Mother/clone lighting

[seekingwordsofwisdom]

Good morning 420 guys and gals! I have a question regarding lighting for mothers/clones. I plan on buying qb boards for flower and eventually would like to get qb's for a veg tent but was curious if I could get away with cfl's for a few months. I plan on getting the 260 watt kit in 3k and flowering in a 2x4 tent. I've read that I can use those boards for both flower and veg, so I could get started with that, then take clones and move them to another 2x4 tent.

My intention is to start maybe 4 strains by seed and take clones to use as mothers once I find out which strains I prefer. I thoroughly enjoy traveling and I won't have anyone to care for my babies when I'm gone, so ideally I'd like to have everything flowered and the cure going by mid May. I wouldn't flower anything until probably mid October, which should give me plenty of time for road trips and such. But during my hiatus I would like to keep the mothers going. I took a shot at growing many moons ago and used cfl's for veg and it seemed to work okay, albeit a bit slower than hid or led would have provided. But considering I'd prefer to keep things smaller and since I won't be needing x amount of clones every few weeks, do you guys think cfl's would work? I have everything except the bulbs so I could use the money I would have used on a 100 watt qb for seeds in the meantime. I think it'd be fine, but just wanted to tap into vast amount of knowledge you cats have. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, hope you guys have a good Monday!

 

[AngryBird]

Short and simple
Yes, you can start with cfl and or led...
Blast away.. The more the merrier and as they are economic you have no problem.
This is a guide I have
Lumens per square foot:

Minimum amount of lighting needed is around 2000 lumens per square foot.
(Two – 23 watt CFL’s, per square foot*)

Mid range is around 5000 lumens per square foot.
(Three – 23 watt CFL’s, per square foot*)

Optimal is 7000-7500, or higher, lumens per square foot.
(Five – 23 watt CFL’s, per square foot*)

*I’m only using CFLs as a reference here, with the assumption they’re kept at a distance of 3 – 5 inches from the plant. It is important to understand that the “penetration” (the farthest measure that quality light reaches down into the plant canopy) will at best be only a few inches deep.

Watts per square foot (wattage per sq ft WILL vary by light source):

Minimum wattage per sq ft.: 30w
Mid Range wattage per sq ft.: 50w
Optimal Range wattage per sq ft.: 50-80w

 

[nivek]

As the bird stated,, cfls work just fine for vegging,, flowering too even

I use cfls exclusively in my veg room, have for years and they do the job, indeed

Keep em close,, three inches is too far,, get em close

Cheers

 

[HonestGR]

CFL's will work.

The issue you will run into if you go anywhere is a plant can grow significantly in a day. CFL bulbs need to be extremely close to the plant, I am talking like 1"-2" away. A plant can grow approx 1" or more a day. If your looking at keeping several plants alive, you will need a significant amount of CFL's. The amount of power you would be eating up would be compatible to a quality LED, or a small 250W HID system (Pending bulbs chosen).

I grew a while back with CFL's they amount I got off it was pitiful compared to a better quality light. (I think it's approx 0.25-0.5 g/W) (Someone correct me if I am wrong)

I run 2x Mars Hydro 144's (@SmokeSara ) Just one pulls actual wattage of 280ish. My area bulbs are $12 ( for 3) @ 13W each. I would need 21 to meet the same actual wattage. Costing approx $81. @ 10,000 hrs. Mar's has 50,000 hrs I believe, so multiply this by 5... ($405) Plus the connectors wiring etc. I would just rather drop the money on an actual LED light vs CFL's.

 

[seekingwordsofwisdom]

Thanks so much for making my decision easier. I appreciate you all taking the time.

CFL's will work.

The issue you will run into if you go anywhere is a plant can grow significantly in a day. CFL bulbs need to be extremely close to the plant, I am talking like 1"-2" away. A plant can grow approx 1" or more a day. If your looking at keeping several plants alive, you will need a significant amount of CFL's. The amount of power you would be eating up would be compatible to a quality LED, or a small 250W HID system (Pending bulbs chosen).

