Need some pointers on first poor man's grow

[Toronto420]

So I've spent the weekend checking out grow journals, tutorials, FAQ's, and it's been incredibly helpful. I've been planning on trying out a cheap, amateur grow for a while now and finally have a space to do it (closet).

I plan on trying out 2 plants, and going CFL...

My priorities are: Heat, Detectability, Energy Use

I've chosen CFLs for a couple reasons: I'm a total noob. I don't feel comfortable using HID systems as my space is confined and not easily vented, plus I have heard some horror stories having worked for the Fire Marshall for years past.

So, I like the fact that CFL's are self-ballasting, emit very low heat, and consume very low energy levels. I am aware that yields are not as high with CFLs, but for my first grow on a budget, I will give it a try.

So my main question for now is:

How critical is COLOR TEMP? For example, during veg growth will I notice better results using a 6500k lamp or is 5000k fine? The super daylight (6500k) lamps seem a bit harder to find in stores, let alone the 5000k...I work for a lighting distributor but do not want to risk making these types of purchases through my own company...

Anyway, hopefully someone can answer that and I'm sure the questions will be flowing in once I get going. My preliminary setup in my mind goes something like this: for now, I have a small cabinet which I'll be painting flat white on the interior. I'll have room for two pots but only about 3 feet of vertical space. So I'll need to upgrade once they get to that point, but for now the box will serve its purpose. I'm thinking 3-5 higher watt CFLs (28watt or higher) placed very close to the plants should do the trick. Once, and if, they get to the next level, I plan on grabbing some T5 fluoro strips as add ons, but whatever can give off decent light with little heat and little energy consumption, I'm in need of. Thanks in advance, 420mag rules.

 

[Retired One]

You want 6500k for veg, 2700k for flower. I have no difficulty whatsoever finding the correct color/wattage at any home improvement center...Lowes, Home Depot etc.

Now a little more specific. Any number lower than 6500k for veg will induce a stretchy, leggy plant. 6500k will keep your internodal spacing tight helping to manage height.

2700k is the optimum for flower. And by the way, while HID yields are generally heavier, with the use of the SCRoG technique, yields increase noticeably.

 

[Toronto420]

You want 6500k for veg, 2700k for flower. I have no difficulty whatsoever finding the correct color/wattage at any home improvement center...Lowes, Home Depot etc.

Now a little more specific. Any number lower than 6500k for veg will induce a stretchy, leggy plant. 6500k will keep your internodal spacing tight helping to manage height.

2700k is the optimum for flower. And by the way, while HID yields are generally heavier, with the use of the SCRoG technique, yields increase noticeably.

Awesome, thanks for the clarification. I'll definitely stick with 6500k for veg and 2700k when it comes time to flower.

If i had the facilities to support an HID setup, I'd do it. I simply don't have the capabilities to vent my current space adequately, and being a total noob to all this, I'd like keep my overhead costs low for the first go round. I'm not overly concerned about a big heavy yield, but who doesn't love those, I'm just more/less experimenting at this point.

Should I mix color temps during flowering stage? I see some CFL operations that have a mixture of warm white and cool white, and I read somewhere that the 'full spectrum' effect helps out with flowering. Does full spectrum mean a mixture of color temps, or just one particular color temp?

 

[AmGrowR]

Welcome Toronto420. The lighting situation really isn't too hard. Especially with cfl's because you can keep them super close to the plant to help control height. I kept my 42w no more than 1 1/2" away from the plant at all times. Also if you want a couple poor man ideas, my journal is especially poor. "First timer experience growing grow" is what it's called. Hope you get a journal going. I'll follow! Go Habs Go!!!

 

[Toronto420]

Thanks AmGrowR your journal was helpful and encouraging, my situation won't be unlike yours and I'm going for the same results - experience, trial and error, any yield is a bonus.

Your little guy really did sprout up quickly, I can only imagine how he would have done had he been under that CFL the whole time. I'm definitely on the hunt for these 42W cfl's, they're the highest watt i've seen other than going to the PAR MAX 100+w cfls that are quite costly.

How much did your CFL cost approx? I've seen a few at hd and canadian tire, but only in warm colour temperatures. Some of the shots in your journal looked like it was a warmer colour temp, maybe a 3500k or 2700k, my plan is to get 2 or 3 of those but in 6500k (might be a challenge) to veg until my space gets limited, then go to a warmer color temp.

ps Go Leafs! I'm definitely more of a baseball/soccer fan, but I'll root for the dreadful old Leafs when i can

 

[AmGrowR]

Thanks AmGrowR your journal was helpful and encouraging, my situation won't be unlike yours and I'm going for the same results - experience, trial and error, any yield is a bonus.

