Pros and Cons of Cfls in my experience

[isthatjohnstamos]

So im in the final weeks of my last grow for the year taking the summer off to enjoy my harvest and work as much as possible. I'll be back after the summer with some new girls but i wanted to just give my experieences using cfl's for growing.

CFL's
Pro's: low start up cost you can start a cfl grow with only 2 or 3 then buy more as the plant grows. also the light are much more versitile as in some if the pics you can have them hanging all around you plants with no worry of burning. When you start new plants you can use the extra bulbs to save on you house electric bill. Nce Sized Buds

Cons: In the end its more expensive I spent 40 dollars on just hte bulbs and for 60 i could of got a HID. There is no heat advantage when running 12 bulbs intead of one. Difficult to set up a lot of lights on the same cord and hang it.

 

[0b1kinsmokey]

very nice post!

Im sure this will help shed some light on growing for some first timers.


Thanks much!

 

[ms_1]

Is there any savings on power consumption with CFLs or is this not true because you end up using more lights? I've only used CFLs and tube flouro's and don't know what power consumption is with HPS and HID lights.

Also, It helps to watch for promotions put on in cooperation with the power companies. Sometimes you can get CFLs for dirt cheap.

 

[SmokinMom]

Looks beautiful. I await your smoke report.

 

[isthatjohnstamos]

no, no power savings i am still running 300w of light and i assume my results are near that of a 250w hps

 

[Killertea08]

I did the same grow op from a book showing you how to do it. Something like grow a qp for $100. I had a 2x2x3 box and put it in there only this is you have to keep your (plant) not Plants very close and you need to have plenty of room to keep the lights away. If your thinking of using a grow box DONT unless its 3x3x3 a least. I couldnt move my lights away from the plant because of no room. plus because it was in a box it got VERY HOT I had 8 42w cfls and had to use a 6in inline fan I had just to vent it. Damn if I would have known I would have bought a HPS.

 

[Killertea08]

The picture shows a single cola plant I didnt. I had about 4 leads on my plant when I shouldnt have done. I did work though just the buds where very wispy

 

[isthatjohnstamos]

yeah i just harvested a plant with 4 main colas they were fluffy as could be but still smoke great

 

[groworganic]

im currently doing a cfl grow myself and have a few questions. since i wasnt able to find a cfl floodlight with the right spectrum for flowering, i have decided to use 4 or 5 smaller cfls. is that what you did? does spectrum matter for cfls??( 6500k/2700k)?

 

[isthatjohnstamos]

im have 12 small cfls like 8 sre the soft white and the other 4 are cool blue but from what i read its better to use the soft white bulbs than the cool blue

 

[smokybear]

I would go hps every time. You can't beat the penetrating power and lumen output of one of those babies. Just my thoughts. The buds look fantastic though. Nice work my friend. Take care and be safe.

 

[slowmo77]

i would say yes spectrum matters. you can get 42 watt cfls in 2700k and 6500k at any home depot i've been to. i grow with cfls and have great results so far. i start my plants on 12/12 and thats where i leave them. i get about 1 1/2 ounce per plant. i've got a 400 hps but i haven't installed it due to the heat it will produce. any way hope this helps.

 

[trillions of atoms]

congrats on the chop!!!....cant wait to see yer nugs from a big light!


will be waitin on that smoke report! :bong1:

 

[Dankerz]

no, no power savings i am still running 300w of light and i assume my results are near that of a 250w hps

I beg to differ..>150w hps..no heat..no multi bulbs hanging all around like a fire waiting to happen. 5 females grown in one small bucket with no intake/outtake or any other fan -3.5zips without trying!

 

[isthatjohnstamos]

ok my current set up im taking 15g off each plant and im using bag seed grown 12/12 from seed to harvest. The one that i still have to harvest looks like it will be about an once in itself, so I am running more power than you but was able to grow more plants and have more yield. and my lower buds are extremly developed becasue of the ability for me to side light.

 

[Dankerz]

i have thought of many times going with the cfl but its just not worth it for me that is..to each his own! my small 150 grows never get the right water,nutes,soil,airflow they get no luv wat so ever being they are not in my total care im lucky to seeum once a week. if it was dialed in with all the right soil,buckets,nutes,vents etc i could prob get an easy 4zips of primo nugg off 1 plant or spread it out over a few plants but we grow for shits and giggles. 4zips or even close is alot for a 150 or even a 250

 

[Dankerz]

ok my current set up im taking 15g off each plant and im using bag seed grown 12/12 from seed to harvest. The one that i still have to harvest looks like it will be about an once in itself, so I am running more power than you but was able to grow more plants and have more yield. and my lower buds are extremly developed becasue of the ability for me to side light.

how many total plants did you grow and what is going to be total yeild on the whole grow.?

 

[isthatjohnstamos]

Had a total of 9 at the peak
3 left should be at least 15 a piece
20 off one (freaking sweet looking plant)
around 12 off 4
and 8 off the first one that was a little runt

so i guess i can expect 4oz id say, but these things are my babies and thier treated like royalty

 

[ms4ms]

you hit it right on the head about the hassles of cfl's. I thought all of the talk of hps lights was silly. I thought how can it be much different than cfl's. Well,I ran my veg room with cfls-24/7 and had a 250 hps for flower. I can tell such a huge difference in the yield and quality of the plant under the hps. I hope to move my 250 into my veg and get a 400 for flower. My electric bill went up less than 25 bucks running a combo of cfl's and hps on different schedules. I am now using 2-42's and 1-23 cfl on 3 clones I have going so cfl's are good but hps is just a better lite for mj,imo.

 

[Brouli]

next time when u guys wanna do CFL experiment pleas use Fluorex CFL 65w 6825 lumes and then compare. I personaly am stuck between, there is no end to this conversation. if u growing for personal use u dont need 1lb (even do i do that ) if u growin g to sell and make that ur job not a hooby get fraking HPS!!! smoke in peace