great cfls how many do i need ..?

hey guys i just registered after reading alot of youre posts on cfls .now i started out from seed using a cfl 23watt 2700k cfl on a single plant on a 12/12 it did ok on this but i read a post and decided to change it for a prolight 30 watt 6400k .but last night a read a post saying try and mix the lights a little so u can get both onto the plant so i have now put the 23 watt2700k about 3 " away from the single plant and the 30watt 6400k about 2" away from the top but my main question is my room size is 49" x 25" then 83" high what would be the best light mix for this size room and how many of each do i put in it ... u guys seem to be very very up on these things and i prefer the cfl way to grow allways tried from seed before allways died cfl way its grown .. ty very much IM A BIG NOOB
oh yh and ive read about the smell during flowering stage

ok guys could someone anyone get bck to me on this subject pls as i could really do with some advice ....

higher spectrum (k) for veg, lower spectrum for flowering. A usual mix is 60-75 percent higher k for veg, and flip to 60-75 percent lower k for flower. As far as the number of lights, CFL's are tricky, and as you grow you will continue to need more of them. Theres a formula around here somewhere for calculating lumens.

you've got a 8 foot grow space with a lot of height
one formula mentioned for cfl's is 100 watts for 1st square foot, 50 watts for every additional foot
this is a rough guide, but gives you about 400 watts of cfl's if you want to fill the space
and height does make a difference, if you want to grow taller, more cfl's are needed
so you're bumping up against the cfl 'sense limit', they get to be more expensive than hps at some point
but for 3 plants, maybe 3 feet tall max, 400 watts would likely give pretty good results

ok nice 1 got that but 1 thing ive never seen asked is which is the best way to hang them uprght or flat i hate to sound dumb just never seen any advice on that

falkeisd said:

ok nice 1 got that but 1 thing ive never seen asked is which is the best way to hang them uprght or flat i hate to sound dumb just never seen any advice on that

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no problem, lot's of the cfl talk here is on how to position them
cfl's throw off the most light from their sides
the easiest, cheapest way to start with cfl's is to make a power strip fixture
plug short cords in that have sockets at the end, hang from closet top
if you have 2 cfl's hanging next to a single 5 inch plant, that's plenty of light to start
keep them within a few inches, if the cfl touches the plant, it will burn
bigger the plant gets, the more cfl's you hang