Watts vs. lumens? Which is better?

zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
:weed:hello, I have one 4 week old clone and i was using just a 23 watt CFL. i wanted to get more wattage to my plant so i got a 42 Watt CFL. Then i noticed that the 23 watt bulb looks to have more lumens?! Is more lumens better or more wattage? I am planing on getting more lights but for right now i have to work with what i have! thanks for your advice!:joint:
 
maximus316

maximus316

Active Member
the more watts put out the more lumens that will be put out, in most cases. Try a 400 watt hps, beef em right up
 
zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
yea i really want to get a HPS but i dont have an fixture yet. can i just screw and small one into my fixture that i have now which is like a spot light fixture? do you have any suggestions on a small set up. i am planing to get a "pop" up grow room cause i dont have a spare room or anything, right now it is in my bathroom with the light close. it is growing but i want to do the best i can for it until i get my grow room.
 
zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
oh also the light happends to be a soft white, how does that come into play? it looks a little less intense then the other one.
 
svchop889

svchop889

Well-Known Member
yes watts do equal lumens but different lights have different wattage to lumen output ratios an hps will put out more lumens per watt than a cfl will, and if you ment so say that wattage and lumens were the same thing your wrong, the 65 watts he or she has will do more than keep the plant alive... just not much more, and zoocick the difference your seeing between the two could possibly be because the two lights might have different light spectrum outputs cfls have a wide range of light wavelengths from daylight spectrums to cool blue spectrums
 
maximus316

maximus316

Active Member
Very true, if your on a tight budget you can go to home depot and purchase a 150 watt hps light, will do way better than cfl's. You want more of a blue spectrum during veg like cfl's or metal halide, and for flowering your want more red spectrum like hps or they have flo's that have more of the red spectrum in them.
 
maximus316

maximus316

Active Member
Honestly your could do a whole crop with cfl's but you wont see the results that you would see with a hps. I only use cfl's for seedlings and for cuttings, you will get to much stretching with them and your buds will be wispy and not as dense as they should be. Keep your canopy with 1-3 inchs of the lights when using cfl's
 
zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
hi and thanks SVC!! right now i have it on a 20/4 light cycleand planning on starting 18/6 soon. As far as fixtures right not i only have the one hanging above the plant. i also have tin foil around the pot. The plant is definatly growing but i keep feeling like i need a better light ( for what i can do at the moment). I saw at home depot they have small HPS 's that will fit my fixture but i am not sure cause all the HPS say to use them with special fixtures.
 
zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
Thanks MAXI! I have seen the results of the HPS and definatly want to get there! any Ideas on how to get my plant to be more bushy?
also guys or gals, is it ok to spray her every so often with a dilute plant food mixture or is just water better?
 
svchop889

svchop889

Well-Known Member
id say no farther than 2in but keep good air circulation, it would do you good to get like a rubermaid storage tote the 20gal size and paint the inside of it white or tape un crumpled foil to the interior of the tote cut holes in the lid for your lights and a hole to put a ventilation fan in a 12 comp fan from radioshack would work the idea is to conceal and reflect back as much or that cfl as you can
 
svchop889

svchop889

Well-Known Member
does it have multiple u shaped tubes? how many watts is it? what kind of bulb did it have originally/there should be a label with output specs on the fixture
 
svchop889

svchop889

Well-Known Member
johnny961 said:
Unless you are growing where u arent in charge use cfls.
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yeah if you dont pay the bill the CFLs are going to be the most unnoticed they are very efficient and run alot cooler than hps and metal halide, hps and Mh often require cooling tubes and other ventilaiton equipment cfls only need a good fan.
 
zoochick415

zoochick415

Member
that is a great idea SVC i never thought of a big rubbermaid container! I have cats so i have been keeping it in the bathroom :( but that is perfect for now until i get my grow room. Now i should i stick with the CFLs or should i get the small HPS? is my 20/4 lighting ok or should i go to 18/6?
 
svchop889

svchop889

Well-Known Member
zoochick415 said:
Thanks MAXI! I have seen the results of the HPS and definatly want to get there! any Ideas on how to get my plant to be more bushy?
also guys or gals, is it ok to spray her every so often with a dilute plant food mixture or is just water better?
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i wouldn't spray the plant until you have at least a dark period of 6 hours so they have time to dry off ( i killed a few by spraying because the droplets acted like a magnifying glass and burnt the leaves) but watering with it is safer and only once every 3 waterings unless it obviously has some nutrient deficiencys
 
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