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CFL Bulb Question

JJBagoose

JJBagoose

Hi,

I am trying to provide my plants some good light before they can go outside on a regular/permanant basis.

I had one of these GE General Purpose Energy Smart CFLs (100watt equivalent) that I am using over my plants.

Will this work? If so how well? I remember reading somewhere on here that there is a different type of CFL that should be used. Is there a big difference?

thanks,
jj
 
They come in different colors. 6500k is slightly blue and is better for vegetative growth. 2700k is slightly yellow and is better for flowering and fruiting. If you are only growing indoors until you move them outdoors then the 6500k one might be a little better.

CFLs will work but one 26W (100W equivalent) isn't a lot of light. How much you need depends on you grow area and how many plants. They don't get very hot so try to put the light close to the plants.
 
alawn,

I have to disagree with you, at least to a point.

I use CFLs a bunch. In a 20"x30" area, I use four 23 watt, 2700K CFLs and get more than enough Lux to support growth without the plants getting very leggy. But they do put out more heat than the regular flourescent lights and can burn a plant, or quickly dry out potting soil.

I also use one 20 watt (75 watt equivalent), 2700K CFL per potato plant and it is plenty of light. They are growing at the steady rate of four inches per week.

Mike
 
26W will be enough for a while, but at some point it'll be like feeding a grown man with baby sized dishes. no, not the size of baby, but the size of the dishes a baby eats. :lol:
 
Thanks for the good info.

I am trying to light about a 12"x18" space with 1 26w 2700 cfl bulb. I have the bulb about 12 inches from the plants.

It sounds like a little more light would be better but maybe not necessary.
 
JJBagoose said:
Thanks for the good info.

I am trying to light about a 12"x18" space with 1 26w 2700 cfl bulb. I have the bulb about 12 inches from the plants.

It sounds like a little more light would be better but maybe not necessary.
Click to expand...

yon can bring the bulb as far as 1-2 inver over your plant cause cfl did'nt have a big penetration range
 
ring sting said:
What's a " ?
Sorry, I work in metric, and am interested in this thread too.

RS
Click to expand...

" = inch

1 inch = 2.54 cm
 
QuebecFire said:
yon can bring the bulb as far as 1-2 inver over your plant cause cfl did'nt have a big penetration range
Click to expand...

Interesting, I was worried about putting the lamp too close to the plants. I thought I could burn the leaves or something.

So the closer the better? Would I get better growth that way too?
 
I have 12 pots, and 12 - 26 Watt - 2700K CFL's hanging overhead, about an inch or so.

I have homemade dome reflectors on every one making sure the ballast guts part sticks outside the dome with a fan in my area to circulate air and keep the lights cool.

So far my plants are very bushy, and healthy.

The only thing is, light does not get to the lower leaves very well and you have to leave the lights on for a very long time.

I have mine on a timer set to 16/8 (16 on, 8 off). Also It's important to make sure the plants dark period is not interrupted.
 
Good info Rich, I have 2 questions below:

RichardK said:
I have homemade dome reflectors on every one making sure the ballast guts part sticks outside the dome with a fan in my area to circulate air and keep the lights cool.
Click to expand...
ballast? When you say guts, which part are your referring to?

RichardK said:
Also It's important to make sure the plants dark period is not interrupted.
Click to expand...
Could you expand on this a little? Are you saying that the times you leave the light setup off you don't want any light introduced during this period?

thanks!
 
I may be wong but I don't believe the dark period is so important with peppers. There is likely a point of diminishing returns after around 16 hours of light but exta light is not bad just not neccesary IMO.
 
there are those on this site that will tell you peppers are not photoperiod sensitive...I used to run my lights 24 on, then switched to 16/8, now I am at 12/12 and honestly can not tell the difference in the growth of the plants...my 4 X 4 grow box has eight four foot T12 40 watt fluorescents (4-4100K and 4 6500K) and a bar of six 43 watt (150 watt equivalent) 2700K bulbs.

my grow area has three shelves 8 feet long and 2 feet apart. Each shelf has 8 T12 40 bulbs (half 4100 and half 6500).

I am very happy with the results so far. The grow box will be used to "overwinter" my best 4 or 5 plants and hopefully keep them producing...

There are lots of strings here on artificial lighting...

sorry to ramble...

forgot to say I keep my lights about 2 inches from the top of the plants...
 
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