Hypothetical question

Would a wick hydro system work with one CFL but with tin foil reflectors making it noticeably lighter?

If anyone doesn't understand what I'm saying, I can include a picture.

one cfl aint going to be enough light...tin foil is not the best reflector either. You would be better off with white walls

Tin is a white metal and an excellent visible light reflector.

You probably mean aluminum foil though, which is an excellent reflector of UV, visible, and IR radiance(it's pretty good with all other forms of radiance, too).

TeaTree, does that mean it could possibly work, or am I gonna have to get some more lights.

I've seen plants grown with 13w CFLs without reflectors... doesn't mean it's a good way, but it works.

I'd suggest a fully enclosed grow box reflector. Like a round 5 gal bucket, cut the bottoms off for stacking possibilities, line the inside with foil as smooth as you can get it, I suggest gluing it on. Then buffing it smooth and polished. A soft clothe works well.

Then invert that onto another 5 gal grow bucket with your soil%plant. For your top bucket with the light, drill a hole in the middle, put a power cord through it, and attach a socket to the inside. You could probably use a fairly strong spring clip to hold the bulb at a variable height.

If the buckets have a decent lip, vises would hold them together securely, otherwise you could just drill holes near the top, and zip-tie them together on at least 3 sides(a perfect triangle, 60 degree angles, if you can). Otherwise just do it on 4 sides. Or you could use twine, rope, wire, etc. You'll definitely have to do this with the bottoms, as it'll be like stacking 16 oz cups: 'top to top', 'bottom to bottom', repeat.

Also, cover the top of the soil with perlite, or something reflective.