent panel 380 watts. 2700k bulbs. and the 65 watt cfls on clamp reflector
95 watt each x4. i stil use it now for the veg room/ clones.

 

[Jango]

The thing I have always think about w/ any plants (and photography) was the Ks or kelvins. The veg period is blue around 2600-3200k and flowering is 5000 - 6500k. I am not sure about the heat but I think growing indoors w/ more watts can be a fuller experience

Partially right but you got it backwards, Veg is blue but 6500k and flowering is red and 2700k

 

[art fog]

sully that makes a lot of sense. I am limited here too and find CFLs work best.
So far the results make it happen for me.

 

[art fog]

I do have it backwords thanks

 

[sully508]

i use both during budding 7500k MH all blue ,2100k HPS red/ orange,6500k mostly bluish white,5900k full spectrum,3000k yellow/orange and 2700k mostly orange/ red and yellow. led compact bulbs around 420 nanometers
(blue) and 700 nm (red). each color has a purpose.
blue growth/rooting veg.
red budding/ fruiting.
yellow/orange stems,branching and leave size/ length.
green is completey nuetral plants dont use green light.:goodluck:

 

[Barry Manilow]

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.

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.

Hey guys great thread! I grew this ak48 in hempy with nothing but cfl's and also had to tie her cola up. She was nothing but dense, hard buds everywhere. However she was one of 4 plants, the bubba kush, lucy and bagseed all did have much more airy buds. I'm not sure if it was because they didn't like the conditions as well, the cfl's, or just the phenotypes. It was a very low rh grow.

I used almost 1200 watts of lights total and yielded about 9 z's. The ak was 3 z's of awesome smoke. Each plant had about 8-9 26 or 42 w lights on them.

I've since picked up a 400w cmh light. It does the work of about 18 cfl's and frankly that's their biggest drawback - you need so damn many of them. But if you have enough they definitely work.

Here's the ak just before the chop.

 

[art fog]

Thanks again Sully- Good to know and I have made the adjustments.

 

[Aaron Quix]

The thing I have always think about w/ any plants (and photography) was the Ks or kelvins. The veg period is blue around 2600-3200k and flowering is 5000 - 6500k. I am not sure about the heat but I think growing indoors w/ more watts can be a fuller experience

Hey fog, I believe somewhere between 5000 and6500k is more the blue spectrum, used for veg, and down in the 2s n 3ks is the red, for flower...I used my 6400 k 125w cfl, along with some spirals with mixed spectrums for my entire grow, but I'll be switching the larger one out with a 200w 2700k for flower on my next grow...I also had 2 four foot florescent tubes, standing on end in two of the corners, total of 8 spirals on splitters, 4 reg floros, and the one large cfl, around 490 watts total...

 

[Aaron Quix]

anyone wanting to see good high producing cfl grows just needs to check out skooterclowns grows, good hydro, good setup, and good care using appropriate strains for the lighting can get very good yields from cfls, im a new member so i dont have any journals posted yet but i regularly get 2 or more z's a plant in a 2x3 cabinet using 9 42w cfls

Hey Jango, Tell me about your temps, i.e. heat distributing fans or whatever you have going on...I'm in a 2x2 footprint x however high I need I guess, but the heat in the grow i just finished was somewhat of a problem, toward the end especially. Just looking for a cheap but efficient way to vent the heat. Have around 490 watts of light, all cfl and floro...Ant suggestions would be great...