CFL's work just fine!

[biotrucker]

As taken from Wikipedia, a T8 flo tubes light efficency is 12 to 15% in relativity to the light of the sun.

A compact flo tube with ballast (aka energy saver bulbs) have an efficiency of 15 to 18%again in relativity to the light output of the sun.

A HPS bulb has a 12 to 22% efficiency. The higher wattage will have the higher efficiency if the conditons were the same (ie both have reflectors).

So an HPS bulb used inefficently would be worse than a flourescent bulb used correctly. Now, in a side by side controlled test HPS to Compact FLO whre conditons were optimal the HPS would do only 4% better than the FLO.

To me, the difference is negligablein my setup. However, in a different setup the HPS would win hands down. So it is again all about using the light efficently.

A High Pressure Sodium bulb when used correctly has only a 4% better light efficacy than that of a compact flo. It would be 7% better than a tube flo.

Taking flourescent compact light bulbs and attaching them to a reflective dome allows me to put them where ever I want and reflect the light between the branches. You cannot do that with an HPS light without using reflecting material.. It would be a lot more difficult to do that than in my setup.

As far as electricity goes, I am using far less electricty and using my light as efficently as possible. Therefore, my grow will be as good as someone else's HPS grow and will cost less.

You cannot dispute the science here!

I am using 5000 kelvin photography bulbs. The amount of sun light that reaches earth is also 5000 kelvin (according to wikipedia). I did have to add 2 more lamps to my original 6 to add light to the lower branches. They started getting stretchy when I started the flowering stage. I will add some pics soon.

 

[biotrucker]

OK, here is the proof in the pudding so to speak.


and here is some news from the CFL jungle.

 

[jimm14]

Like I said before, just calling out the BS, that's all. There are a lot of new members joining just to start a cfl grow because it's cheap and easy. I don't want anyone misinformed, thinking they will get a lot of weight.

300, 23w cfl's? That's 6900 watts! This is the BS I'm talking about! Yeah they might produce more light, that's about it. I'm running a 250 watt HPS in my grow tent. Should I go out and buy 300 cfl bulbs instead? Oh-nevermind, they won't fit.

Let's keep this a realistic debate, please.

So you don't even know what it takes to grow a pound with a 250w light nor do you understand the heat a powerful HID makes.

I didn't say to use 300 bulbs i said it would produce more, read my post better.

I just want to get comparisons for people you know?

I used to run a 1000w HPS (1200w when boosted thingy)in one tent and 2x 600w HPS in another and both would produce around 1lb from clones or 45oz+ from seeds with few weeks veg time (dry weigh before u start bitchin').

Now I want to get the same results using CFL for heat/noise reasons NOT cost, what do i need? no bullshit saying it cant be done because it can(I hope), that's the question I need to know.

I only have one tent now and I have 4x300w bulbs and like 15-20x 23w cfl's (not hung yet) so that's what I'll be testing but are you saying i will never match my HPS light no matter what?


Oh and biotrucker them plants aren't far enough along to prove budding, but look like nice girls, really nice cant wait to see donkey dick colas wont be long my friend.

 

[YardDog35]

So you don't even know what it takes to grow a pound with a 250w light nor do you understand the heat a powerful HID makes.

I didn't say to use 300 bulbs i said it would produce more, read my post better.

I just want to get comparisons for people you know?

I used to run a 1000w HPS (1200w when boosted thingy)in one tent and 2x 600w HPS in another and both would produce around 1lb from clones or 45oz+ from seeds with few weeks veg time (dry weigh before u start bitchin').

Now I want to get the same results using CFL for heat/noise reasons NOT cost, what do i need? no bullshit saying it cant be done because it can(I hope), that's the question I need to know.

I only have one tent now and I have 4x300w bulbs and like 15-20x 23w cfl's (not hung yet) so that's what I'll be testing but are you saying i will never match my HPS light no matter what?


Oh and biotrucker them plants aren't far enough along to prove budding, but look like nice girls, really nice cant wait to see donkey dick colas wont be long my friend.

Was that first part a question? There was no question mark. No I don't know what it takes to get a pound from a 250 watt HID. Tell me how, when you were pulling a pound from a 1000 watter. Yes I know how much heat a high powered HID puts out.

Let's break down the ways to grow a pound in one tent. Two monsters under perfect conditions might do it. CFL's WON'T grow monsters, a little thing called lumens lost in distance. That leaves SCROG or SOG. How many SOG clones would it take to get a pound? Let's say 20 grams each. That's 22.5 clones, let's say 24. At one cubic foot per clone, you we need a footprint of 5'x5'. Now if you can spread out all those cfl watts evenly above the canopy, and never let those clones get over 12" tall, you could possibly pull a pound. Possibly.

