Is this CFL any good?

[caregiverken]

I should have done reading before buying CFL's..
.But Im not a real good researcher


I saw these at wall mart for 12 bucks and bought em cause they had a lot of lumens :sad0047:

http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-7896...YVWW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323194397&sr=8-4

They are bright. But kinda yellow, compared to the smaller ones I have been useing.

Product Description
"GE" COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULB FLE55HT5/2/SW/BX 55 Watt Equivalent To A 200W Incandescent Medium Base 3,860 Lumens 2,700 Kelvin Color Temperature 8,000 Hour Life Energy Star Compliant Boxed

will they work? Or did I blow the little money I have for lighting?

What kind of inexpensive bulb do you guys recommend?

Thanks for your help Sorry for the Newb Q's


:bong2:

 

[tattoojim]

when i vegged with cfls i went to lowes and bought packs of the 6500k = to a 100 watt incadesent. they kicked ass in groups of 5. the one you showed should b great to flower with. cfls kick ass in large groups.

 

[caregiverken]

Thanks Jim.
I guess I could save it for when I get a tent to flower in.
Or lighting for prevent early flower when I go outdoors in a couple months

This one is no good for vegging?

 

[ShutUpDonny]

No sir, that bulb is less than ideal. With CFLs you have to look at the K numbers. 4500k and up are "blue spectrum," similar to MH lamps, and are good for vegetative growth. Ones at 3200k and lower are red spectrum, like HPS lamps, and are good for flowering. That said, you can have one or two reds mixed in with a bunch of blues during veg and be fine, and the opposite during flower. In other words don't feel like you've wasted your cash.

And for the record, those 55w bulbs are great. I used a bunch of them (at 5000k) for sprouting seeds and gently lighting younger seedlings, and even for side fills once my babies - well, baby as of last week - got bigger. And I have several red versions to use as fills if I need them during veg, too. If you can get maybe four of each you can mix N match them as you go. That many will be good for probably 2 or 3 plants.

2 words of caution, though. 1) The higher wattage CFLs DO get hot, and will toast any leaves that come within an inch or so. 2) If you want a good yield you should consider more powerful lights down the road. CFLs aren't strong enough to cover much area of a plant, and the more light you can get to more leaves, the better your yield will be.

Sorry if any of this is stuff you already knew. I just experienced most of it first hand in the past few months while doing my first grow, so I though it could help you, too.

 

[caregiverken]

Sorry if any of this is stuff you already knew. I just experienced most of it first hand in the past few months while doing my first grow, so I though it could help you, too.

I burned a few leaves already :sad0047:

Great Post! Thanks!

EDIT 2 add;
I am just needing lights for seedling and preteens

Like this for veg?
http://www.amazon.com/Full-Spectrum-Light-Bulb-daylight/dp/B0019HZQPM/ref=pd_luc_sim_03_03_t_lh

edit to add

this one is cheaper

http://www.amazon.com/Square-Perfec...cent-Photography/dp/B000W07Y5M/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

Just as good?

 

[caregiverken]

Is this wing reflector a waste of money?

 

[caregiverken]

picked up a few of these for 3 bucks each...worth it

and a couple of these 4250 Lumens CFL bulb has natural daylight balanced color temperature of 5500K
Ideal for treatment of S.A.D. - Winter Blues

Just what i need for growing seed lings...:mmm

 

[unoeye]

Just what i need for growing seed lings...:mmm[/QUOTE]

I have that same bulb works great on my seedlings nice and bright and cool but this is my first time using CFL so I have nothing to base my comparison on.

El Monstre(Killa Queen x Blue Kronic) X GDP

 

[CrippledArcher]

I can say this, because we did the noob thing and let them veg to long. If you plan on CFL only don't veg for 6 weeks (3-4 tops), because when she stretches,and she will.You will have issues with penetration. We went to long in veg and now have big ass bushes, that I can see will be an issue supporting here really soon .

 

[kolah]

I don't like them because they contain mercury. Bad if they break, bad for disposal and bad for the folks in China who have to build them. To make it even worse our treasonic government will force us to use them.

Then again I am half-assed treehugging hippie.

 

[caregiverken]

I have that same bulb works great on my seedlings nice and bright and cool but this is my first time using CFL so I have nothing to base my comparison on.

El Monstre(Killa Queen x Blue Kronic) X GDP

Very nice plant! Thanks

I can say this, because we did the noob thing and let them veg to long. If you plan on CFL only don't veg for 6 weeks (3-4 tops), because when she stretches,and she will.You will have issues with penetration. We went to long in veg and now have big ass bushes, that I can see will be an issue supporting here really soon .

I hear ya Thanks

I don't like them because they contain mercury. Bad if they break, bad for disposal and bad for the folks in China who have to build them. To make it even worse our treasonic government will force us to use them.

Then again I am half-assed treehugging hippie.

Yeah well Your proably right but,
I am a cheap ass that buys china crap.
even though i know better :sad0047:

 

[ShutUpDonny]

@ CrippledArcher - That totally happened to me. I let my sprouts go 6 weeks to get them to a decent size, and then as soon as I flipped they got real leggy. Almost doubled their height in a week. If I just use LEDs the whole way next time should they not stretch as much?

@ kolah - Hey man, nothing wrong with thinking of the environmental cost of things. What kind of lights do you use? I honestly just kinda figured that they're all bad [read: was too lazy to do research] and let performance determine what I got. Christ, am I an American or what?

@ ken - Those CFL/reflector combos look great. They have em at a hydro store I've been to, to grow some nice jalapeno plants. That said, I don't think they're strong enough to do the job all by themselves. CFLs just can't penetrate deeply into foliage from what I've seen. Not to mention you'd still have to get both red and blue bulbs for each fixture. Sorry to be a bummer, man, but I figure it's better to call em like I see em.

My guess would be that you'd be better off spending the money on a bunch of the 65w CFLs in both red and blue, and rigging some reflectors out of soda cans (google "cfl soda can reflector"). I think you'll get better coverage for your $$$ that way. How many plants are you planning on growing, anyway?

 

[caregiverken]

Thanks again Donny I am just useing the cfls for seedlings till they are big enough to handle a 250w MH
I think most of my Bubba Gold seedlings are ready

Diary here


But I have lots of seeds and crosses to test

How many am I growing?....lol...who knows?...

:character0035: As many as I can!

 

[ShutUpDonny]

Hahaha that's awesome! I was just trying to ask you a bunch more questions but the website was locked up - looks like you answered em all for me anyway. I'll go check your diary and babble at you over there instead, if indeed there is anything for me to babble about (I'm a shut-in in the middle of the desert, so I'll just make something up if need be ;D ).

Grow on, brother.

 

[caregiverken]

:)

Im out of work, So its full time Farming and chating for me .

:passing joint:

and triming:sad0047:

 

[caregiverken]

Thanks again everyone.

I got the right ones now. The ups guy just brought em

Friggin big. and bright!

Just bought two to check them out. May have to order a sixpack :dull

 

[calbunn]

If you're going to mount them base up make sure they are rated for that since heat rising can make the ballast too hot on the base and it's bye bye kitty.

Been there and done that

 

[BUDOGHI]

I like half assed tree hugging hippies they usually have good pot!!!!!!!!!!Older is better.

 

[kolah]

I like half assed tree hugging hippies they usually have good pot!!!!!!!!!!Older is better.

LOL!

Cheers!

 

[caregiverken]

If you're going to mount them base up make sure they are rated for that since heat rising can make the ballast too hot on the base and it's bye bye kitty.

Been there and done that

Sounds like a good tip. Thanks I will check into that.