Constructing a 100% CFL Grow

winkdogg420 said:

it all depends how you set them up i have 16 cfls flowering 6 girls (small and bushy)

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igstid420 said:

As many people know, CFL's are a very popular alternative to fluorescent growing for many reasons. CFL lighting is available almost everywhere and comes in a wide range of spectrums and wattages. In this thread I will talk you threw setting up a CFL grow step by step.

Q1.What are spectrums?
A1. spectrums (Compact Fluorescent Light) are another type of fluorescent light, all based around the same properties. A glass bulb filled with a gas that reacts to a electrical current causing it to illuminate. There are 2 different basic types of CFL bulbs.
1ST TYPE: Self-Ballasted....More commonly referred to as a Spiral CFL. These bulbs contain there own ballast in the end cap of the bulb. They are also powered on a normal home light socket making them the most versatile, also these are the most commonly used CFL's due to there availability. Common wattage ranges from 12 to 42 watt.
2ND TYPE: Plug-in Common....This type of bulb does not contain there own ballast. To power them a ballast must be purchased. Also the design is different. These bulbs normally consist of a 3 tier tube structure. Depending on wattage they may have 4 even 5 small "U" bend tubes to produce the light. These lights are also the more powerful of the 2. Wattage ranging from 6 up to 200!

Q2. What spectrum are CFL's capable of?
A2. Simply put, almost any. CFL's typically range from 6500K(also referred to as "daylight" bulbs) to 2700K(soft-white or warm bulbs) on average although upwards of 10000K are available but not desired.
6500K spectrum--Used for vegging, seedlings and clones These lights glow white with a slight blue tint.
2700K spectrum--Used for flowering. These lights glow yellow/orange

Q3. What are the PROS of growing with CFL's?
A3. VERSATILITY. CFL's have a very compact design allowing them to be placed almost anywhere.
COST TO OPERATE. Due to them being a fluorescent light, they require appox 1/4th of the power to operate compared to a incandescent of the same wattage with a higher lumens output. Also by keeping the wattage down, it will not increase your electric bill as much and keeps you safe from tipping off the electric company on over consumption of electricity.
LOW HEAT OUTPUT. These bulbs put out considerably low heat compared to HID lighting, allowing you to place them much closer to the canopy of the garden. But they do produce heat! Do not be mistaken, You will need proper ventilation to keep the room in the ideal temp zone.

Q4. What are the cons of growing with CFL's?
A4. The cons are limited. Just that to equal the lumens output of HID lighting, you ill need a mass number of CFL's. The other con would be the wiring. In Most cases there will be numerous wires connecting the lights ( due to you needing anywhere from 2-20, possibly more depending in the application. HINT: you can eliminate 50% of the wiring if you opt to use "Y" adapters. (small screw-in single socket adapter that goes into a light receptacle with 2 receptacles for bulbs)



Now that we all have a general understanding of cfl's, wattage, spectrums, pro's and con's, Ill begin to explain the grow room setup.


CONSTRUCTING YOUR GROW ROOM
First you will need to decide if you plan to build a grow box, or take advantage of a spare closet or bedroom. Boxes and closets are the most common. Once that decision is made, you will need to add reflection to the walls. There are two ways to go about this. You can either paint the walls a semi-gloss or gloss white. The purist white you can find. (white reflects light, dark colors absorb light) OR purchase "Mylar" ( a paper thin material with a 95% reflection rate. Mylar is by far the best reflective material you can use due to its mirror like finish. Next step will be ventilation. If using a closet, there are not very many options for this besides fans (oscillating fans seem to work best). Not exactly practical to go chopping holes in your closet walls for a duct work vent system. If growing in a premade or purchased box, then a duct system would be best. A "squirrel cage" fan (for exhaust) with 6inch ducts will work great in addition to a fan blowing on the plants to strengthen the stems. If working on a budget, you can also use computer fans wired together. The best power source for that would be a 200ma-400ma(ma=miliamp) adapter. A power cord for a cordless phone should always meet that criteria perfectly ( thats what i use). Ill also post a DIY tutorial on that later. Now before you decide on how many lights to purchase, you'll need to decide on how many plants you want to have. I recommend no less than 1 26w(daylight) bulb per plant. Some will argue that saying 1 bulb is not enough. Coming from my experience, 1 bulb per plant will be ok for vegging but if you feel that you need more light, go for it, cant harm a single thing. Just be sure to have proper cooling. For flowering I would go with no less than 3 bulbs per plant (soft-white or warm). Also be sure to keep the lights as close as possible to the plants. Normally 3-5 inches for CFL's will do fine.

