Compact fluorescent lights

tucsonplumeriaz · 11-14-2010, 05:27 PM

i am just getting into artificial light with them. i have poked around on the internet to get the skinny but originally i came away confused.

i heard ppl say that "warm" light is for blooming and "blue" light is for vegetative growth. i have seen 2700K recommended for blooming and 5000K or 6500K for vegetative growth. all of this made no sense to me w/o references.

i looked up the a photosynthesis spectrum to get an idea of what plants want. then, i looked up some info on the spectrum for the 2700K, 5000K and 6500K flo lights on the GE homepage. Learn About Light: Spectral Power Distribution Curves: GE Commercial Lighting Products i attached two images showing comparisons of SP65 to SP50 and SP50 to SP27. now it make more sense.

it looks like the 5000K and 6500K lights can help somewhat with blooming and would be the best light to get if you could only have one.

anyone out there using CFL lights?

Worm_Farmer · 11-14-2010, 06:05 PM

I am using 2 4x bulb T5 fixtures, I am using Argomax Bulbs 4 x "Grow" 6400k Daylight, and 4x "Bloom" 3000K

I seem to have good luck bring veggies from seed to bloom without changing over any bulbs. I prefer to run one of each so I do not have to change bulbs, and in an effort to provide a more "Rounded" light source. I figured the sun puts off all the different spectrum's at once, so why not try to recreate the sun light as much as possible. I have found that Tomatoes and green beans grown under fluorescent lights seem to stretch or grow taller vs HPS or MH

The Hollyberry Lady · 11-14-2010, 06:49 PM

I used to use these lights on my seedlings and had a small 27 W coiled bulb that screwed into a desk lamp. It was good for one mature adult plant, or about 10 seedlings.

I intend on buying another bulb this winter. They run around 12 bucks here.

I also grow with other fluorescent grow bulbs as well as a metal halide HID system.

: )

Darkman · 11-14-2010, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worm_Farmer

I am using 2 4x bulb T5 fixtures, I am using Argomax Bulbs 4 x "Grow" 6400k Daylight, and 4x "Bloom" 3000K

I seem to have good luck bring veggies from seed to bloom without changing over any bulbs. I prefer to run one of each so I do not have to change bulbs, and in an effort to provide a more "Rounded" light source. I figured the sun puts off all the different spectrum's at once, so why not try to recreate the sun light as much as possible. I have found that Tomatoes and green beans grown under fluorescent lights seem to stretch or grow taller vs HPS or MH

Worm Farmer do you keep the light close to the foilage to try and stop the stretching?

tucsonplumeriaz · 11-15-2010, 10:12 AM

thanks for your comments. i am going to try and get the 5000K bulb. i have the 68w light very, very close.

Worm_Farmer · 11-15-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkman

Worm Farmer do you keep the light close to the foilage to try and stop the stretching?

Yes, I keep the lights right on top of the plants, when ever the leafs start to burn against the tubes I lift them up another notch.

Darkman · 11-15-2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worm_Farmer

Yes, I keep the lights right on top of the plants, when ever the leafs start to burn against the tubes I lift them up another notch.

It is kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around growing Bananas under lights since they get so big but I suppose that it could jump start a season especially if you are growing dwarf varieties.

Has anyone posted pictures of their grow light setups?

Blake09 · 11-15-2010, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkman

Has anyone posted pictures of their grow light setups?

Ill be the first....

I have a 27 watt compact fluorescent, and the out put is equal to a 100 watt light bulb. I think I need to add another light and put the light closer to the plants. I want to buy a led light like like this TRIBAND LED SPOT LIGHT GROW hydroponic UFO FLOOD USA! - eBay (item 120646968774 end time Nov-18-10 09:17:02 PST) to help out with the growing process, maby even one of these All BLUE 225 LED Grow Light Panel stimulate Growth Lamp - eBay (item 220696110286 end time Nov-15-10 19:40:12 PST) for folige growth. But for now heres some pictures of the light that I have:

And yes, I know its a little messy.

