Part 1 Alright I am going to keep the OP pretty short and simple. I been smoking cannabis for about 5 years now. I have bipolar type 1 as well as other medical issues and mj has really helped me, especially as a supplement to my other medications..

The problem: Getting it is so inconsistent, you get it from so many people, it could be laced, the prices are STUPID (CFL 50 for 1/8th, I know west side feels me). So basically I'm getting tired of all this and am finally saying f it lets give growing another shot.

Experience: I have had one successful grow involving two auto sour diseal plants. I know some people have some hate for autos but I enjoyed them as a beginner attempt.

I have plenty of experienced growers who can give me plenty of helpful tips and advice. I also have the Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible which is VERY informative and is what mainly helped me in the my first op.

What's the plan: A small hydroponic set up for about 3-4 plants using a 2x2x4 mylar grow tent, 2 (eventually 3) 100 watt cfl blasters (Two 6500k and 1 2700K, coco canna, peat moss cube starters, coco coir as substrate, 3 gallon size buckets, well water from 200 ft deep.

They will be hand watered their nutrients in their nutrient-less neutral coco coir substrate. I'll have them on an 18/6 time schedule, and once they are the size I want them to be (Will also implement LST) I will switch on my 2700 K light and put the timer to 12/12 to induce flowering. I'll also start adding brown sugar into their water, I hear that helps yield in my cannabis bible book.

Strains working with: 1. Purple Thai  2. Hawaiian  3. *Unknown*-Local Dro    4. Decent Mids (To experiment on 

I am also posting on shroomery but I figured it'd be a good idea to start a log here.

My most recent update is that I took some of the cracked/broken seeds that I received from my batch (purple thai) and put them all in a cleaned pill bottle container and put some water in to germinate. After about 2-3 days I drained it and put as many possibly viable seeds into one peat moss cube (Didn't want to waste cubes). Here is the result as of Day 2 after their planting




I just ordered my nutes/light which was all I was waiting on before going into full swing. Will update more as things happen
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10-12-13 Update

First off thanks for moving me where I need to be, you can tell I don't post here much haha, though it's nice to still see some familiar faces .

I read though the sudden amount of posts (Thanks you guys for contributing to my log). And it seems to be another light fight lol.. And my stance on HPS/HIDS in comparison to CFL is represented by:

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WildBud420 said:

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DonkeyDong69 said:
It doesn't matter though. CFL's are very inefficient compared to a MH/HPS HIDs, irrespective of growth phase. Recommending CFLs for any growth phase over an HID is most probably a mistake.

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No question HID's are better, but they are more expensive, and generate a lot more heat. In a 2x2x4 tent heat is a concern especially if your not or can't air cool the light.

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I am using the CFL's because I don't plan to have a huge monster plant...maybe two decent size ones and the rest smaller.. I am going more towards a sea of green..Also with the mylar tent and 95%+ reflection rate, I'm confident three-four bright 100 watt CFL's will get what I'm looking for. The two plants I posted previously were grown from CFL's (Alot shittier ones too). I'll review some of the ones posted. But I still got to save up for a fan with a carbon filter!...and maybe just a regular fan!! I have a space heater in there with just the fan fuction on and the door open just to keep it at 80...I can't imagine having a light that is even higher in heat output...and that is why I use CFL. I understand there may some who'd insist to use something else...but this is what I can afford and what I have available to me so sit back and see how a indoor grow-op can survive on a budget!

Anyways my 2nd light arrives the 16th, also a holder for them will arive the 21st (Will help me place the light closer to them to give them more light). By that time they'll be wanting some more light anyways. This 2nd one should be enough to get me through a while, though I'll know they'll be demanding more light. It'll be around that point I'll be making decisions on how high to keep them (While using LST).

Germination rate for the Purple Thai's have been perfect! I just thinned out the heard today and transplanted a few sprouts on hopes they'd survive. No hawaiian has sprouted yet...still holding out on one cube that might show promise. One of the unknown cubes sprouted. And all four of my bag seed mids sprouted. The purple thai is what I'll mainly be working with.

Right now they're all on a 12/8 timer. I squirt them down if they appear dry with a 8 fluid oz solution with 4 ml of step 1 of canna coco (Nitrogen fert basically). They have likened to that very much. The next step is waiting until they've outgrown their greenhouse dome to softly place them in a canna coco filled self watering pot! Will keep you all posted .

Also planted some jalapenos, sleepy grass, hbwr, and piper a. Got me a little garden growing [^_^].

*will update with pictures shortly*

1. My small family . I took off the plastic cover to the green house get a better shot of what I have.

2. Here are the Purple Thais! Great germination right? Straight seed to peat moss. I sprayed/mini fed the sprouts before taking pictures so I know not to drown them . I usually wait until the pellets start looking a little dry. They're growing great!



3. Annnnd here are the mids awakening from their slumber . The middle part with nothing growing is the part with the hawaiians which I suspect might be dead except for 1 and a few other miscellaneous strains, the one on the right aisle (inch seedling) is from an unknown local dro seed.