CONSTRUCTING THE LIGHT SETUP
There are endless ways to go about this. Most recommend mounting them horizontal to take full advantage of the lights but with CFL's that can sometimes be a problem depending on application. At any hardware store you can pick up "clamp reflectors). A round or oval housing with a single light socket. If you plan to use "Y" adapters, be sure to get clamps that will accommodate the size you need, 10inch reflectors should do fine. You can also get some socket moguls from Wal-mart or Home Depot. If you plan to go this way, be prepared to do some electrical work. These sockets will have to be wired together and a power cord added. Those are the 2 easiest ways im aware of. Also you can pick up some plug socket Wahl(looks like a normal light socket but with prongs to be plugged directly into a electrical socket, no wiring required). With that option, you will need numerous electrical sockets. Extension cords will work fine, just depends on how picky you are. If the cosmetics matter, then all the messy cords may not suit you. But if your afraid of wiring moguls then I suggest this. Again the possibilities are endless when going with CFL's. Now for REFLECTORS. If you didnt pick up the clamp reflectors(best option, socket already attached, no wiring needed, and its a reflector..kills 3 birds with 1 stone..just add the Y adapter, 2 bulbs and your set) then you'll need to make some. Please people, check into the clamps. They also make hanging a breeze due to the strong clamps, they can be clipped to anything. Now for making reflectors, again endless options. You can use the "soda-can method" cost efficient and productive. There are several threads posted about this topic. Another option (the way i chose to go), you can pick up a set of disposable aluminum baking pans. All sizes vary, just be sure to get the size to fit your application. I will post a DYI topic on this also but in short, with a razor knife..slice off the entire bottom of the pan and set it aside. with the 2nd pan you'll notice the edges are overlapped, Take pliers to unfold the flap to give a contact point. Take the 2nd pan and place the rim over the unfolded flap you made, then fold the flap back down and pinch with pliers. Instant reflector, then make holes in the top for your sockets. May be hard to picture but again the DIY info will be posted shortly. Well for all those interested in going th CFL way, i hope this helps and answers all your questions, I spent 3 hrs on this so i hope it helps someone besides me, lol
HAPPY GROWING----------------------------420

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liquidgasolid said:

i thought in veg stage they should have nothing less than a 23 watt cfl?

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Garden Knowm said:

your not suppose to eat them !!!!

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Mercy38 said:

First off, i enjoyed your article, but found a few things you can add, or seem to be not there maby do to having little real world data,

I really think there is a little misconseption on using CFL's to the greater extent... I believe there is a limit to it and or use....

The cons out way the pro's when it comes to cfls.....

Long story short, last year i found my outdoor area being compramized after many years of no worries, and lost all but 1, so i took and thus began my indoor growing ...... and like so many new to indoor found CFL able and ready for the task....

Since then I have run 2 successful grows using Just CFL's and although i found them to be very handy, there far from ideal, and during my current run, i have decided, to use CFL for the last time, (((except for future seedlings)))....


First in relation to lighting and the grow,
i was and just did a run using 15, 200 watt (rated 42 watts) CFL's at 4100k/4600k for a total of 3000 watts ( so thats 630kw per hour) and we have about 45000 lums spread in an area of 4x4 ,,,, I did this for veging but wiil have MH next time around,,,,,( I have 6 girls)

The truth, as i see it, is a few things, first Cost, as you can see i ran 630Kw per hr, running around 3000 watts, and only got around 45000 lums, which is not cheap, when you look at a MH or hps at 400 watts, (400 kw per hr, running at 50,000-53000 lums, you can see where you come to a point were CFL's no longer are convinent, or cheaper,,, and when you add the cost of 15 CFL at a color range of 4100k/4600k and then 15 at 2700 for flowering again cost says 1 400 watt HID set would run cheaper or be dead even...... ( and yes i have over 25 CLF lights, at about 6-10 bucks a light you can do the math.....)

As to heat, with over 3000 watts 15 self ballast lights tearing up my grow room, it was more difficult to cool my area then it is now that i have switched over to flower and am using a 400 and a 150 watt, HPS lighting ...

I think if one wishes to use CFL they are great to a point, where until you find your self in my position, where it no longer stands to be any gains but more of losses due to the size of a grow and total costs...

Some real truth here...Flowering...the big other is the size of a grow, I found in order for the plants to grow with tight buds, and get a max yield i could not do more then just 2 plants, with the said setup i was using, and again thats where HID just puts a beating on CFLs ..... in terms of penatration and the amount of plants in the same space and yield vers cfls....

Having said all of this, if i would have known from the very start , i would have just got a few cfls, for seedlings and moved to hid from the begining....

This is just my feeling and my experence using cfls, hey if its a 1 plant grow in a closet , you can grow a great plant and it could only cost a few bucks all around and do a great overall job, but in a reality, on a scale of more then 1 plant, and to bring those or that plants to there full potential, there is just no use for CFLs except for getting the seedlings started.....

So i really think that there is a misconseption or a bit of a misleading info in regards to CLFs, thats my take on it, but then again when i was growing 2 of the most yummy smoke-able girls on the planet, i wasnt thinking about cost or this or that i was thinking , how many days till my big fat chubby girls were ready,......




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Just in case , i have a sealed grow room with all the trimings, with enviroment controls, with incoming and outgoing exhaust and co2..... All my girls are in soil....and always will be....

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loonatik said:

Sorry I am a newbie at growing but it is damn obvious that you don't use 15 CFL lights and expect that to be more efficient to run than a higher hps or hid light. That's just dumb, cfls are good for high light output to low watt usage ratio.

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