.

tucsonplumeriaz · 11-15-2010, 11:02 PM

good set-up blake. you can do so much better now with the newer bulbs. i picked up a 68w CFL (~ 300w incandescent) at home depot for $16. the 5100K and 6500K bulbs are available online for purchase. i don't know why HD does not carry the latter two.

here is my set-up.

timmko · 11-16-2010, 08:53 PM

Last year I grew my 6" banana's under a 400watt 10,00k MH bulb with a supplemental 6500k Compact Florescent under a round hood. Like the one pictured above. THis year as the plants are over 8ft I added a 6 bulb t-5 6500k unit that seems to work great with the others. Here is where I got it. It was the best price for a t-5 unit that I have found and people that have come over to look at it have also bought one. I would like to add another at a later date but $$ will tell. So far I have had really good luck with what I have been using. THe old 10,000k MH bulb was from my reef tank and although it is mainly blue it worked great the plants did not end up being long and stringy they went from 6" to over 3ft in a little under 3 months.

Hydrofarm T5 4FT Designer Fluorescent Grow Lights - Plantlighting Hydroponics & Grow Lights

The Hollyberry Lady · 11-17-2010, 09:45 AM

Cool set-up Blake...that's the same bulb I've used too.

Something else worth mentioning about the compact fluorescent bulbs is that apparently they are recommended to people with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and also to cancer patients known as 'bright light therapy'.

Cool that they're not just used to keep plants happy...they keep people happy too!

: )

Darkman · 11-17-2010, 06:21 PM

All this talk has given me an idea. Every year I drag around fifty tropical plants inside a 12 x 30 foot insulated building. I place them near a large window and water them a couple times. They look pretty ratty by Spring. This year I think I'll spread them out some and use fluorescents to try and keep them healthier. I think I have just enough time to work something out before I have to drag everything inside.

Is there any advantage in using the CFL's over the 4' bulbs?

tucsonplumeriaz · 11-18-2010, 12:33 PM

hi darman,

is there a local hydroponics store in your area? you might want to go visit one. they usually will have lights set up for display and for plants that are in the store. i went to sea of green here in tucson. they had the 4' bulb set-up with 4 lights. it was very bright, but my one bulb seems brighter. it could be because it's just one light and not spread out linearly. seems like the 4' bulbs would give you better coverage. i think it would be best to visit a hydro store if one is in your area and see what they have set up.

Darkman · 11-18-2010, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucsonplumeriaz

hi darman,

is there a local hydroponics store in your area? you might want to go visit one. they usually will have lights set up for display and for plants that are in the store. i went to sea of green here in tucson. they had the 4' bulb set-up with 4 lights. it was very bright, but my one bulb seems brighter. it could be because it's just one light and not spread out linearly. seems like the 4' bulbs would give you better coverage. i think it would be best to visit a hydro store if one is in your area and see what they have set up.

There is one nearby. I'll check it out. Thanks!

tastyratz · 11-18-2010, 08:53 PM

This is a good thread to come up, I am glad I found it.

I know how people put lights with hundreds and hundreds of watts and run up big fat electric bills. On the same subject, how much lighting should really be needed to keep a plant healthy over the course of a winter indoors? I am overwintering 4 types of bananas and some borneo giants. I have 2x27 watt tube grow lights from wal mart as it is mounted to the ceiling in the area. If I mounted it close I would need 8 of them.
Basement temp averages 55-60.
I am thinking I want to keep them juuuuust barely growing. If I had 1 or 2 leaves over the whole winter more than I started with I would be thrilled.

Darkman · 11-18-2010, 11:02 PM

Soooooo What is better to let them take a nap and not expend energy or try to get them to grow a little which will definately tap into the plants energy reserves?

11-14-2010, 06:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
Worm_Farmer Worm_Farmer 's Photo Gallery Location: Palm Bay, FL Zone: 9b Name: Mike Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,533 BananaBucks : 62,957 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 5,326 Times Was Thanked 1,830 Times in 679 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,866 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights I am using 2 4x bulb T5 fixtures, I am using Argomax Bulbs 4 x "Grow" 6400k Daylight, and 4x "Bloom" 3000K I seem to have good luck bring veggies from seed to bloom without changing over any bulbs. I prefer to run one of each so I do not have to change bulbs, and in an effort to provide a more "Rounded" light source. I figured the sun puts off all the different spectrum's at once, so why not try to recreate the sun light as much as possible. I have found that Tomatoes and green beans grown under fluorescent lights seem to stretch or grow taller vs HPS or MH

11-14-2010, 06:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady 's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,352,315 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights I used to use these lights on my seedlings and had a small 27 W coiled bulb that screwed into a desk lamp. It was good for one mature adult plant, or about 10 seedlings. I intend on buying another bulb this winter. They run around 12 bucks here. I also grow with other fluorescent grow bulbs as well as a metal halide HID system. : )

11-15-2010, 10:12 AM	#5 (permalink)
tucsonplumeriaz tucsonplumeriaz's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 33 BananaBucks : 16,301 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 37 Times in 19 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights thanks for your comments. i am going to try and get the 5000K bulb. i have the 68w light very, very close.

