Using the wrong spectrum :(:(:(
- Thread starter Doctor
- Start date
mogie
Well-Known Member
BASIC INFORMATION
Compact fluorescents are close relatives of the 4ft tube fluorescents, commonly used in shops and schools for their white, soft light that does not cast any defined shadows. These lights are long tubes, usually 4ft long, filled with a gas that releases a photon of light when excited by electricity. The electricity is passed through the tube from the metal sections at either end, thus exciting the gas within and releasing photons of light. These lights must have a 'starter' which gets the light going initially, unlike incandescent which can just be turned on and off without one. Regular fluorescents usually emit 18w of light per tube, and cannot be plugged straight into a wall socket.
Compact fluorescents, on the other hand, are made for use in regular light sockets, and can easily be installed by anyone with basic handyman skills. Compact fluorescents are usually around 8inches long (not including the ballast, which usually adds about 3 inches to the total length) and emit minimal amounts of heat from the globe itself. Most of the heat emitted from a compact fluorescent comes from the ballast. These lights are usually between 8w and 27w, although some variation may occur between brands and uses.
The main reason people choose CF's over regular fluoro's is their compact ability! They are very 'movable' and can be positioned almost everywhere. They put out MUCH more light than their bigger cousins, while using only a fraction of the space.
Some of the many varieties of compact fluorescents.
Image contributed by: Locutus
NON-CULTIVATION USE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENTS
They give off the same light, using only a fraction of the electricity. If you're running a HID light, and the electricity increase could kill you financially, or you're just worried about LEO, it might be a good idea to replace incandescent with compact fluoro’s. As an example, a 100w incandescent uses most of its energy giving off heat. If you replace all these 100w incandescent bulbs with ~20w energy saving compact fluoro's, you can dramatically reduce your energy bill, and help the environment at the same time. In fact, I recommend changing all your lights to CF's regardless of your growing situation, as they will save you $$ in the long-term, and save the environment.
The advantage with these lights is that the conversion from incandescent isn't complicated! Simply un-screw the old bulb, and screw in a compact fluoro! Done! You're on your way to energy saving paradise!
THE USE OF FLUORO'S FOR GROWING CANNABIS
Every grower has, or still uses these lights. Although they don’t even come close to the results from a HID light, they do however provide a cheap alternative for a newbie 'dabbling' in the fine art of growing. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on an HID light, a newbie can purchase a compact fluorescent for a few bucks, and still have money for a coffee on the way home.
These lights are also excellent for starting seedlings and clones, as their cool light will not dry out the soil as fast as an HID. They have a low intensity, and are gentle on newly germinated seedlings, and are great for clones as they wont dry them out or give them too much of an early blast.
Compact fluoro's are also great for stealth grows, as they can be kept about 1 inch from the plants, and do not require extensive heat ventilation due to their warm operating temperature.
WHICH TYPE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT TO CHOOSE
For anyone growing cannabis, it is pointless to buy a weak light. Given the option of 8w, 15w and 27w, you would be stupid not to buy the 27watt, as they are more or less the same price. Compare the lumen output of each of the bulbs, different 27w bulbs may have different lumen outputs (depending on the manufacturer) and as with everything, the more lumens the better. You will also be given 2 options, the screw method of fitting, or the bayonet method (push and turn). My preference is the bayonet fitting. Make sure that you choose the right one for your socket! Also, do not choose a regular compact fluoro. Pick the one with the energy saving feature (will be explained why later on in the document). Now, for vegetative growth you should choose the 'cool white' light. This is also acceptable for flowering, but a 'warm white' light will be better as it is stronger in the red end of the light spectrum which is more suitable for flowering.
HOW MUCH LIGHT DO I NEED TO VEG CANNABIS PROPERLY?
It all depends on what light you are using, if it’s HID, standard fluoro or compact fluoro (I assume you're not using halogens!). For HID (HPS or MH) lighting, use roughly 30w per square foot, and for flowering use around 60w per square foot. This is merely a guide, your plant, light height; reflective surfaces etc make a huge difference on these numbers. For a small plant, below 1ft tall, I’d say you would need at least 25w of fluorescent light. I find that it isn't at all practical to use tube fluoro’s for the vegetative stage past 6 inches, as only the top of the plant is receiving enough light to carry out photosynthesis properly.
