Some Helpful Information for CFL growers...

MediMaryUser said:

the whole point of doing a cfl grow is to do it cheaply right?

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Something else to add about taking the CFL route to grow "cheaply" is how many CFLs it takes to equal HID lighting.
　
It takes 5.3 125-watt (actual watts) CFL grow lights, not home lighting CFLs but actual CFLs made for the purpose of growing plants, to equal the amount of light put off by one single 400-watt HID grow light.

Most CFL growers to not use actual CFL grow lights but instead use home lighting CFLs and even when combined they seldom equal the amount of light created by HID lighting.

Even if they do equal the same amount of light they will still not come close to equaling the amount of light penetration of HID lighting.
　
CFL growers answer that by saying you only need to position CFL at different levels above and around your plants to make up for the amount of penetration of HID lighting.
　
That does sound valid enough but consider the following.
　
If we use for example a 400-watt HID grow light a grower wants to equal the 400-watt HID grow light it will take 5.3 125 watt (actual watts) CFL grow lights so the CFL grower will be burning 662.5 watts to equal the amount of light created by a single 400-watt HID light. That is 262.5 more actual watts used by going CFL and attempting to equal HID lighting.
　
Whatever wattage HID grow light you pick it will take more actual watts using CFLs to match the amount of light created by whatever wattage HID grow light the comparison is being made to.
　
Some may then say they have no need or wish to equal any certain amount of HID lighting, that what they use in CFLs is enough.
　
When you consider strain genetics the very best grower in the entire world with the greatest amount of accumulated knowledge and skill and with the very best equipment and fertilizers and nutrient additives etc. can do is at their very best only get out of whatever strain they grow the maximum amount of quality the strain is genetically coded to give. Nothing any grower can or ever will be able to do will overcome genetic coding.
　
But with every single step down that is taken in quality of a growers setup/growing conditions, equipment etc, whatever strain they are growing will be less capable of reaching their full genetic potential. In many cases it will be impossible to come even just partially close to reaching a strains genetic capabilities given the setups that many growers use.
　
So if someone makes the conscious choice to grow "cheaply" they should not bother to pay higher dollar amounts for higher quality genetics because they will be wasting their money because their setup will not come close to providing the needed conditions for the strain to come even somewhat close to reaching its maximum genetic capability.
　
That means if you are going to "do it cheaply" on one end it is only wise to "do it cheaply" on the other end because if not where someone may believe they saved money making certain choices they will be wasting money elswhere if they then pick high dollar high quality genetics to attempt to grow under substandard far less than optimal conditions due to their decision to "do it cheaply."

yea what he said..

nice post too.

MediMaryUser said:

these are some serious results using cfls unless this guy here is seriously full of siht for real check this out real quick http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=88449&pp=15

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I checked out the link.
　
Look at the wattage used in CFLs, two levels of 588 watts each totaling 1,176 watts being burned. Do you realize how much less wattage would need to be burned using HID lighting to equal the same amount of light?

Check out the chart attached below and use the comparisons to do the math to figure out what amount of light he is getting if it came from HID lighting and what the difference in actual watts used would be.

Now unless I missed where it said actual watts or equivalent watts I will assume it meant equivalent watts. If not then the actual amount of lighting he is giving his plants will drop considerably.
　
He is be burning more wattage to get less light than if he used HID lighting.
　
It has been proven time and time again that when HID lighting and CFL lighting is compared hands down each time HID lighting produces more grams per watts used than CFL lighting does.
　
So where is the efficiency in using CFL lighting if you are going to uses enough CFL lighting to equal HID lighting?
　
I never said it is impossible to grow good bud with CFLs. I said to equal HID lighting you will burn more actual watts using CFLs and you will still not equal the amount of light penetration of HID lighting and you will still get fewer grams per watt used and also that most CFL growers to not come close to equaling HID lighting with the numbers of CFLs in the wattage’s they use.

Something else to consider, that few do, is that lumens do not add up.

If you compare the lumens put out by any wattage HID grow light and then compare the lumens put out by the needed number of CFLs to match the same amounts of watts the HID light uses the lumens of the numerous CFLs will not add up and equal the lumens of the HID lighting.

