More smaller watt cfls or less bigger watt cfls

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hybridrace

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I have a question, i have been looking at a lot of cfl grows on this site and others. Lets say 300 watts of cfl is what is desired, how come i see people with 7 42 watt bulbs instead of 3 100 watt cfls, or even 1 300 watt cfl bulb?

thanks yall
 
J

jak

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You raise a good point man but I've never seen any CFL bigger than 42w
 
S

Swagnum grow-op

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i dont know others reasons but multiple light sources give better coverage ive gotten better results from two smaller lights than 1 bigger one, i have a 400w hps but i get better results from using a 175mh and a 150 hps wich only adds up to 325w. 75 watts less and better results and im not sure but i think its because the light energy is being emitted from two different sources not really sure as i have no scientific data to prove it but trial and error have been my best teachers
 
F

frostedlove

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MORE IS BETTER anyway you CUT it. In a micro grow, the more you can surround the buds with lights the better off you are. Bigger bulbs depending on size can put out more heat. So you have to be carefull how close. You can burn a girl crispy with a 75w cfl. They make ALL sizes of CFL. I had over 400 watts of mixed bulbs. From 45 watt to 175 watt. The more I could find the more I would add. Make it shine on those girls!
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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i dont know others reasons but multiple light sources give better coverage ive gotten better results from two smaller lights than 1 bigger one, i have a 400w hps but i get better results from using a 175mh and a 150 hps wich only adds up to 325w. 75 watts less and better results and im not sure but i think its because the light energy is being emitted from two different sources not really sure as i have no scientific data to prove it but trial and error have been my best teachers
I have a hard time reading you, but God damn it, you make me THINK every time I do. Much respect.

What color temp MH do you use? How blue have you gone with the MH bulbs? And, do you use that MH/HPS combo all through veg and flower?

I absolutely must agree with you and frosted that light spread and coverage are a big part of this equation. Until you start pushing major wattage you really *do* need some spread (multiple sources), at least this has been my experience using fluoros/CFLs.

However, since you're talking about mixing spectra here, I think that's worth some consideration as well. I've done one flowering run mixing MH (4000K, if I recall, but I can't say for sure) with HPS, and didn't think there was an appreciable difference. Plus, I was overdriving them both, and while the HPS took it just fine, I burned out the MH pretty quickly @ 3mos total life. I use fluoros/CFLs, all standard household bulbs, for vegging.
 
S

Swagnum grow-op

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thanks again sea maiden ,to be honest im an idiot and i dont really pay alot of attention to kelvin ratings for bulbs if thats what your reffering to as color temp the main reason i dont is because most distributors dont advertise that info when marketing products and the ones that do the merchandise is severly overpriced IMHO,as far as vegging i use a combo of CFLs and MH in attemp to limit stretch and flowering i use em all HPS and MH above canopy and CFLs on the sides for supplemental
 
E

EACH1TEACH1

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i think people go for the small cfl's because they are easy to come by. it takes a little more searching to find larger cfl's. the 42w put out 2700 lumen or around there not bad. big ones are at good grow shops. i would go with t-5 if you have the dough. penetrates deeper+more lumens, very needed to keep girls happy. peace.
 
U

Underground

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I think another benefit of having equal wattage over more lamps is that a burnt out lamp will cause less light loss. If it was just one light and it burnt out, you may even inadvertently put your vegging plants into flower and then shock them when you fix it. But I imaging one light out of ten burning out would be more like a cloudy day than a change of season.
 
E

EACH1TEACH1

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never thought of the burning out factor. i guess thats because im always around. but if your not around that much you might want to throw 1 or two small cfls in room, just in case main light burns out. t5's will have up to 8 bulbs so you should be straight. just got my t5s, i was using 42w cfl + 27w 6500k. t5 is 5 times better than the 7 smaller cfls i had. remember lumens is what we are going for. watts doesnt mean that much to our girls.
 
S

Swagnum grow-op

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by each1teach1:i think people go for the small cfl's because they are easy to come by.

i agree with that wholeheartedly,and we must also remember not everyone lives in a med state with shops that cater to our market,and i swear some of the cust service reps from the intranet sales sites are the some of the dumbest bag o bitches you could ever have the misfortune of asking for help

ive never seen anyone else use theese but there 65 watt cool blue not sure about the lumen output but there great for veg and supplemental light during flower,and best belive when i get a more stable worksite i will upgrade to the T-5s hands done best flouros you can get 2,4or8 bulbs at 2or4 ft long almost impossible to not be able to find something that will work for you in T-5
 
Cfl 2
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
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I almost filled my vegging table with those, and the bulbs are marked at 6500K, a little bit on the blue side, yeah, but mixed with lower Kelvin rated bulbs is still looking really good for vegging, and maybe for supplementing HID during flowering (this is for me I'm talking about here).

Good stuff.
 
D

dramabeatz20

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by each1teach1:i think people go for the small cfl's because they are easy to come by.

i agree with that wholeheartedly,and we must also remember not everyone lives in a med state with shops that cater to our market,and i swear some of the cust service reps from the intranet sales sites are the some of the dumbest bag o bitches you could ever have the misfortune of asking for help

ive never seen anyone else use theese but there 65 watt cool blue not sure about the lumen output but there great for veg and supplemental light during flower,and best belive when i get a more stable worksite i will upgrade to the T-5s hands done best flouros you can get 2,4or8 bulbs at 2or4 ft long almost impossible to not be able to find something that will work for you in T-5

OMG I would love to come up on one of these bro... A buddy of mine down the street used this to veg some of his girls in a micro grow and they loved it!!! I went back to where he got his and couldnt find any others tho... Where'd u find urs at bro?
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
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They're sold at all the big box outfits. Home de Pot, Lowe'sdown, places like that.
 
C

Cartoon Head

41
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On ebay there`s a "cuttings lamp" that`s good also for veging up to flower time.It`s not expensive either,about £30-£40.
 
D

dramabeatz20

33
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Nice seamaiden Im putting together a box to start some of my IAfs in before i put em out this summer and i think those are what i might grab...
 

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