P
Poe_Ettic
would it be ok to just use this type of bulb throughout the entire growing process and just switch the light cycles or would the fact that there is no difference in the kelvin's hurt the plants?
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i dont find the "warm light", "day light", "cool light" mention on the package; (warm is 2700-3000°); i did two grow from start to end with 2700 and 3000° light, it does works but the grow phase will go slower than with "day light" or "cool light"
so it depends whenever your lights are warm or cold
at last you should be able to find it out; if the light is yellow it is certainly around 2k7-3k2; if the light is white/blue, it is cold light
so it depends whenever your lights are warm or cold
at last you should be able to find it out; if the light is yellow it is certainly around 2k7-3k2; if the light is white/blue, it is cold light
tatachristin
Member
hey,
pulse is right, 2700K from start to end does work, if you dont wanna spend much money, this is the best solution, only 6400K does not give good results in flowering time.
look carefuly at the package for the temp of color, which is the more important with the power of the bulb.
the best you can have is 4200K during growing and 2700 or better 2100 (i dont think there are 2100K 23w CFL.., it exists on higher power (125w or 210w smartlight for example)) during the flowering.
bye
pulse is right, 2700K from start to end does work, if you dont wanna spend much money, this is the best solution, only 6400K does not give good results in flowering time.
look carefuly at the package for the temp of color, which is the more important with the power of the bulb.
the best you can have is 4200K during growing and 2700 or better 2100 (i dont think there are 2100K 23w CFL.., it exists on higher power (125w or 210w smartlight for example)) during the flowering.
bye
j.guit.err
Member
The 6500Ks will give much better results for veg ime. I did it with 2700 all the way through last grow, and they stretched a ton. With the 6500s this time, they are growing much tighter nodes, so I'd recommend going with 6500 then buying the 2700s for flowering later.
riskofwater
Member
j.guit.err
Member
I'm going to try that as well. For my current veg, I've got 4 6500Ks, 2 3500Ks, and 1 2700K. Trying to do the same in flower but with more 2700ks.
tatachristin
Member
hi,
it's useless to give your plants a long time of veg, small plants are the best you can have with CFL. that's why i think SCROG is interesting, a small carpet of hard buds upon the screen
bye
yes, this is possible to get great buds with CFL, the best way, i think, is to SCROG or SOG, you keep the plants near of the bulbs, because they can't light through a deep canopy.
it's useless to give your plants a long time of veg, small plants are the best you can have with CFL. that's why i think SCROG is interesting, a small carpet of hard buds upon the screen
bye
I agree with tatachristin. From my research I have found that going SCROG or SOG is the best use of limited space and light. Home Depot has 27 watt double pack 6700 K - 1600 lumen for 10 bucks. I am using 45 gallon Rubbermaids with 16 x 27 watt 6700 K which gives me 25,600 Lumens. From what I understand when using CFL's it is not the watts that we need to be concerned about but rather the lumens per square foot. I found some cheap 85 watt, 6700 K, 5000 Lumen bulbs for 25 bucks as Atlanta Light Bulbs. They also have 105 watt for the same price. GO figure. Good luck Poe Ettic
tatachristin
Member
hi,
according to most of CFL users, the best way to use them is to reduce as possible the size of the buds.i dont mean to have small bud, but not to have plants with a big cola and small buds downer, that mean effectively 2 choices :
-SOG, a sea of small onebuds (15-20cm) in very small pots
-SCROG, buds only over the screen, nothing under (even no leaves because of rot)
about your lamps, they seem good, once more according to CFL users, a few high wattage or one big CFL (250 or 300w) are better than lots of small (12-20w) ones.
I tried a "big harvest" under 2*125w CFL, these are onebuds which are good i think in order to make a "productivity session" (made under 2*125w CFL, pots a 1L, there were about 25 onebuds in my box of 70*50) :
however, be careful about the temp, you're talkin bout 6400K ==> growing stage, if you wanna flower with CFL, you gotta chose 2700 or 2100K.
bye
according to most of CFL users, the best way to use them is to reduce as possible the size of the buds.i dont mean to have small bud, but not to have plants with a big cola and small buds downer, that mean effectively 2 choices :
-SOG, a sea of small onebuds (15-20cm) in very small pots
-SCROG, buds only over the screen, nothing under (even no leaves because of rot)
about your lamps, they seem good, once more according to CFL users, a few high wattage or one big CFL (250 or 300w) are better than lots of small (12-20w) ones.
I tried a "big harvest" under 2*125w CFL, these are onebuds which are good i think in order to make a "productivity session" (made under 2*125w CFL, pots a 1L, there were about 25 onebuds in my box of 70*50) :
however, be careful about the temp, you're talkin bout 6400K ==> growing stage, if you wanna flower with CFL, you gotta chose 2700 or 2100K.
bye
I2KanGrow
Active member
Just a little hint, for if you can't find the color temperature on the box - Use Daylight (or mostly daylight) CFL's for growing, and Soft White (or mostly soft white) for flowering.
If that isn't found anywhere on the box, then you can look @ the base of the lamp itself - they must be labeled in accordance to UL standards: Lamps with the "D" suffix is daylight (higher K temp) lamp, Lamps with the "SW" suffix, (lower K temps) are soft white lamps. I've circled examples of both for clarification below.