11-16-2010, 08:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 100,107 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights Last year I grew my 6" banana's under a 400watt 10,00k MH bulb with a supplemental 6500k Compact Florescent under a round hood. Like the one pictured above. THis year as the plants are over 8ft I added a 6 bulb t-5 6500k unit that seems to work great with the others. Here is where I got it. It was the best price for a t-5 unit that I have found and people that have come over to look at it have also bought one. I would like to add another at a later date but $$ will tell. So far I have had really good luck with what I have been using. THe old 10,000k MH bulb was from my reef tank and although it is mainly blue it worked great the plants did not end up being long and stringy they went from 6" to over 3ft in a little under 3 months. Hydrofarm T5 4FT Designer Fluorescent Grow Lights - Plantlighting Hydroponics & Grow Lights __________________

11-17-2010, 09:45 AM	#11 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady 's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,352,315 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights Cool set-up Blake...that's the same bulb I've used too. Something else worth mentioning about the compact fluorescent bulbs is that apparently they are recommended to people with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and also to cancer patients known as 'bright light therapy'. Cool that they're not just used to keep plants happy...they keep people happy too! : )

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11-17-2010, 06:21 PM	#12 (permalink)
Darkman Dirt Master Darkman's Photo Gallery Location: Pensacola, FL South of I-10 Find me on the map! Zone: 8b/9a Name: Darkman Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,249 BananaBucks : 218,318 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 9,263 Times Was Thanked 1,582 Times in 702 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 243 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights All this talk has given me an idea. Every year I drag around fifty tropical plants inside a 12 x 30 foot insulated building. I place them near a large window and water them a couple times. They look pretty ratty by Spring. This year I think I'll spread them out some and use fluorescents to try and keep them healthier. I think I have just enough time to work something out before I have to drag everything inside. Is there any advantage in using the CFL's over the 4' bulbs? __________________ Darkman in Pensacola AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!! Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong! Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable! Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

11-18-2010, 12:33 PM	#13 (permalink)
tucsonplumeriaz tucsonplumeriaz's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 33 BananaBucks : 16,301 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 37 Times in 19 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights hi darman, is there a local hydroponics store in your area? you might want to go visit one. they usually will have lights set up for display and for plants that are in the store. i went to sea of green here in tucson. they had the 4' bulb set-up with 4 lights. it was very bright, but my one bulb seems brighter. it could be because it's just one light and not spread out linearly. seems like the 4' bulbs would give you better coverage. i think it would be best to visit a hydro store if one is in your area and see what they have set up.

11-18-2010, 08:53 PM	#15 (permalink)
tastyratz Location: NH, USA Zone: 5b denial Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 65 BananaBucks : 29,182 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 18 Times Was Thanked 81 Times in 38 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights This is a good thread to come up, I am glad I found it. I know how people put lights with hundreds and hundreds of watts and run up big fat electric bills. On the same subject, how much lighting should really be needed to keep a plant healthy over the course of a winter indoors? I am overwintering 4 types of bananas and some borneo giants. I have 2x27 watt tube grow lights from wal mart as it is mounted to the ceiling in the area. If I mounted it close I would need 8 of them. Basement temp averages 55-60. I am thinking I want to keep them juuuuust barely growing. If I had 1 or 2 leaves over the whole winter more than I started with I would be thrilled.

11-18-2010, 11:02 PM	#16 (permalink)
Darkman Dirt Master Darkman's Photo Gallery Location: Pensacola, FL South of I-10 Find me on the map! Zone: 8b/9a Name: Darkman Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,249 BananaBucks : 218,318 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 9,263 Times Was Thanked 1,582 Times in 702 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 243 Times	Re: Compact fluorescent lights Soooooo What is better to let them take a nap and not expend energy or try to get them to grow a little which will definately tap into the plants energy reserves? __________________ Darkman in Pensacola AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!! Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong! Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable! Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

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