I have no problem debating and coming to a reasonable conclusion that works in the real world.

 

[theclosetfarm]

& to introduce a new element to this thread. Double ballasted f32t8's put out over 5k lumens for 64 watts at a higher lux hence less light loss at distance than cfl's. I have a piar of 4 tube fixtures like this that outperform my 8 tube t5ho's & the pair cost me under $100 dollars to buy & rewire from the home despot. It's an old indoor gardening trick that most mj growers don't seem to know about. Anybody interested should google overdrive t8. I still prefer hid's but if you wanna go floro this is the best in my book. Now let the ranting & name calling commence.

 

[theclosetfarm]

How To Build A Super Charged Fluorescent Grow Light By Overdriving - YouTube

 

[novice101]

i am a first time grower and am trying to set up a small grow room in my closet. i already have a 4' by 2' by 5' grow tent with mylar. and i ordered a 4 bulb 5t 2' light to put in it. i understand that i may need to buy another 2 foot light, but my question is this, is this enough light and if so how many plants would one 2 foot light be sufficient for? i have grown 2 plants so far in a home made box with just a 300wt hal. and a 120wt grow light. they are only about 2' tall and have been growing for 4 weeks. i just started the 12/12 on them 5 days ago. these i have been fortunate enough to be able to pull into the sunlight in the day time but want to set up something totally self contained without spending a fortune since i live on a fixed income with ssi. any help is much appreciated.

 

[royy cropper]

sorry to but in BUT, this is my all cfl grow room 1.2m(W) x 1.2m(L) x 2m(H)

i place 12 small/medium sized plants in here to flower every 2 weeks.

these have 2 weeks left, im a very large man so as you can see my hands make the bud look small but top buds are over 5 inches long thick and dense

here i am holding my super hot 300w cfl bulb quite comfortably

with the weak strain i have at the minute i achieve 10oz dry weight every 2 weeks (im used a cheap cutting because its still experimental atm) so thats 10oz x 26 2 week intervals over a year .... i dont work in pounds so ill use google to work this out . yep thats 16.25 pounds a year

now im not going to tell anyone how do go about their day or that they should ditch everything they have learned and do things my way just as no one else here has ... apart from the hps growers but you wanted proof so there it is

p.s i tried hps in here i had 2 600w bulbs with 2 4" inlet fans drawing air from outside the house. i had a large aircon unit in the tent taking up space and the temps were well above 30 degrees (or well above 86 degrees to most of you) so in my case cfl are the best for my personal grow area . 1 more thing i dont care about lumen or kalvin or weather you can re-wire your house or own loads of businesses the title was "cfl's work just fine!" and here you can see yes they do. its not about cramming the most light in, or using the best/most expensive nutrients and soil achievements are made from hard work and dedication .

here is my cutting/mother room it has 1 100w t5 4 tube light it has my new critical mass mother and my big red and sour kush mother seedlings the small plants on the right are the next 12 (i know theres only 8 before we all get smart) and it has 20 cuttings in the tray . ill be starting a journal as soon as the 3 new mothers are giving me 12 cuttings every 2 weeks so people can see the wonders of cfl and then ill do an led experiment and see if the hps guys are wrong there aswell

thanks royy

 

[sfw88]

I'm CFL 100%... results may vary upon conditions

 

[billb]

 

[Smokemupm8]

Well I can prove it and if you look at statements made by professionals in the field plants need 2000 lumens per square ft. The sun onlt perduces 90 thousand lumens at peak. So do the math a plant put outside and grow with right tools can produce over a couple pounds a plant but your saying that in 3 harvests indoor that 12 pds is crazy? Well your bs must mean something else go to hydrofarm.com they recommend cfl and sell them for veg and flower. I've grown a strain called zombie virus 5 plants with 25 thousand lumens and I got almost 6 pds cured weight with cfls nothing else of course I use best soil and liguid ferts but unless you've tried recently then you don't know so really stop thinking that hps hid and mh etc is the only way ya maybe ae yrs ago but not now if you need proof email me at luniz1979@gmail.com and ill show you my set up and also biotrucker turn lights off for atleast three hours of darkness it promotes root growth which in turn your plant will grow larger stronger and also produce lot more forbidden fruit

