hey guys! i read the cfl tutorial, not being lazy=but wattage-lo or hi myth/truth?

i want to thank racer, joeweedo. kevin, and others for their valuable info. i use like 3 42watt 1 25watt cfl's. i will pick up a HPS...in a few wks. but i wanted to know b/c i didn't see it in the cfl tutorial thread. specifically the wattage. i read that many use a lot of low watt cfls instead of high wattage. do low wattage have an advantage.



i READ in another site that low wattage cfl's produce less buds where higher wattage yield better, bigger, more buds is that true?

last night's progress so far...not much but they will get their its only 3wks. i need patience.=

i FORGOT TO MANUALLY zoom in istead of auto detection on my webcam...sorry. That WHITE thing in the background is the air purifier w/ a U/A buttom to kill airborne germs, bacteria, cig. smoke etc.
THE LAST PIC- the 1 on the left seems denser and shorter and stouter then its counter part.

I use 20w watt cfl's and they work fine for me , you just need to strategically place them ,so there is a cfl every 1-2 inches from each piece of foliage. But if hps is an option then definitely go for that.

Good luck with the grow!

thanx Jack....but is the bud myth true when it comes to wattage. i'll paste the site later- I have to walk my dog. but i will ise the HPS in conjunction w/ cfl's. i would think higher wattage would give off more light. lumens, and color temp aside. hmm?

Total wattage vs. distance effects the flower size more IMO. Small cfls are able to be placed closer to each cola. Large cfls work great also. Up to the grower really. i myself would't go under 26w cfls.

THANX HIGHLIFE! i was wondering about that...and iam inclined to concur w/ u. although im new....i've done a lot of research. but in a couple wks. to a month im getting a nice HPS. but i think cfl's are really UNDERATED!!! i have 4 cfl's now in a 2ftx2ft space (if that) for 3 plants. the 3 42watt total= 9635 lumens. color temp 1. is 5000k, 2 of them are i think 2600k the 25v watt does not say the color temp. what do u think of the lumens VS. distance agian thanx 4 all the advice.....i still would like to also get a 85 watt cfl w/ the HPS. i have 2 fans. 1 that blows air around to circulate the air & strenghten stems. 2nd fan is like a desk fan that I place near the plants as an exhuast from any heat given off. plus an air purifier with a U/V buttom to kill airborne germs, bacteria, ciggarette smoke etc.

HPS, the closest thing to the sun under the sun . Definitely recommend getting one.. Cfl lumen diminishes very fast when distance is introduced. The larger the cfl the more that changes. I would like to get a light meter and test some different cfls out. Would be fun . If i find any info about this ill shoot it your way.

Everything looks great! gl with the grow.

Thanx HIGHLIFE! ya, if u could that would be awsome; to measure the light w/ a meter 4 CFL's. ya keep me posted.

BEST WISHES & HAPPY GROWING................joey!

I don't think there is a direct relation of wattage to the amount/size of bud ,it's just how well the light is used. IMO It's probably possible to get the same yield with a lower wattage of cfls than a high power hps hanging overhead because you can get the cfls in every nook and cranny, when they are used in conjunction however, you are guaranteed some very nice nugs indeed.

Yes Jackoladd...that is my intention. but man...i'll tell ya these babies r growing nicely. i was just telling IZOC666 that i intend to mix it up....get a couple more cfl's and an hps. I also told him my friend just gave me 3 seeds of O.G. KUSH.....which is REALLY hard to get w/ him, b/c all his buds- MR. NICE GUY, O.G. KUSH etc are all female.......it was the 1st time ever i was able or he was too to get seeds of stellar quality. he is from LA. has an old M.J clinic card and reroutes his goods here. i men u can blow the pollen off (i know its not pollen but many ppl. call it that), i mean very tight, dense, clean buds- it has to be b/c of regulations it says it on the glass and packaging= "FOR MEDICINAL USE ONLY, IN ACCORDANCE TO PROPOSITION 215.

This was a little glass jar that had THE BEST HASH i ever smoked. it has the regulation sticker on it and blah blah....but i was stoned off my ass w/ 1 hit. in fact i was so messed up, im not exaggerating, i only took 1 hit & no more and my mother saw me and thought i was on something else like heroin or something. it was very cerebal and good.........after hitting it once in a glass water bong there was sooooo much smoke in my lungs i thought i'd stop breathng LOL...no lie!

