Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons

[Sampas92]

I personally like to give my plants as much light as possible and get them used to it as soon as possible.

The total amount of light is the biggest factor in the total yield at the end.

People here on this thread are around 1 gram per Watt and some are pushing close to 2 grams per Watt when they have everything dialed in perfectly along with the newest, most efficient SILs.


My last plant yielded 186 grams running off of 220 Watts for my entire grow (LED strips, power supplies, and fans)

I only ended up with 0.85 grams/Watt and it took 16 weeks, but I was really only concerned about my final yield.
(I made all kinds of mistakes and stunted my plant)


You need to factor in the cost of the bulbs, the cost of electricity, and the length of time it takes to grow a plant, but you should be able to estimate that you will get about 1 gram/Watt.


In the end, the total yield is proportional to the Watts of light.

I know, i read this thread 2 times, every comment so im aware of all that..im considering the thing that autos like less intense light, and is not good too give them a bad environment to dont slow growth and since at this stage she needs a lot of humidity and warm air im tryin to make that my goal..
I already looked at vdp charts, flux charts, i try to research a lot before doin anything in my live and somethimes for fear i dont do the things right with the thing that "less is more", in this case i dont want to stunt her by environment or nutes or anything, but i ended up slowing her progress by 3 days so in the end i did shit again but at least it was easy so solve..
I dont spend a lot on the environment, hygrostat controller for 30 euros on aliexpress a 25w heating cable for 15 and the mini humidifier is dc so you can imagine
And that in my micro i think is a must since at this size the changes in the environment are very fast and thats not good so i want to avoid it still getting her the best climate possible to do what she needs to do and in my case the power spented on it is low compared with the lights for the entire grow, i think i can manage the humy pretty good in the flowering stage. My concern is at this fragile stage.
Im thinking that since if feel the hot air getting vented passively, air exchange is ocurring, maybe not at the right level that it should be, i know there is formulas here to calculate the air flow and everything but honestly i didnt do it..
I know you are a beginner but you have more experience than me and you already helped me with the lights so...
The thing i notice too is the first pair really curled down, and the image of claw nitrogen deficiency comes to my mind but the soil is light mix so i discard, maybe soil too wet?
Its stressing me out not getting this thing right..
Why you dont use one of those kinda small ac connected to a controller?you could spend more electrcity but maybe you get more grams because of the more suitable environment for them?

 

[PCBuds]

From what I know, everything is critical with a seedling and affects the entire life of the plant.

Autoflowers don't like to be transplanted and are best off being started right in their final home.

Autoflowers like to grow their roots deep and a tall skinny pot is better than a short fat pot.

You've done a lot more research than me.
I'm just kinda winging it and hope for the best. Lol


I'm my experience, I could recover from almost all of my mistakes with the only drawback being that she takes longer.

It's hard to wait 16 weeks for a plant but I have enough of a stockpile to wait comfortably.


My advice would be to take a breath, smoke a joint and try to wait for her.

The only emergency that needs immediate attention is mold or bugs.


Give her time or she might get tired of you and want to find a new boyfriend. Lol

Don't analyze or love her to death.
Patience is a virtue.

You're doing fine!
She looks great!

Remember that you could probably take one of your seeds and go out into the forest, plant it, and come back two months later and harvest it.

It's a weed. It can take care of itself.

You just need to hurry up and wait. Lol

Why you dont use one of those kinda small ac connected to a controller?you could spend more electrcity but maybe you get more grams because of the more suitable environment for them?

I tried to control my exhaust fan with a controller but it didn't work.
Something to do with the type of AC motor it has?

My circulation fan in the closet is controllable but I just leave it on full blast. (12V)


I'm kinda lazy and don't want to do much.

I've got 25 more LED strips that I want to install but haven't gotten around to it. Lol

Maybe someday.

 

[SamsonsRiddle]

I know, i read this thread 2 times, every comment so im aware of all that..im considering the thing that autos like less intense light, and is not good too give them a bad environment to dont slow growth and since at this stage she needs a lot of humidity and warm air im tryin to make that my goal..
I already looked at vdp charts, flux charts, i try to research a lot before doin anything in my live and somethimes for fear i dont do the things right with the thing that "less is more", in this case i dont want to stunt her by environment or nutes or anything, but i ended up slowing her progress by 3 days so in the end i did shit again but at least it was easy so solve..
I dont spend a lot on the environment, hygrostat controller for 30 euros on aliexpress a 25w heating cable for 15 and the mini humidifier is dc so you can imagine
And that in my micro i think is a must since at this size the changes in the environment are very fast and thats not good so i want to avoid it still getting her the best climate possible to do what she needs to do and in my case the power spented on it is low compared with the lights for the entire grow, i think i can manage the humy pretty good in the flowering stage. My concern is at this fragile stage.
Im thinking that since if feel the hot air getting vented passively, air exchange is ocurring, maybe not at the right level that it should be, i know there is formulas here to calculate the air flow and everything but honestly i didnt do it..
I know you are a beginner but you have more experience than me and you already helped me with the lights so...
The thing i notice too is the first pair really curled down, and the image of claw nitrogen deficiency comes to my mind but the soil is light mix so i discard, maybe soil too wet?
Its stressing me out not getting this thing right..
Why you dont use one of those kinda small ac connected to a controller?you could spend more electrcity but maybe you get more grams because of the more suitable environment for them?

