How many watts are needed to grow?
- Thread starter Rawness
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SourSkunkD
New Member
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
hopefully this helps out a bit. cheap diy and its perfect for what your looking for, you dnt hve to use as many jthe concept is what im trying to show you!
DIY CFL Reflector - How To (Simple, Cheap & Effective)
hopefully this helps out a bit. cheap diy and its perfect for what your looking for, you dnt hve to use as many jthe concept is what im trying to show you!
DIY CFL Reflector - How To (Simple, Cheap & Effective)
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
For a rough general estimate, consider each watt of CFL light to be equal to ½ watt of HID light. Room setup, growing style, and reflector design may of course make it a little better or worse.
Should be enough for about 1.75 square feet, give or take. Maybe a little larger for vegetative growth. Won't penetrate very deep. You could squeeze three small plants in there. Come to think of it, I've seen grows where one plant took up eight or more square feet and grows with nine plants per square foot, so without knowing your intended growing style it's anybody's guess.
For a rough general estimate, consider each watt of CFL light to be equal to ½ watt of HID light. Room setup, growing style, and reflector design may of course make it a little better or worse.
Should be enough for about 1.75 square feet, give or take. Maybe a little larger for vegetative growth. Won't penetrate very deep. You could squeeze three small plants in there. Come to think of it, I've seen grows where one plant took up eight or more square feet and grows with nine plants per square foot, so without knowing your intended growing style it's anybody's guess.
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
For good efficacy, probably at least 200 Watts per square meter for bloom. For heat reasons, 26 Watt bulbs have the best light output for minimum heat. Once you go over this wattage on a single CFL, it will not be much more light gain than it is in heat gain. So the 26 Watt bulbs have the best lumens per watt. You just need more of them.
For good efficacy, probably at least 200 Watts per square meter for bloom. For heat reasons, 26 Watt bulbs have the best light output for minimum heat. Once you go over this wattage on a single CFL, it will not be much more light gain than it is in heat gain. So the 26 Watt bulbs have the best lumens per watt. You just need more of them.
CannaVince
New Member
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
I agree with smok!!! The 26 are my favs!!!! You can grab them while on all day!!! Best heat to lumens ratios!!!!!i would cram like 3 more in there!!!!
I agree with smok!!! The 26 are my favs!!!! You can grab them while on all day!!! Best heat to lumens ratios!!!!!i would cram like 3 more in there!!!!
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
Lot's of members comments but nothing from OP.........
Lot's of members comments but nothing from OP.........
lil stinker 420
New Member
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
its recomended 40 watts per sq. ft for an indica 60-70 for a sativa and a happy medium for a hybrid cross.
its recomended 40 watts per sq. ft for an indica 60-70 for a sativa and a happy medium for a hybrid cross.
QueenTokelove
New Member
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
Wow, now I am wondering if I have too many lights on my babies...I have 4 100 watt one 60 watt and a 38 watt cfl....Is this too much?
Wow, now I am wondering if I have too many lights on my babies...I have 4 100 watt one 60 watt and a 38 watt cfl....Is this too much?
lil stinker 420
New Member
Re: How much watts is needed to grow?
as long as you keep the canopy cool the more light the better, i dont think you can have to much light.
as long as you keep the canopy cool the more light the better, i dont think you can have to much light.
QueenTokelove
New Member
Read my last post here, I switched out those 100w bulbs because they were the wrong kind. Now I have 4 14w, a 26w and a 23w. I looked up that the 14w puts out 750 lumens so those alone would be 3000 lumens correct? Not sure about the 23 or 26w or how many lumens they put out. I am in the first week of flowering on 12/12, will the lighting I have now slow them down? I plan on replacing the 14w ones tomorrow.
Keep in mind that the lumen figure quoted on packages is the gross amount that comes out in a 360° spread around the "sides" of the bulb. Poor placement such as angled or worse yet end-on towards the plants can drastically affect the net amount of illumination that reaches your plants. Recommend a horizontal orientation with a good reflector (you can easily make passable CFL reflectors out of soda cans). Reflected light is never as strong as direct light because it is not perfectly reflected and because the distance that light must travel is greater, but the difference between poorly placed lights (and/or ones without reflectors) and ones that are set up well can approach a factor of two. And since one has to pay for the same amount of electricity either way...
It is definitely worth the extra time and small amount of extra money that it takes to build a decent reflector and use the proper bulbs. The most efficient cfl is the 100 watt replace, varies from 23-26 watts depending on brand, so you should run all of those, and those only as far as cfls go. Everyone can afford them, they are $1.86 for a 6 pack at Sam's. Also remember color temperature, 2700k for flowering, 6500k for veg. And remember it is safe to say you need about 4 times more light to flower than you do to veg.
QueenTokelove
New Member
Well, I just found out that I need at least 10,000 lumens for flowering...At the moment I am only at 8600. I do plan on getting more cfls next week. As of now I have 3 30w, 26w and 3 14w. I know the 14 w aren't doing jack now, didn't know it before so those are the ones that I am trying to replace. I am at the end of my first week of flowering, will my ladies still be able to flower being under 10,000 lumens? And will the process just take longer?
Whoever "it" is should know that such statements are completely dependent on the size of the plants; that is why people size their lights to the size of the space that they choose to illuminate. I have seen SoGs with nine plants per square foot and I have seen ScroGs with one plant taking up eight or more square feet. Therefore any statement that a light is good for n plants is meaningless.