Using an energy saving compact fluoro will help 'push' the light to the base of the plant, assisting photosynthesis. If the plant indicates it needs more light by growing slowly, and with small leaf petioles, you may need more light. Go with the basic rule of keeping the fluoro’s very close, and using roughly 20-30w per square foot for strong vegetative growth. If you can afford to over-light your grow room, why not? You wont regret it when your plant is bushy and healthy. If you feel that you need to only purchase a minimum amount of lights, you probably shouldn’t be growing.
HANGING YOUR LIGHTS OVER YOUR PLANTS
Keep these lights under a reflector all of the time to concentrate the light onto the plant. Hang them horizontally, as most of the light is given off by the middle of the tubes. Keep them close to the plants. As a general rule of thumb, 1 inch away from the top of the plant is perfect. Any more, and you're wasting your time, and less and you risk burning your plant (although these lights are very cool, it is possible to burn your plant if it touches the light or ballast for an extended period of time). If you're given the option, go for a few compact fluoro’s positioned around the plant, as opposed to 1 strong light at the top. Positioning lights around the plant help stop vertical stretching, and encourage the plant to bush out.
Compact fluorescents are close relatives of the 4ft tube fluorescents, commonly used in shops and schools for their white, soft light that does not cast any defined shadows. These lights are long tubes, usually 4ft long, filled with a gas that releases a photon of light when excited by electricity. The electricity is passed through the tube from the metal sections at either end, thus exciting the gas within and releasing photons of light. These lights must have a 'starter' which gets the light going initially, unlike incandescent which can just be turned on and off without one. Regular fluorescents usually emit 18w of light per tube, and cannot be plugged straight into a wall socket. Compact fluorescents, on the other hand, are made for use in regular light sockets, and can easily be installed by anyone with basic handyman skills. Compact fluorescents are usually around 8inches long (not including the ballast, which usually adds about 3 inches to the total length) and emit minimal amounts of heat from the globe itself. Most of the heat emitted from a compact fluorescent comes from the ballast. These lights are usually between 8w and 27w, although some variation may occur between brands and uses.
The main reason people choose CF's over regular fluoro's is their compact ability! They are very 'movable' and can be positioned almost everywhere. They put out MUCH more light than their bigger cousins, while using only a fraction of the space.
Some of the many varieties of compact fluorescents.
Image contributed by: Locutus
NON-CULTIVATION USE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENTS
They give off the same light, using only a fraction of the electricity. If you're running a HID light, and the electricity increase could kill you financially, or you're just worried about LEO, it might be a good idea to replace incandescent with compact fluoro’s. As an example, a 100w incandescent uses most of its energy giving off heat. If you replace all these 100w incandescent bulbs with ~20w energy saving compact fluoro's, you can dramatically reduce your energy bill, and help the environment at the same time. In fact, I recommend changing all your lights to CF's regardless of your growing situation, as they will save you $$ in the long-term, and save the environment.
The advantage with these lights is that the conversion from incandescent isn't complicated! Simply un-screw the old bulb, and screw in a compact fluoro! Done! You're on your way to energy saving paradise!
THE USE OF FLUORO'S FOR GROWING CANNABIS
Every grower has, or still uses these lights. Although they don’t even come close to the results from a HID light, they do however provide a cheap alternative for a newbie 'dabbling' in the fine art of growing. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on an HID light, a newbie can purchase a compact fluorescent for a few bucks, and still have money for a coffee on the way home.
These lights are also excellent for starting seedlings and clones, as their cool light will not dry out the soil as fast as an HID. They have a low intensity, and are gentle on newly germinated seedlings, and are great for clones as they wont dry them out or give them too much of an early blast.
Compact fluoro's are also great for stealth grows, as they can be kept about 1 inch from the plants, and do not require extensive heat ventilation due to their warm operating temperature.
WHICH TYPE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT TO CHOOSE
For anyone growing cannabis, it is pointless to buy a weak light. Given the option of 8w, 15w and 27w, you would be stupid not to buy the 27watt, as they are more or less the same price. Compare the lumen output of each of the bulbs, different 27w bulbs may have different lumen outputs (depending on the manufacturer) and as with everything, the more lumens the better. You will also be given 2 options, the screw method of fitting, or the bayonet method (push and turn). My preference is the bayonet fitting. Make sure that you choose the right one for your socket! Also, do not choose a regular compact fluoro. Pick the one with the energy saving feature (will be explained why later on in the document). Now, for vegetative growth you should choose the 'cool white' light. This is also acceptable for flowering, but a 'warm white' light will be better as it is stronger in the red end of the light spectrum which is more suitable for flowering.
