CFL Watt to Gram Ratio

TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
Anyone know a rough estimate on the ratio you get generally using cfls?

Like is it 0.10g x 1w or would it be higher?

I know there is a lot of other variables which could effect it, but just generally, what is the best ratio either you have received or know of?

Would be appreciated a lot if anyone can give me any figures. :)
 
I

Illegal Smile

Guest
You realize that there are other factors more important to yield than watts? Also that a gram per watt is really a target that few growers can achieve (despite the proliferation of claims)? To answer, if you do it rightyou can get as much yield with cfls as with any other lighting. But since cfls are less intense (fewer lumens per watt) it would involve more watts.
 
TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
Illegal Smile said:
You realize that there are other factors more important to yield than watts? Also that a gram per watt is really a target that few growers can achieve (despite the proliferation of claims)? To answer, if you do it rightyou can get as much yield with cfls as with any other lighting. But since cfls are less intense (fewer lumens per watt) it would involve more watts.
Click to expand...
I do indeed understand MANY other factors are more important, but that was just the question i had. I mentioned in the text that i know there are many other variables.

I'm not expecting anywhere near 1g per watt, (my god i wish). I just wanted some help to predict :) and then add in other variables in the form of numbers.
 
greensister

greensister

Well-Known Member
There are too many variables really. Veg time, and wattage for that, then flower time, and the wattage for that.
I love what you are trying to do, but i dont know if its feasible to determine without the help of about 50 people to document those 4 factors for 2 grows.

Id be more than happy to add my info. In one month ill be moving 3 plants to flower so it will be at least another 4 months before i have any stats.
 
I

Illegal Smile

Guest
I'd say if you need 250w hps to get yield X, you'd need 400w of cfls to do the same.
 
xXOnyxXx

xXOnyxXx

Well-Known Member
if ya get it all right, ya should get around .5g per watt ... a SOG would prolly give ya the best yield.
 
333maxwell

333maxwell

Active Member
My first/worse grows.. while figuring it out and getting things ironed out..

I pulled an ounce (28 grams) of cured from right at 250 watt CFL from one vertical plant about 2.5 feet tall.
That comes to about .11 grams a watt.. or roughly 10 watts a gram..


Now I have it down to a bit more of a science.. I run right at 300 watt CFL, keep the plants trained to no higher than 12 inches (or so) and if last harvest is like last (about 2 weeks away, looks considerably better than last harvest) I will pull just UNDER .4 grams a watt.

Some would gasp and remind us how horribly inefficient that is.. .. and it is..

But then again, I supply myself with all the high quality cannabis I could ever need, at a cost of about 7 dollars a month in electricity..

That kind of inefficiency I can live with. Long as I perpetually pull at least 3 ounces every 3 months, and I easily do, I can live with that kind of inefficiency.

--

First few grows don't expect a lot..

Once you get it maximized, don't expect a lot either.. just expect 'enough' and forget all the grams per watt stuff.. *S*
 
Canon

Canon

Well-Known Member
Did a Roadrunner AF in a small(?) cab that had a maximum total of 214 actual CFL watts towards the end. It varried as it grew.
Total take was just a bit over 2 1/8 oz. (50 g +/-) after taking some "testers" (LOL).
Guess that's about 0.23 g/w? And thought I did well.
But I'll never try to do it again!
For anything under 4" I love CFLs. After that it gets crazy.
Can do soooo much more with a 250 HPS. And I find heat from that many CFLs is just about as bad as MH/HPS lower wattage.
Of the 3 major lights (HPS, LED, & CFLs) there are points in the grow where one shines (pun intended) better than the others.
But of course, one needs to consider the grow method also.
 
Gastanker

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
I yielded just over .4g/w I am going to argue g/w though. What people should take into consideration is grams per kilowatt hour (kWh). grams/kWh reflects the total amount of energy used compared to yield versus just the amount of watts run at a time compared to yield.

If you vegged for 6 months under a 1kW and then yielded 1000 grams that would be 1 g/w. This would be (30(days/month) x 6(months) x 18(hrs/day on)x 1kWh) for veg + 8(weeks) x 7(days a week) x 12(hrs a day) x 1kWh for flower = 3912 kWh

So you would have managed to get ~.25g/kWh
A three month veg that yielded 1000g would be .43g/kWh
A two month veg yielding 1000g would be .57g/kWh

My first CFL grow I managed 151.6g from 6 small plants in 2.5months (2 week veg 8 week flower) using 290 kWh (120w veg for 2 weeks + 388w flower for 8 weeks. That is .52g/kWh.
 
nibblebit

nibblebit

Member
A handy thread.

I am using a 250W CFL and am on my 3rd grow.

My first grow was a big cockup, i got 11g = 11/250 = 0.044 gpw.

My second grow was a standard cockup and i got 45g = 45/250 = 0.18 gpw

This grow i am aiming for no cockups and 56g = 56/250 = 0.224 gpw.

I am aiming to run a perpetual mini-SOG using DWC and seeing what i can pull every 5 weeks.

When i've had the CFL for a year i plan to go HPS or LED.


nibs.
 
I

imchucky666

Well-Known Member
333maxwell said:
My first/worse grows.. while figuring it out and getting things ironed out..

I pulled an ounce (28 grams) of cured from right at 250 watt CFL from one vertical plant about 2.5 feet tall.
That comes to about .11 grams a watt.. or roughly 10 watts a gram..


Now I have it down to a bit more of a science.. I run right at 300 watt CFL, keep the plants trained to no higher than 12 inches (or so) and if last harvest is like last (about 2 weeks away, looks considerably better than last harvest) I will pull just UNDER .4 grams a watt.

Some would gasp and remind us how horribly inefficient that is.. .. and it is..

But then again, I supply myself with all the high quality cannabis I could ever need, at a cost of about 7 dollars a month in electricity..

That kind of inefficiency I can live with. Long as I perpetually pull at least 3 ounces every 3 months, and I easily do, I can live with that kind of inefficiency.

--

First few grows don't expect a lot..

Once you get it maximized, don't expect a lot either.. just expect 'enough' and forget all the grams per watt stuff.. *S*
Click to expand...
Acceptable economics LOL
Helluva lot better than 200-400/month to buy smoke.
 
P

Ptrickl9

Member
I did a 600 watt cfl grow where i grew two plants 3 week veg topped lst'd and got 6ounces. That come out to roughly .28 grams per watt.
 
RedzoneFL

RedzoneFL

Active Member
A larger yielding strain will yield more then one that's low yielding... That will toss your numbers off a bit if you focus on the lumens then veg time has a factor too, to many variables.

I too once asked this question and never got the response I wanted, that's because the question I asked had no end to it.

If you want the truth, you will need to test it with your strain, under your conditions, with your level of experience and you will know after one crop.
 
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