if you need to raise your temperature in a smaller area, try one of these:

also, with a plant that small don't try to judge deficiencies or anything like that yet. just make sure you don't give too much water.

 

[PCBuds]

If he's just trying to raise his temperatures with bulbs, he could use SILs of the same wattage.

He could leave the globes on and use warm color bulbs.
We tend to switch to warm bulbs during flower to imitate fall colors with the sun lower on the horizon, but the sun is low on the horizon in the spring too.

The problem is that CFLs are becoming rarer and will soon disappear.

LEDs are here to stay and we can learn to work with them.


But, there will be a lot of trial and error involved with trying to dial it in.
(I like to turn all the dials all the way up. Lol)

 

[PCBuds]

... just make sure you don't give too much water.

^^^ What he said.

Me, as a beginner, have had a really hard time with watering.

I go from muck to powder dry.
An 8" plant to a 4' plant.


What is helping me was switching to a 50/50 mix of Cocoa coir and perlite.
It's almost impossible to overwater so you can water it every day if you want.

You do need to watch your nutes and PH though because the mixture is inert, and you have to water more often because the media doesn't hold much moisture.

 

[PCBuds]

My plants are flowering, so I switched out my daylight bulbs for warm bulbs.

 

[Sampas92]

Thanks for the answers guys..
Pc buds i indeed research, its my first grow ever. But i've been reading, threads, posts, foruns, articles, youtube since i was 16, im 28 now. Not intensive research, just reading as i wanted it..alot of times i forget about the subject, than i gain interest again, and i did that way because i dint have the means to grow and now i have and even if i do research, learning by talking to others and their experience is the best way..
For example maybe 5 6 years ago?i saw a thread of one guy that cultivates plants in uk just for show, a lot of plant, different species..he had a lot of land by heritage and was a family hobby that he professionalizes..he growed just autos, most dinafem with a soil buyed from the web that he was using from seed to harvest in every type of plant he was growing, the name of it was multiclover of something like that..he aimed for a maximum height of 40 cm and 60cm wide of the plant, a lot of tucking leaves, lst just with strings getting the most of light possible on all of the internodes because he said it helps the development..he was using just calmag a bloom as nutes nothing more, 24 light strait on, with only 400w hps and he runned always 4 to 6 plants..im not kidding when i say he was getting an average from 150 to 200g dry from each plant..sadly i dont remember the forum where i have seen it or print screened the post of him..and for the ones that are gonna say thats a lot of grams for that light, others from the forum tried and reached the same result but is a lot of work because you need eyes constainly on the plants for tucking leaves and lst to keep the lights at the internodes and im gonna try that..
Your right, i did read that autos prefer more tall pots that photoperiod but they grow the same..


Samsonriddle thanks for the sugestion but in temps im fine, i have a heating cable in a environment controller that keeps the temps at check with a difference of just 0.5 to 1c max..
Im having a little bit of problems with the humidity since i cant manage it above 66% with the circulation fan and exctract fan on, i just can keep one or another on, not both..and i notice that there are slight diferences of reading in different zones of the grow with one or another on even if its a microgrow. For example i notice less humity with the excract fan on and the circulation fan off at the cannopy, but the fog that comes from the humidifier go straight through the plant, with exctract off and the circulation on the fog is disperced arround all of the cab, but soon i will get another minihimidifier like i have now and thats solved..
About the watering, since i moistened the 11l soil with 0.5litres of ph regulated water with bactohemp o right before i plant the seed, i didnt watered it again
im even considering that the soil could be a little too moistened and that with the low light levels and the shalow pot (10cm height) in the first 3 days did the stagnant growth, not nute deficiency..
I learn allot with my eyes and even all the images in the world, i need to talk to someone that had seedlings to have a way to compare mine even if the conditions are different like for exemple the speed of growth, what can expect to see growth wise..

