painted red cfl to increase bud density?

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
will a couple of these (click link here) added when flowering make denser buds, I currently have 3 x 20w 2700k and 2 x 23w 6500k planning on adding more of both but for now this is what i have. Back to my question, will they have any effect on flowering, specifically the buds themselves?
 

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
No it will not significantly help. That is a regular 13w 2700k CFL with a filter - which means it produces more heat and less beneficial light energy.
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
So to be 100% clear the same rule as the LEDs, that the visible color matches that, that the plant can absorb and photosynthesize, does not apply, correct? Also, aside from buying an expensive LED light to supplement the red and adding more 2700k which will make it hotter (temperature is a bit of an issue until i can afford a good inline fan), any suggestions? keeping in mind that the grow box is at the bottom of my expense list.
 

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
So an LED is clear and emits a certain frequency (why they appear certain colors). So if you have an LED that emits all its light at 640 nm thats great because plants like light at 640nm and no energy is wasted making unusable frequencies. This is talking about good grow LEDs. There are white LEDs that are painted a color or use colored plastic - these are not to be used for growing.

Now you have a 2700k CFL. This CFL emits light at 640nm, 630nm, 620nm, 610nm, 550nm, 540nm, 530nm... All of those nm can be used by the plant. Now the CFL also emits light in a spectrum that is less ideal for plants - say 300nm, 320nm... The light at 300nm doesn't help plants much and is wasted. So if we take a 660nm filter we can filter out everythign but the 660nm. But this doesn't add light. It makes sure all of the light the plant gets is usable but the plant isn't going to get the 550nm, the 530nm, the 610nm... So you are actually decreasing light with the filter. And its not as if the 300nm light hurts the plant.

Filtering light is very different than producing light of a specific spectrum to begin with.

Keep in mind when people say "red" and "blue" spectrum they are not talking about red and blue light necessarily. 2700k is heavy towards the red side of the spectrum like 6500k is heavy towards the blue spectrum. Same applies with HPS and MH but the visible light does not appear straight red or blue.
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
Not 100% true, spectrum light is a bit visible with the cfls, if you have them next to each other you can clearly see that the 2700k is much brighter and "bluer" while the 6500k is more red...but I digress. What do you (you seem very experienced and I will not take your opinion lightly) suggest to boost my red spectrum to help out my buds, my previous grows have had very fluffy buds that I did not like one bit.
 

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
Not 100% true, spectrum light is a bit visible with the cfls, if you have them next to each other you can clearly see that the 2700k is much brighter and "bluer" while the 6500k is more red...but I digress. What do you (you seem very experienced and I will not take your opinion lightly) suggest to boost my red spectrum to help out my buds, my previous grows have had very fluffy buds that I did not like one bit.
Homie, the warm yellow/orange light is 2700K and white/whiteblue is 6500K
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
LOL i've seen a lot of funny products :):):):)
You'll get more density in your electrical costs.
It's a party bulb, not designed for growing, I'm new-ish to the community but not the practice, I'm not dumb or inexperienced, just been on hiatis for a while and technologies have changed a bit since my last grow
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
Homie, the warm yellow/orange light is 2700K and white/whiteblue is 6500K
what I meant, I got mixed up, v-day alone so naturally I'm gettin my drink on lol, and the 2nd part of that message wan't directed at you, just everyone in general to give a heads up that I'm not a beginner
 

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
Why do you think you need more red light? I've seen amazingly dense buds grown under MH and super fluffy buds from red LEDs... It could be anything...

Check temps - warm rooms make fluffy buds. Do you have enough light? Not enough PAR light in general regardless of what side of the spectrum can cause fluffy buds. Strain can cause fluffy buds - especially sativas. Water regiment, nutrients, pests...
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
I have to stick with cfls for now, I just want some extra red to supplement what I already have, I know that more red = denser/tighter buds, I was just wondering about a low heat/electric cost solution to add more red, I'll even take a link to a cost effective way to make a cheap red LED pannel
 

Stemp

Member
I have to stick with cfls for now, I just want some extra red to supplement what I already have, I know that more red = denser/tighter buds, I was just wondering about a low heat/electric cost solution to add more red, I'll even take a link to a cost effective way to make a cheap red LED pannel
Don't worry about more red man just use 2700k cfls
 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
So out of 6 or 7 light sockets what do you think I should use for veg and flower of the 20w 6500k and 23w 6500k cfls
 

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
This might help -
I was pulling an oz a week with 388w of CFL here (link - > ) - First CFL Grow - Help appreciated

I would recommend a 3:1 of 6500K:2700K for veg and the opposite for flower.



Keep them small! CFLs don't do nearly as well with large plants unless you keep a clean scrog or LST. I started flowering at this size -



Dropping bulb between plants maximizes plant absorption without the loss of restrike like you would have with a reflector. I tried to cover the canopy in smaller bulbs and submerge larger bulbs between plants.



I would yield ~ 1oz per plant. With 6 in full flower at a time and two others just rotating into the flower box I was able to harvest a plant per week.



This took place in a 2x3x3.5' area of a small closet.

 

doctor.j

Well-Known Member
Impressive buds gangstanker, are they super fluffy? I will take your method under serious consideration, are they fluffy or dense? And if I can add my own piece, I noticed you use aluminum foil, go to Home Depot and get some reflective insulation in a roll for just over $21, way better than foil which is a poor choice in the first place (no offense). Also, so you keep your girls in the half gallon pots the whole time?
 
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