HOW MUCH LIGHT DO I NEED TO VEG CANNABIS PROPERLY?
It all depends on what light you are using, if it’s HID, standard fluoro or compact fluoro (I assume you're not using halogens!). For HID (HPS or MH) lighting, use roughly 30w per square foot, and for flowering use around 60w per square foot. This is merely a guide, your plant, light height; reflective surfaces etc make a huge difference on these numbers. For a small plant, below 1ft tall, I’d say you would need at least 25w of fluorescent light. I find that it isn't at all practical to use tube fluoro’s for the vegetative stage past 6 inches, as only the top of the plant is receiving enough light to carry out photosynthesis properly.
Using an energy saving compact fluoro will help 'push' the light to the base of the plant, assisting photosynthesis. If the plant indicates it needs more light by growing slowly, and with small leaf petioles, you may need more light. Go with the basic rule of keeping the fluoro’s very close, and using roughly 20-30w per square foot for strong vegetative growth. If you can afford to over-light your grow room, why not? You wont regret it when your plant is bushy and healthy. If you feel that you need to only purchase a minimum amount of lights, you probably shouldn’t be growing.
HANGING YOUR LIGHTS OVER YOUR PLANTS
Keep these lights under a reflector all of the time to concentrate the light onto the plant. Hang them horizontally, as most of the light is given off by the middle of the tubes. Keep them close to the plants. As a general rule of thumb, 1 inch away from the top of the plant is perfect. Any more, and you're wasting your time, and less and you risk burning your plant (although these lights are very cool, it is possible to burn your plant if it touches the light or ballast for an extended period of time). If you're given the option, go for a few compact fluoro’s positioned around the plant, as opposed to 1 strong light at the top. Positioning lights around the plant help stop vertical stretching, and encourage the plant to bush out.
beensmoking
Well-Known Member
Yes The Lights Give Off Both Spectrums It's Just That The soft White(2700k) Gives Off more of Red Spectrum Than The blue which Makes It Good For vegetative Stage And The warm Whites(6500k) Just Give Off More Of The Blue Spectrum Which Is Better For flowering So You Can Use The 2700k In combination With 6500k for flowering But I Wouldn't Recommend Using Just 2700k for flowering!!
mr_issues
Well-Known Member
Ok i thought I was backwards but im not... Red spectrum is for flowering, blue spectrum is for veg growth... The soft white are the ones that put off more of the blue spectrum. I have only had one beer today and havn't had any weed for a few days now. So if Im wrong Im sorry, but thats not what I was tought.
mr_issues
Well-Known Member
I got mine under the blue spectrum... they are 3 weeks old this Sunday and they are already 5 nodes high... So if im wrong about the spectrum's then why are my plants doing so well? Im not trying to be a dick or anything, im just trying to get shit right here... Im just going to stop helping people on here so I don't feel like im giving the wrong info to people... Peace
mr_issues
Well-Known Member
Thank you, now I don't feel like a complete asshole... lol
Doctor
Well-Known Member
yeap thts right 
But 2700k is the red spectrum and i need the blue lol ............. but according to 'Beensmoking's slightly confuzing post i can still use them :
and dont stop helping lol pllllllllz.........
u were right u just got abit mixed up with the kelvins thts all m8..... 2700k = red = flowering (like u said)
about 6500k =blue = vegging (again like u said ) lol
Thanks guys
But 2700k is the red spectrum and i need the blue lol ............. but according to 'Beensmoking's slightly confuzing post i can still use them :
and dont stop helping lol pllllllllz.........
u were right u just got abit mixed up with the kelvins thts all m8..... 2700k = red = flowering (like u said)
about 6500k =blue = vegging (again like u said ) lol
Thanks guys
Doctor
Well-Known Member
thanks lol......
i will travel to tescos tomoz and hava look should only be cheap.......
with my 2700k flouros ive made a rig up were like on 1 wire ive put 4 blubs on a paralell circuit. 4 on it...
ill just make another 1 but with the blue spec 1s when i get them lol
ill eventually put pics of my rig ups on to insipere other people to do the same
lol......i will travel to tescos tomoz and hava look
should only be cheap.......with my 2700k flouros ive made a rig up were like on 1 wire ive put 4 blubs on a paralell circuit. 4 on it...
ill just make another 1 but with the blue spec 1s when i get them lol
ill eventually put pics of my rig ups on to insipere other people to do the same
