ok got my light fixture today, it's a 4' with 3 double sockets which I plan to use 2 cfls in each for a total of 12 bulbs for 12 plants. I saw some 75 watt daylight bulbs 6500k for about 5 bucks each, my question is will i need to buy 12 2700k for the flowering stage.
CFL's are OK (not great) for flowering, but if you're serious about producing buds of any size/density, you're gonna have to go HPS. That's just the way it is. CFL's WILL produce flowers....but they're light and airy, no weight. Just as potent, tho.
Sure you can grow 12 plantsin that space IF they're in small containers (one gal.) But possibly I can share some knowledge I came by the hard way(trial and error!) that might save you having to learn the same hard lesson. Ive done a dozen or so SOG grows of 9-12 small plants (one gal. containers). Each plant will give you 1/2-1 oz of dry bud. (IF you use HPS) No problem. But, in a SOG grow, each plant needs it's individual attention! I (finally!) discovered that 2 five gal or 4 3 gal. containers produce MORE total bud weight, while cutting down considerably on the care. The downside is, small plants dont need to veg as long.
It's a matter of personal choice, of course, but Im just suggesting that for a first grow, it's a lot easier to tend 4 big plants than 12 small ones.
Of course, this assumes you already KNOW all four plants are female. If your seeds are feminized, no problem. However, IF your seeds are "regular", there's no way to predict how many will turn out to be girls. IF that's the case, you're better off growing a bunch of small plants so you can flower them fast, find your males and get rid of them. I suggest you put a number on each plant, take cuttings from each plant labeled with the same number, while in VEG. That way, once your males show, you can toss em....as well as their corresponding clones. Then, you are guaranteed ALL females for your second grow.
There is NO way you can use bigger than one gal. containers for that many plants, in 16 square feet. Im more concerned with how you intend to vent the heat? Im sure there's other folks here who know lots more than I know, but Im thinking a 400w. HPS would be best for so small a space unless you've got a super vent system planned.
I use 2 600's, but I grow in my garage. So, with a couple of fans and leaving the garage door cracked six inches, I can throw out my heat. In your space, heat will be a problem to be reconed with. Is there a window? A fan in a window blowing out may be all the venting you need, unless you live in a condo or have super-close neighbors. I live way the hell out in the country, so smell isnt an issue for me.
What nutes? Soil? Will you veg AND flower in the same space? If so, you'll need a ballast that can go HPS AND MH. Or, since you already have them, use the CFL's for veg and go to ther HPS to flower.
Just stuff to think about. FWIW, some of the best weed Ive smoked in years was some Sour Diesel grown AND flowered with CFLs. But....the buds were small and fluffy. No weight at all to them.
CW
