stanknkatz
- Posts
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- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
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Ideally you want at least 50 watts of light per sq ft of your grow footprint.
Now here's the kicker, the type of light matters. CFL's and flouros in general do not put off many lumens, and the light penetration sucks, which is why a lot of folks use metal halide and high pressure sodium lights. My 400 hps gave off 40000 lumens ( initially, that deteriorates slowly over time ). But, MH and HPS run the electric bill thru the roof. You can do the math and figure out how many cfl bulbs and fixtures you'd need to get that. Also, MH and HPS have issues with heat. Likewise, with that many cfl's, you will also have issues with heat in an enclosed area.
Currently I'm into my 3rd grow with LED lights ( I can't deal with the expense of a heavy electric bill), and am liking it, altho it's a learning curve and I'm still trying to dial things in. I bought 2 tents recently, 1 for veg/nursery and 1 for flower, have no issues with heat using just a passive intake and a 6" exhaust fan. My lights are from BML
I would hazard you'd be better off with one of those led systems rather than all those cfl's plus the fixtures.
Bottom line, if you are going to continue this hobby, and really want to see some decent results, I'd suggest investing in the equipment to make it happen.
Also, I'd suggest researching on this site. A LOT. All the info you need is there, just got to put the legwork in to finding it.
Now here's the kicker, the type of light matters. CFL's and flouros in general do not put off many lumens, and the light penetration sucks, which is why a lot of folks use metal halide and high pressure sodium lights. My 400 hps gave off 40000 lumens ( initially, that deteriorates slowly over time ). But, MH and HPS run the electric bill thru the roof. You can do the math and figure out how many cfl bulbs and fixtures you'd need to get that. Also, MH and HPS have issues with heat. Likewise, with that many cfl's, you will also have issues with heat in an enclosed area.
Currently I'm into my 3rd grow with LED lights ( I can't deal with the expense of a heavy electric bill), and am liking it, altho it's a learning curve and I'm still trying to dial things in. I bought 2 tents recently, 1 for veg/nursery and 1 for flower, have no issues with heat using just a passive intake and a 6" exhaust fan. My lights are from BML
I would hazard you'd be better off with one of those led systems rather than all those cfl's plus the fixtures.
Bottom line, if you are going to continue this hobby, and really want to see some decent results, I'd suggest investing in the equipment to make it happen.
Also, I'd suggest researching on this site. A LOT. All the info you need is there, just got to put the legwork in to finding it.