New setup help please

So I got a few clones today and went to homedepot to get some lighting but couldnt find anything that had allot of lumens.

I found a nice CFL lamp at the lighting area and decided to purchase it. After looking at the actual CFL it gives out about 6500k lumens (it says full spectrum). I also have added to my grow area a extra florecent to get more light in the grow box that is a 2700k lumens bulb.

Is this good lighting? is full spectrum lighting good for the plants?

6500k is kelvin, the color spectrum, Not the lumens, same with the 2700k. you will want at least 10,000 lumens a square foot for flowering later on. what watt are the lights? how big is your grow area? jow many plants you planning on growing? how long do you plan to veg for?

2ft x 1ft. right now i got 4 plants under those lights. they are about 7 to 9 inches tall

how far away are u keeping the lights from them? got any pics?

darkdestruction420 said:

how far away are u keeping the lights from them? got any pics?

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lights are about 3 to 6 inches away from the plants. the supplemental light thats a standard florecent is kept pointed low for the low parts of the plant.

i do have some pics but not on my laptop.



what do you think the cheapest lighting is that would provide the 10,000 lunmens needed?

depends on the size of your flowering area, those plants are gonna outgrow their area youve got them pretty fast if you lower the lights to an inch away and all goes well. the plant will about triple in size after you throw them into 12/12.

darkdestruction420 said:

depends on the size of your flowering area, those plants are gonna outgrow their area youve got them pretty fast if you lower the lights to an inch away and all goes well. the plant will about triple in size after you throw them into 12/12.

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so that means the lighting I have now will be ok until the plants out grow it?

I am working on a larger grow area, this is a temperary spot for them.

not sure what type of light im getting for my large grow area i know that I dont want a large ballest setup. any advise?

Get 4 more of those cfls or floros. At home depot they have t12 x2 kit for 40 cheap but better off going with eight t5, for cloning and short vegetative growth, idealy you should have a bulb with more lumens one you plan on veging.

400w hps will work good for you probally, if you can use a bigger one i would do that though.

A broad light spectrum is good. But your gonna want much more lighting. Check out my grow thread, I have about 300W worth from 6 CFL's all around my plants (3) and I still want MUCH more! Put it this way, the more light the better! When I first started growing I bought a few good size CFL's from 1000bulbs.com they have a big selection. If your limited on the lighting do your best to get as much light as you can ALL AROUND the plant, not just the top or just the sides but everywhere. Create good reflection and reflectors and rotate the pot ever so often if needed. If you cant buy bigger CFL's or better lighting online grab as many smaller (homedepot) CFL's as you can and keep them as close as possible. And be sure to grab a 50/50 good variety of light spectrum. goodluck

Post pics too, makes it much easier for people to understand and help solve questions/issues. Lighting Is just a portion of what makes a good grow and a plant thrive. But im sure you know this. You growing Soil or Hydro or..?