You will be burning the same amount of wattage than the HID light will burn but only have numerous vastly lower lumen lights burning at once.

Where then is the efficiency to be found?

Lumens from different bulbs, regardless of how many there may be, do not add up.

Believing that they do would be like believing that if you had two one gallon gas cans that each had one gallon of 93 octane gasoline in them and you them poured both into a two gallon gas can you would then have gasoline with an octane rating of 186.
　

simpsonsampson420 said:

http://www.wormsway.com/detail.aspx?t=prod&sku=SSG104&AC=1

this system is a 420w 44,000 high out put floro.. it blows 400w hps lamps away.. and can probably keep up with, or at least maintain well, against a 600w..

i can promise the 400w quote because i have an active comparison (ill post a pic of my grow)...

they barely hit 90F... can be kept damn near on top of your plants... and have either grow or bloom bulbs...

as long as you have space for them (1'x4' approx)

the plants under the floros are further along than the ones under the hps, in terms or flower production.. its only been a week and the ones on the left and right on the center row have more flower production than the center row does...


oh and yea, the plant in the very front middle row is fucked right now.. dont know why.. dont need any criticisms about it tho..

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I only have one comment for you.............NICE DOG MAN!

Brick Top said:

I checked out the link.
　
Look at the wattage used in CFLs, two levels of 588 watts each totaling 1,176 watts being burned. Do you realize how much less wattage would need to be burned using HID lighting to equal the same amount of light?

Check out the chart attached below and use the comparisons to do the math to figure out what amount of light he is getting if it came from HID lighting and what the difference in actual watts used would be.

Now unless I missed where it said actual watts or equivalent watts I will assume it meant equivalent watts. If not then the actual amount of lighting he is giving his plants will drop considerably.
　
He is be burning more wattage to get less light than if he used HID lighting.
　
It has been proven time and time again that when HID lighting and CFL lighting is compared hands down each time HID lighting produces more grams per watts used than CFL lighting does.
　
So where is the efficiency in using CFL lighting if you are going to uses enough CFL lighting to equal HID lighting?
　
I never said it is impossible to grow good bud with CFLs. I said to equal HID lighting you will burn more actual watts using CFLs and you will still not equal the amount of light penetration of HID lighting and you will still get fewer grams per watt used and also that most CFL growers to not come close to equaling HID lighting with the numbers of CFLs in the wattage’s they use.

Something else to consider, that few do, is that lumens do not add up.

If you compare the lumens put out by any wattage HID grow light and then compare the lumens put out by the needed number of CFLs to match the same amounts of watts the HID light uses the lumens of the numerous CFLs will not add up and equal the lumens of the HID lighting.

You will be burning the same amount of wattage than the HID light will burn but only have numerous vastly lower lumen lights burning at once.

Where then is the efficiency to be found?

Lumens from different bulbs, regardless of how many there may be, do not add up.

Believing that they do would be like believing that if you had two one gallon gas cans that each had one gallon of 93 octane gasoline in them and you them poured both into a two gallon gas can you would then have gasoline with an octane rating of 186.
　

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im hella high!! hahaha but yeah good read im gonna read this later in a couple hours,i tryed to +rep u but i cant right now

DoeEyed said:

For the same price (including shipping!) as what you linked to, you can have a 400w HPS, 55,000 Lumens, much better penetration than CFL's.

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Yeah, I actually started growing using my

HPS/MH lighting kit.

But, after one month of usage.. holy shit
my electric bill went through the roof.
Couldn't pay that every month man.

I know.. if i was only going to grow a few
just for myself (which is what i do anyhow..grow for me and maybe a few friends that i have known for a long long time.) That I would only need enough
money to run my HPS lighting for about
12-14 weeks I guess.

But.. ehh i thought i might as well give
this CFL method a go.

Gotta say.. I'm pretty impressed with
some of the CFL lights available now.

But yeah, you are also right say that
HPS and MH bulbs do give much more
penetration through the foliage and just
gives out more light/lumens in general.

But.. like I said. I'm pretty impressed
using CFL lights to grow. I have one
CFL grow under my belt know. Like
i said.. i got just enough bud for me
and two of my life long friends that I
grew up playing soccer, school, and
hanging out with ya dig?

hmm. well thats my 2cents worth.

Peace.