LED lighting

[cbgb]

i am new to this also half b ........i went through 7 seeds before i "think" i got it right.....there are a lot of good people on here happy to answer your questions.... i started my seed on a moist sponge in one of the cracks in the dark, when the seed cracked open i waited until it got to 1 inch before putting it in its germination pot using fox soil (has all the nutrients in it already) left in the dark for a week then i continued w/ a blue plant light and some white cfl's .....once they got a foot high they went outdoors. just recently i brought them in (3) total , getting cold here in the northeast. i have put the 3 under a total of 800watts of cfl and each plant has an led light with the majority of the led red (for flowering) here is where i got them

12/12 flower cycle , we will see what happens . good luck half b

 

[Antics]

Ok those are equivalent watts. Ignore that number. Look for the actual wattage consumption. You want at least 100w per plant in Veg, and 150w per plant in flower. And I strongly emphasize At Least.

On my last grow I used 14 bulbs, 361 watts. Lots of heat, lots of electricity. And a high startup cost. LED route is cheaper in the long run. Just something to consider..

 

[HalfBaked98]

If I were to use CFL lights, which ones do you recommend?

 

[cbgb]

blue spectrum for veg and red spectrum for flowering.....and of course some high watt cfl depending on the coverage area.....good luck i am also new to this and learning as i go.....the folks here at 420 are great and always willing to help...................good luck !!! hb

 

[Antics]

I recommend 23 watt bulbs. I would use about 4-5 for Veg, and 6-7 for Flower.
I've had the best luck with them lasting, decent coverage, fairly priced.
I personally grow with mixed spectrums. I use mostly 6500K for Veg, with a couple 2700K. When I go into Flower, I use mostly 2700K, with a couple 6500K.

Just keep in mind your costs for the bulbs, fixtures, splitters, etc.. CFLs should give you 2-3 grows out of them. You may find some start dying around the 2nd grow.

I would also suggest LST your plant to grow flat, and maybe topping it as well. A flat plant will allow you to get the most out of the CFLs, as their penetration is really weak beyond 6-8". If you grow a plant that's 2-3 feet tall, the bottom branches will receive almost ZERO useable light. Which will basically mean a reduced yield.

 

[HalfBaked98]

hahaha, thanks for you enthusiasm. Is there any ones in particular? Because I hear that equivalent watts don't equal actual watts. Im only trying to grow 1 plant at a time, nothing too big. Any advice regarding that?

 

[Antics]

I have no brand preference if that's what you mean. Any CFL that's 23w, 6500K or 2700K.
You'll see two ratings on the bulbs, You'll see something like **100 watt equivalent** on the package, and this is usually printed in the biggest font. Ignore that. Look for wattage used, energy used, power consumption, etc.. something like that.

100 watt equivalent means that the CFL you are buying is as bright as a 100 watt Incandescent bulb. This number is in place so people can replace a bulb in their house with an energy saving bulb of the same brightness. Incandescent bulbs cannot grow Cannabis, so we ignore this number as it has no use for our purposes. The wattage variance is due to the efficiency rating. Incandescent bulbs are using more power to produce heat as well as light. CFL bulbs produce less heat, thus less energy is used.

I'm growing 1 plant now as well

For growing 1 plant I suggest topping the plant at the proper time, and LST. You want the plant to grow FLAT, not shaped like a triangle.

 

[Thew]

Well For a LED light I think the best choice is the Platinum LED lights.. You can pick them up on Amazon now..

Home :: Platinum Grow Lights

I am very impressed with these lights and the Quality of the Units.. You get what you pay for . Invest in a good set of lights and a good Grow Tenet for all of your Indoor Garden Needs.

 

[HalfBaked98]

That's awesome! Could you post a photo of your plant so i have more or less an idea of what to do? Btw, another noob question here but i tried germinating 1 seed and it cracked open but a root didn't come out, I was pretty upset that a root didn't come out so i put it in soil, now i moved the soil around to see if the seed died or if it grew, and YES! it grew a root. but im not sure if that was just luck or if thats the way i should do the rest of my seeds... i have 10 bagweed seeds and only one of them has a small root poking out, the rest are kinda cracked open but nothing, should I leave them there and keep moistening the paper towel or what? i feel like other people germinate their seeds so easily and for me it takes atleast 4 days for them to even slightly crack open.

 

[Lildad90]

Phillips slimstyle bulbs most are 10.5w or 14w (color 2700k or 5000k) Wanted to know if any guys that are into cfl lights tried these. Considering these because after replacing cfl bulbs, The led are brighter with a longer rated life span. Don't know if the brightness alone is better for plants

 

[JimmyIndy]

I rec Osram Par38 full spectrum for standard sockets