I used 3 250 watt maxibright cfl's within 2-3 inches of of the tops of 8 plants in 7.5 litre pots and got some pretty nice gear. Not comparable to HID but I would say certainly better than yield than working with smaller cfl's.

Mouse

Thats the rule of thumb

More watts = More bud

theres some exceptions but thats usually how it works

HighLife4Me said:

HPS, the closest thing to the sun under the sun . Definitely recommend getting one.. Cfl lumen diminishes very fast when distance is introduced. The larger the cfl the more that changes. I would like to get a light meter and test some different cfls out. Would be fun . If i find any info about this ill shoot it your way.

Everything looks great! gl with the grow.

Click to expand...

From what I exstrapolated on here $100 per 1000watts 24/7 for your electric bill.(Nevada) so my budget dictates how many watts I run. Currently $71 a month.

hps is great, even better if you combine it wih some cfls. keep temps 65-85 degrees f and i really dont recomend two plants in one pot they fight for root space and in long run loose bud production. i recommend a bunch of little cfls 1-2 inchs away from leaves and placed every where around the plant to give every leaf light the more the merrier as long as you dont burn the plant.

I like how you explain yourself in the thread title...lol...Best of luck with your grow man.

thanx GRIZlbr....but electric bill is no problem.....except i wouldn't want to draw attention by suddenly spiking the bill....other then that no prob.

@ Legalizeit= i was and still am worried about 2 in 1 pot....but i'm afraid to transplant again...especially like that. In other words it's not like a cup where u can slice w/ a razor down the cup on both sides etc. and place in a pot
i have another pot,thats no problem......maybe, u think, i should wait until it's a little stronger stem wise then transplant. it is a problem= i don't need 1 plant strangling another w/ its roots or ripping off nutes from the other. any suggestions on how to go about it? thanx in advance....joey.

@ SpaaaceCowboy....idk how to take that...regarding the thread title LOL. sorry im'a noobieThis is 2-day's pic of 2 of them.

i did a cfl grow twice. i pretty much replicated the book how to get 8 onces on weed for under $100 bucks. i mean i fallowed the book 100% and to my surprise its kicked ass. id highly recomend the book for cfl growing. my second grow instead of the smaller cfls used in the book i used the 300watt cfls from lowes i had 5 of them and they didnt work as well as the small ones. you deffinantly dont want any of the real small cfls though, like the 15w or 25w. check the book out itl show you alot of ways to improve on what you got goin on. il give you a tip though, the advantage to cfls is low heat, low heat means you can just about touch the cfl off the plant without burning so get your lights AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE!!! and add as many lights as you possibly can you need atleast 8-10 to get anything worth while. you can use those socket splitters to get more lights off one hood. just pack those cfls in all around the plant, and youl be amazed

Ganjafarmer= thanx man! i agree w/ u 100% im still a little confused about wattage. some ppl. i've read use a million 15 or 25watt cfl's. some use the t-5 set-up, some use, like me, 42 watt. but i do have 1 25 watt. i will in a couple wks. get an HPS...but i will also get either a 85 watt cfl. or a couple more 42watt cfl's. i do have the y-splitter under my hoods. maybe i could stack 1 y-splitter w/ another y-splitter so i get 3 bulbs instead of 2....sounds like a waste but they r cheap. i have a surge protector too. it seemingly becoming apparent, by all of the ppl. above, who have helped me that i need cfl's all around the plant NOT just on top. BEST WISHES & HAPPY GROWING..............joey

bout those two in one what i would do is get two separate 3-5 gallon pots ready with soil and transplant the two seedlings by taking out all the dirt in the first pot and try to separate it in half evenly between the two seedlings then put them into there individual pots. there will be shock for both and they will slow there leaf growth while they regenerate roots. read up alot on transplanting then apply it to our situation to try your best

ya you could just transplant 1 but it woul be hard to get it out. i guess you could like cut the soil in half and have somthing hold one side while you get the other side out.

thnx legalizeit......i need all the advice i can get....much appreciated. hey....best wishes & happy growing.....joey