Hey i dont know who told you that the sun only puts out 90,000 lumens, but they are WRONG!! Look it up, our sun makes around 250,000,000,000,000,000 lumens bro- if your theory was right a MH light is brighter than our sun?? Our sun has an amber tinge to it due to our atmosphere,air etc or it would be a pure white light that would burn our retinas at look.. Goodluk and Happy Harvesting

 

[royy cropper]

& to introduce a new element to this thread. Double ballasted f32t8's put out over 5k lumens for 64 watts at a higher lux hence less light loss at distance than cfl's. I have a piar of 4 tube fixtures like this that outperform my 8 tube t5ho's & the pair cost me under $100 dollars to buy & rewire from the home despot. It's an old indoor gardening trick that most mj growers don't seem to know about. Anybody interested should google overdrive t8. I still prefer hid's but if you wanna go floro this is the best in my book. Now let the ranting & name calling commence.

at 5k lumen per bulb this is a total of 6,800 lumen more per 8 tube's on my 432w t5 so 6,800 lumen for 80 extra watt but what's the heat like from them ??
also i have no idea what i higher lux means ? can you or someone (who actualy knows) educate me please

 

[sfw88]

if our sun was only 90,000 lum's, we would freeze instantly...see what wikopedia says about lux , pretty easy to understand.

 

[frosown]

Ignore puff, even for 90% of cases he is correct but is just putting you down. I am around a week from starting my first grow and will be using 4 cfl 6500k 45 watts for 2 plants in a Stealth PC build. I am hoping for a decent yield with about 30-70g. Will last me well through college

 

[novice101]

i have a 2 by 4 tent that i have 4 250wt cfl, and 2 200wt cfl plus a 4bulb 2 ft t5. that works great for vegging. just as good as my 1000wt MH. but to have to say, if you want bigger, denser buds then you really need to use a HPS for flowering.. i have tried the cfl's for budding in the past and they just dont produce the yields that a HPS will.. of course this is just what happened to ME, it may be different for someone else.. just my two cents

 

[ProDope]

cfls do work fine, I use them for veg but for flower i use a hps. I was against hps at first because heat issues but cfls are just as hot if your comparing 400w hps vs 400w cfls. cfls just spread the heat over a larger area. and even though a cfl bulb isnt as hot the base gets fairly warm. Hps and MH will never be as good as cfls or t5s during veg but during flower I think hps is the way to go IMO.

 

[techphi]

sorry to but in BUT, this is my all cfl grow room 1.2m(W) x 1.2m(L) x 2m(H)

i place 12 small/medium sized plants in here to flower every 2 weeks.

these have 2 weeks left, im a very large man so as you can see my hands make the bud look small but top buds are over 5 inches long thick and dense

here i am holding my super hot 300w cfl bulb quite comfortably

with the weak strain i have at the minute i achieve 10oz dry weight every 2 weeks (im used a cheap cutting because its still experimental atm) so thats 10oz x 26 2 week intervals over a year .... i dont work in pounds so ill use google to work this out . yep thats 16.25 pounds a year

now im not going to tell anyone how do go about their day or that they should ditch everything they have learned and do things my way just as no one else here has ... apart from the hps growers but you wanted proof so there it is

p.s i tried hps in here i had 2 600w bulbs with 2 4" inlet fans drawing air from outside the house. i had a large aircon unit in the tent taking up space and the temps were well above 30 degrees (or well above 86 degrees to most of you) so in my case cfl are the best for my personal grow area . 1 more thing i dont care about lumen or kalvin or weather you can re-wire your house or own loads of businesses the title was "cfl's work just fine!" and here you can see yes they do. its not about cramming the most light in, or using the best/most expensive nutrients and soil achievements are made from hard work and dedication .

here is my cutting/mother room it has 1 100w t5 4 tube light it has my new critical mass mother and my big red and sour kush mother seedlings the small plants on the right are the next 12 (i know theres only 8 before we all get smart) and it has 20 cuttings in the tray . ill be starting a journal as soon as the 3 new mothers are giving me 12 cuttings every 2 weeks so people can see the wonders of cfl and then ill do an led experiment and see if the hps guys are wrong there aswell

thanks royy

This post effectively end the debate and silenced all critics.

 

[mynameis]

if im trying to get some seedlings going would 2 55 watt zoo meds cfl lights work for first month of growing for 16 plants? in 6 inch by 24 inch 24h inch.

 

[mynameis]

they will be moving outside after that

 

[dubbrollin]

Yeah this is what im using and so far so good.

Might be adding some more lights to the fixture on the edges. this way i can spread out my baby's a lil bit more. more like the middle one so i can adjust the height of the individual bulbs. Having fun with this experimenting.