But i think im way better know, yesterday at lights off at 1am i dindt see any signs of the second pair of leaves, and in this moment at 15:07 (lights start at 5am) im seeing the start of the second pair, the first pair is a bit widder but the leaves are curled down the same, not longer but widder but still curled..in the first 3 days that she was stagnat the cotylodons and the first pair was curled down, with more light the cotylodons did indeed uncurled but the first pair didnt?maybe that autos trait that they dont recover from certain things, dont know..
Since im getting new grothw im just wait to see if its in the right way now..
Thanks for everything guys, this icmag is a pretty good commumity
Peace

 

[Sampas92]

I tried to control my exhaust fan with a controller but it didn't work.
Something to do with the type of AC motor it has?

No, i was talking off getting one of thosen AC's that are rectangular and long but small, wired to a temp controller..

Really, thank you guys

And now for you to see the diffence, the day before yesterday at lights off the first pair was the same size as the second is now

Thank you guys

 

[Sunshineinabag]

Gonna need watering soon

 

[Sampas92]

Gonna need watering soon

You read my mind, i was thinking if it would need water in the following days.

Even considering that it didnt develop at all in the first 3 days of her life?
i notice the soil is still humid, and my humidier is running a lot almost 24 hours to keep the humidity % so it keeps the evaporation soil at a lower speed i supose?i drilled a lot holes for run of in the bottom and the intakes holes are right just under the pot..
I did notice that as the days went by the humidity was harder to keep bit by bit..maybe in 2 3 days?200 ml?what you think?
Sorry for write such testaments kkkkkk

 

[Sampas92]

Gonna need watering soon

And just one more question, you say that by experience, or something you notice on the images?overall heatlth, or the soil appearing to be dry..

 

[PCBuds]

@Sampas92
You should start your own grow diary.

You can list everything you are using and doing.
If you make lots of posts with lots of pictures, a lot of people will see it and will try to help.

There are a lot of people here that really know their stuff.

They have helped me immensely.

 

[aliceklar]

@Sampas92
You should start your own grow diary.

You can list everything you are using and doing.
If you make lots of posts with lots of pictures, a lot of people will see it and will try to help.

There are a lot of people here that really know their stuff.

They have helped me immensely.

Seconded! I've learnt so much from the community here - some really experienced growers. Doing a grow diary is also a good idea. It helps to have a record of what you did when, so you can get things dialled in (or remember which were the best plants when it comes to clones or seeds later)
Peace
AK

 

[Sampas92]

I have my ownngrow diary too
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=9057734#post9057734

 

[Sampas92]

(or remember which were the best plants when it comes to clones or seeds later)
Peace
AK

Clones and moms, thats my ultimate goal..what i wanted was a lot of clones on little pots, in a blumat or SIP to just water and forget, and being the clones in small pots be able to grow them strait up without the work of lst, many small planta with one long cola..but for now i dont have the money to get a mother/clone cab so im running autos for now.

 

[aliceklar]

Clones and moms, thats my ultimate goal..what i wanted was a lot of clones on little pots, in a blumat or SIP to just water and forget, and being the clones in small pots be able to grow them strait up without the work of lst, many small planta with one long cola..but for now i dont have the money to get a mother/clone cab so im running autos for now.

Clones and/or making your own seed is the way to go if you want to save money on seeds - get a good cutting from a friend who grows and make lots of plants, grow some bagseed from a nice smoke, use the best male bagseed plants to pollinate a clone, have fun growing out the offspring and finding keeper moms. They do need some care, tho...

 

[Sampas92]

Clones and/or making your own seed is the way to go if you want to save money on seeds - get a good cutting from a friend who grows and make lots of plants, grow some bagseed from a nice smoke, use the best male bagseed plants to pollinate a clone, have fun growing out the offspring and finding keeper moms. They do need some care, tho...

I know but unfortanly in my country there is not a cultivar culture, so i dont even know anyone who grows. Even here on icma the last post in the zone where the countrys are its from 2014, just think kkkkk
Not even bagseed, nowadays we are getting hash and pretty low quality, so weed is not to be found..
i just need one harvest to get money to the mother cab and from there, continue to evolve..
Thanks for the sugestion

 

[f-e]

I've quite a few of the free beans that come with seedbank orders. Stored well but unwanted. Message me when you get to 50 posts and I will send some, if it's not going to get us killed.

 

[Sampas92]

I've quite a few of the free beans that come with seedbank orders. Stored well but unwanted. Message me when you get to 50 posts and I will send some, if it's not going to get us killed.

Thank you for help and the offer i will do ? you guys are awesome

 

[#1cheesebuds]

Is this a good black friday deal? And can it handle a regular light socket.

Check this out: LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, CANAGROW 300W Full Spectr...*https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T47G2L2..._CaOWFb40PN81P