- The above lamp is a 20W Daylight lamp, which would be used for growing
- the above is a 26W Soft white lamp, appropriate for flowering.
Hope this helps-out!!
If that isn't found anywhere on the box, then you can look @ the base of the lamp itself - they must be labeled in accordance to UL standards: Lamps with the "D" suffix is daylight (higher K temp) lamp, Lamps with the "SW" suffix, (lower K temps) are soft white lamps. I've circled examples of both for clarification below.
- The above lamp is a 20W Daylight lamp, which would be used for growing
- the above is a 26W Soft white lamp, appropriate for flowering.
Hope this helps-out!!
stink.whistler
Member
There is some disagreement on that, the lower wattage CFLs are more efficient than th emid wattage, not sure about how efficient the really high wattage CFLs are.
Some folks also think the multiple points of light lower wattage CFLs give are advantageous over a single super high wattage bulb (essentially you get the same penetration with multiple points of lower wattage light as you do with a single very high wattage light, and you have an easier to deal with heat problem as it is more spread out).
Your 23 watt bulbs are actually very efficient (as compared to the 42 watt bulbs, for example) - not sure what your color temps are, but you should be able to get a good grow from those bulbs.
found it at home depot.. http://www.lightbulbemporium.com/tcp_tcp28968_68watt_springlamp.asp
Kalifornia
Member
I seen at home depot the other day some 28 watt CFL daylight bulbs that have the light output of 130w.
the highest i've seen .. no soft white, but cool white for sure.
the highest i've seen .. no soft white, but cool white for sure.
You'll get better results buying 15 1$ 23w to 27w bulbs. You'll need to get a few more sockets and do a little more wiring but your results will be better. You don't get something for nothing.
Flowering on 6500k
Flowering on 6500k
I hate to dredge this thread up out of the past, but I wanted to add my experience on flowering with a light other than 2700k. My first two grows were both flowered on 6500k (because that's all I had). I used a 200w CFL hanging vertically, with four plants around it for grow 1 and two plants around it in grow 2. All the plants reached about the same height in the end, as they were all grown in the same 2x2x3 foot cabinet. The 2-plant-grow of course had wider plants as they had more room to expand in the cabinet. The first grow yielded 4.4 ounces (0.616 grams/watt) and the second yielded about 3.5 ounces.
Also, the second grow (which I documented here on icmag) had one particularly large bud that grew right next to the light. In fact, the size of the buds was basically proportional to the distance from the light. So, it would seem that LUX is the key (amount of lumens per square meter). The closer you place something to the light source, the more Lux you will have, which theoretically would produce better results. The trick is apparently finding just the right amount of Lux for the plants. Too little and they don't thrive. Too much and they burn. Thankfully, the range is fairly large, so it's hard to completely screw it up (though I've managed it a few times too). Just remember to properly ventilate the plants so they don't develop "hot spots" or have an accumulation of dampness which can lead to rot.
FYI: You can get very inexpensive Lux meters online that work great. I bought one for $25 and it clearly shows how much the intensity of light increases as you get closer to the source.
So, you CAN flower on 6500k successfully, although everyone I know uses 2700k. I'm currently flowering 4 plants under a 250w 2100k CFL (same cabinet, same setup) so I'll be able to see how much difference it makes. I went with the 2100k because of how popular it is in Europe (hey, if they love it, it can't be that bad) and because it was half the price of the 2700k.
Flowering on 6500k
I hate to dredge this thread up out of the past, but I wanted to add my experience on flowering with a light other than 2700k. My first two grows were both flowered on 6500k (because that's all I had). I used a 200w CFL hanging vertically, with four plants around it for grow 1 and two plants around it in grow 2. All the plants reached about the same height in the end, as they were all grown in the same 2x2x3 foot cabinet. The 2-plant-grow of course had wider plants as they had more room to expand in the cabinet. The first grow yielded 4.4 ounces (0.616 grams/watt) and the second yielded about 3.5 ounces.
Also, the second grow (which I documented here on icmag) had one particularly large bud that grew right next to the light. In fact, the size of the buds was basically proportional to the distance from the light. So, it would seem that LUX is the key (amount of lumens per square meter). The closer you place something to the light source, the more Lux you will have, which theoretically would produce better results. The trick is apparently finding just the right amount of Lux for the plants. Too little and they don't thrive. Too much and they burn. Thankfully, the range is fairly large, so it's hard to completely screw it up (though I've managed it a few times too). Just remember to properly ventilate the plants so they don't develop "hot spots" or have an accumulation of dampness which can lead to rot.
FYI: You can get very inexpensive Lux meters online that work great. I bought one for $25 and it clearly shows how much the intensity of light increases as you get closer to the source.
So, you CAN flower on 6500k successfully, although everyone I know uses 2700k. I'm currently flowering 4 plants under a 250w 2100k CFL (same cabinet, same setup) so I'll be able to see how much difference it makes. I went with the 2100k because of how popular it is in Europe (hey, if they love it, it can't be that bad) and because it was half the price of the 2700k.