I grew a while back with CFL's they amount I got off it was pitiful compared to a better quality light. (I think it's approx 0.25-0.5 g/W) (Someone correct me if I am wrong)

I run 2x Mars Hydro 144's (@SmokeSara ) Just one pulls actual wattage of 280ish. My area bulbs are $12 ( for 3) @ 13W each. I would need 21 to meet the same actual wattage. Costing approx $81. @ 10,000 hrs. Mar's has 50,000 hrs I believe, so multiply this by 5... ($405) Plus the connectors wiring etc. I would just rather drop the money on an actual LED light vs CFL's.

I grew awhile back using cfls' for veg so I get about it needing to be right up on it. My tentative plan is to only use the cfl's for maybe a month or two tops. Then I plan on purchasing a 100 watt qb, at least that's the plan today. So I would be there to consistently check on new growth and be able to adjust the lights accordingly while using those bulbs. I totally get about just spending more now as opposed to twice as much later. That was probably the biggest lesson I learned in my first crack at growing. In any case, I already have sockets and things like that so I would only need the bulbs which I could save the packaging for and use in my house when they're no longer needed. I could then use more money for seeds. Which I kinda want everything, haha. Thanks so much for your help, hope you're enjoying the day!

 

[PurpleGunRack]

For how long do you hope to keep the mothers alive with no care?

I'd say get one of the small 60 diode boards in 4000K, you can run it on a small driver and without heatsink.

CFLs work, but have to be very close, so your plants will probably grow into the bulbs within a few days, needless to say that that isn't desirable.

 

[HonestGR]

Thanks so much for making my decision easier. I appreciate you all taking the time.




I grew awhile back using cfls' for veg so I get about it needing to be right up on it. My tentative plan is to only use the cfl's for maybe a month or two tops. Then I plan on purchasing a 100 watt qb, at least that's the plan today. So I would be there to consistently check on new growth and be able to adjust the lights accordingly while using those bulbs. I totally get about just spending more now as opposed to twice as much later. That was probably the biggest lesson I learned in my first crack at growing. In any case, I already have sockets and things like that so I would only need the bulbs which I could save the packaging for and use in my house when they're no longer needed. I could then use more money for seeds. Which I kinda want everything, haha. Thanks so much for your help, hope you're enjoying the day!

Not a problem. If your there its not as big of a deal because you can adjust the lights! I guess the biggest question is what is the max time you will be gone? I would hate to see your mothers grow into the lights and burn!

I have seen diy reflectors using a disposable chicken cooking tray (dollar store, aluminum). You would need a lot of cfls, but that may be more worthwhile if gone for an extended time...

 

[seekingwordsofwisdom]

For how long do you hope to keep the mothers alive with no care?

I'd say get one of the small 60 diode boards in 4000K, you can run it on a small driver and without heatsink.

CFLs work, but have to be very close, so your plants will probably grow into the bulbs within a few days, needless to say that that isn't desirable.

I typically take a couple of 3-4 day trips and one good 7-10 day road trip a year. I figure if I can have my first run flowered and cured by Memorial day I can just shut down the flower tent and will only have to care for the mothers. I plan on having a qb board long before then. My bigger concern is how to keep the mothers okay while I'm away. Kinda figure I'll set up some form of irrigation or something along those lines. I'm still not quite sure what growing medium I'll use. The longer trip will be my main concern, guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there? No doubt I'll be picking brains in these halls before too long...

 

[seekingwordsofwisdom]

Not a problem. If your there its not as big of a deal because you can adjust the lights! I guess the biggest question is what is the max time you will be gone? I would hate to see your mothers grow into the lights and burn!

I have seen diy reflectors using a disposable chicken cooking tray (dollar store, aluminum). You would need a lot of cfls, but that may be more worthwhile if gone for an extended time...

I made a reflector using foam board and mylar back when I took my stab at growing before. Seemed to work all right. Although I'm unclear on whether or not foam board is flammable, so I'm in no way advocating for that diy. Ha.

 

[HonestGR]

I made a reflector using foam board and mylar back when I took my stab at growing before. Seemed to work all right. Although I'm unclear on whether or not foam board is flammable, so I'm in no way advocating for that diy. Ha.

I wouldnt have used just any foam, however there are foam boards that are fire resistant I would assume. But i think i would use dropped ceiling tiles with mylar myself. Also a grounding wire, just incase!