Your little guy really did sprout up quickly, I can only imagine how he would have done had he been under that CFL the whole time. I'm definitely on the hunt for these 42W cfl's, they're the highest watt i've seen other than going to the PAR MAX 100+w cfls that are quite costly.

How much did your CFL cost approx? I've seen a few at hd and canadian tire, but only in warm colour temperatures. Some of the shots in your journal looked like it was a warmer colour temp, maybe a 3500k or 2700k, my plan is to get 2 or 3 of those but in 6500k (might be a challenge) to veg until my space gets limited, then go to a warmer color temp.

ps Go Leafs! I'm definitely more of a baseball/soccer fan, but I'll root for the dreadful old Leafs when i can

Hey Toronto420. I don't remember how much the light was. Couldn't have been more than 10$ though. I think. It also doesn't say anything about spectrum. Just says general purpose on the box. Hope these help.

p.s. I actually live in a city of Boston Bruins fans, but raised as a Habs fan!

 

[DroJo]

hey 42 watters are among the best cfls you can get in terms of lumens per watt.. so thats a great start.. all in all you are headed in the right direction..

with only two plants you get to pay a lot more attention to them individually...

there is a guy here with a phenomenal low budget grow.. i mean his grow box is a cardboard box and ductape, and he ventilates with pc fans.. but like i said he has a great great grow going.. his name is dfw-guy.. here is his thread, this should help you tonssss
Poor, CFL, Stealth, Maybe a Little Luck?

good luck bro

 

[AmGrowR]

hey 42 watters are among the best cfls you can get in terms of lumens per watt.. so thats a great start.. all in all you are headed in the right direction..

with only two plants you get to pay a lot more attention to them individually...

there is a guy here with a phenomenal low budget grow.. i mean his grow box is a cardboard box and ductape, and he ventilates with pc fans.. but like i said he has a great great grow going.. his name is dfw-guy.. here is his thread, this should help you tonssss
Poor, CFL, Stealth, Maybe a Little Luck?

good luck bro

I agree. dfw-guy is also very very helpful. He helped me along and gave me pointers throughout my entire grow. Also he really does have one of the best poor mans setups around.

 

[Toronto420]

dfwy-guy's journal is awesome, i can't wait for the harvest.

today i began gathering materials. i bought:

4x 23w Philips CFLs (6500k) at $5 each
a quart of flat white premium behr paint for $15
a keyed entry door handle for my grow closet $13

so far I have about $50 invested, and nothing germinated lol i won't win any prizes for having the cheapest poor man's grow, but i want to try and minimize the variables that could go wrong, so if it means spending a few extra bucks that's fine with me.

do you think I may have made the wrong lighting choice? here's how my choice broke down:

42w Philips (non-energy star rated) cfl's at 6500k were $11 each. they advertised 2800 initial lumens.

23w Philips (energy star rated) cfl's also at 6500k were $10 for a 2-pack advertising 1600 initial lumens each. my thinking was that by using these 4 lamps I'll end up with about 800 more lumens while using 6 more watts...

I plan on having just two light sockets, with a Y-adapter in each one, so each of my two plants will have 2 23w lamps to themselves. if you guys think I should take em back and go for the 42w big boys, let me know, otherwise I think I like the idea of the 23w...

here's my perception on 'energy star' ratings...they are often nothing more than a logo. they cost companies quite a lot of money to have that logo on their products, so if they don't plan on selling a ton of one certain product, they're unlikely to pursue energy star rating. especially if the product does not meet ES standards, and they need to modify it, clearly it's not worth it to have that rating. just my two cents, personally it doesn't mean a whole lot to me, any CFL is a hell of a lot more efficient than an incandescent or halogen lamp.

 

[Steve McStoferson]

I would stick with the 23W and just use more of them. They have a higher lumen/watt ratio (69/watt compared to 66/watt with the 42w bulbs)

You're on the right track dude. Check out my journal if you're looking for any CFL pointers. I have some plants in their second week of flowering right now and I LST'd the hell out of them to maximize the light they get. It's definitely the best way to go without using a HID light, as the florescent light wave loses its intensity very quickly over distance.