Lumens CFL/HPS

[THEMEDIC]

I've always used single or multiples of 400watt HPS lights for a 3'X3' canopy,this gives me around 5555 lumens sf...
my question is whats the differents between the 400W giving 5555 and say a 85W CFL giving 5500 over the same sf?

besides needing 9 CFL's and 55L/sf more to cover the same area..

 

[The Dopest]

add another 5 to the HPS specs:wink:

 

[Sauce]

He's saying 5555 lumens / square foot, not total lumens.

The big difference is intensity. If you buy a bunch of fluros to match the lumens of a 400w, it's going to be the same amount of light, it just won't go quite as far. If close enough, the fluros may produce similar results to a hid light. If you can try to find PAR ratings, they are the most accurate measurement of actual light available to the plant.

Personally if you want to use that much fluro light just use a hid light, otherwise you're just paying a bigger electric bill for what will most likely be a lesser yield/growth rate.

 

[THEMEDIC]

I couldn't find any difference except for the penetration issue ....I have 3 42w(150w equiv each) with 2750 lumens each and a temp of 2700kelvin..I'll be using these to light 1 square foot~(flowering) so I have 126W(450w equiv)with a total of 8250lumens....I'm well over the 50w/sf min and closer to the 10000lumens than the 5000lumens min needed...I have 4 strains started...NorthernLights #5,Skunk#1,BigBud and WhiteWidow...I also have 3 unknowns and 5 "MysteryMix".....I know the 3 unknowns are a southernQuebec indoor/outdoor strain but as of yet,unidentified...

I havent decided which strain will "volenteer" for the experiment but I'm sure one of the girls will be more than willing...the rest will be under my faithful 400's...

Sauce, I'd love to get the PAR spec's for these(and a lot of other lights)but as you know light companys rarely have that info availible for their lights..(there are exception ofcourse)..I did find a page to calculate a relative"PAR" for light using a basic formula..but with too many unknowns in the specific light im using I have to rely on the lumens...PAR