4. Here is what they're getting transplanted into , will simply water in their nutrients. I'll grab some shots of the "Self watering" pots too. And here is the light I use:


Another reason my focus is not all on lights is cause I need to also focus on getting one of these babies: Item Weight 17.4 pounds
Product Dimensions 20.3 x 14.9 x 11 inches
Item model number IF4CF412
Size Inline Fan -4" duct * Carbon Filter - 4 x 12
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October 22nd, 2013

Just updating to say I have thinned out the herd a little bit to make room in the tent. In pots I have 1 unknown dro, 1 Hawaiian, 1 Mid, and the rest Purple Thais .

I saw that they were well ready for a move so I took and put them in pots/cups with pure coco-coir broken down fiber. Still got plenty left over. I watered the pot a bit and mixed it around (It stores a decent amount of water in there!). I also watered the cubes with a food solution to help with the transition.

It may look more crowded now but it's easier to light them now and I'm sure they're getting a lot more direct light now. My holder came in today, unfortunately it didn't come with a stand...but I think I can rig something up . It's probably better like this for now the way the lights are while they're seedlings. It's when they get bigger I'll need to use my bulb holder purchase. Also still hoping to buy that 150 hps by November .

I'll be increasing my watering/food as needs be. Whenever the sub seems/feels try I'll water in with nutrients. I'm mainly using step 1 now to give them that N boost.

At this level I been dosing 16 fl oz H20/8 ml (4ml step 1/4 ml step 2) and spreading that among the plants (refilling and stopping when all seem sufficiently moist/wet).

I got a regular bigger fan blowing on them to help with the room's pretty closed circulation, it seems to be helping.

Oh I also found another local dro seed! I think I'll try and germinate that one and see if I can get another strain up and running

Also here's some pics of my Sleepy Grass, HBWR, and Jalapenos!!!
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Here you go! Was walking near by and looked at the fence and thought...that's one praying mantis looking wire...oh snap! haha

But anyways I taken some shots of them transplanted into their new 'self watering' pots. My CFL holder arrived not too long ago so I switched out the hanging set up to a rigged set up of a mic stand ghetto fied with half a fishing pole...to let me clamp on with my dual CFL holder (adjustable+on/off switch in the back). I can basically make the pots more compact in the tent while sweeping the small canopy with a wave of day light and moving like the direction of the sun . It makes things more convenient if anything and was cheap.

Also dropped the one seed I found in some water since last night from a local dro bud and awaiting the results to see if that is viable..


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10/31/13  1 MONTH HALLOWEEN UPDATE
Happy 1 Month Halloween Birthday!!!

These guys have obviously switched over into the veg stage and the biggest one (Purple Thai) Looks amazing! With the Hawaiian right behind it. The three plants that you see leaning have improved and are rising up towards the light so I'm not worried there (2 mids/1 PT).

Equipment status: I am awaiting for the arrival of my 150 watt internal ballast sun system by HTG supply. [^_^], I may also be getting at 175 MH but we'll see. The plants are doing well, I've had to bump them up their food a little bit since their leaves were starting to fade a little lighter which I've read is a sign to increase feeding. I been sticking with once a day and they seem to be doing fine with it .

I am also aiming at getting a Dual lumen/ph tester as well as some pH up/down to see how my water is.

Also getting a new strain in the mix xD I figured I'd just drop them in a little warm cup this time instead of straight planting them and see how that goes too. I saved the left over peat moss pellets and will do the same method of sprouting them, though this time I have more light as an advantage. I'll use the cfl's to raise the baby seedlings (I love how I can move it so simply) while the 150 hps I've heard from its previous owner

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Well - I had a 3x3x5 grow big tent (stealth chamber) lol
I had 9 low rider that did amazing with just the light I sent you!

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So I feel completely confident light wise! [^_^]. Other then that just playing the waiting game and waiting for signs of sex so I can strangle the males lol. Enjoy the pics!


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11-04-13                  Light Update

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Blackd0ve420 said:
It's a internal ballast sun system by HTG supply
There product is my #1 fav for lighting
The unit is 13 lbs with the cord and fresh Trinidad's.

It has had 1 month use but otherwise new .

Also through in some pics of my middies, and their root system. Love these clear cups [xD]



I have the HID mainly shining on the right side while the cfl's concentrate more left.

Probably will bump up the feeding to 7ml step 1/7 ml step 2 in 25-28 FL oz h2o. Their root system is probably developed enough where it can start shooting off some more green now.

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11-13-13           

I just wanted to log that I got a few things while I was out to try and correct my pH problem until my which was in the 7.5-8 range..

I have a bottle of ph up/down on its way but after testing my medium (7.5+) I figured I should get a few cheap quick fixes until it arrives. Feedback welcome, I know some of these have mixed reviews.

I'll be trying a new combo of

1 liter of high pH well water.

3.5-4ml Step 1/2 Canna Coco

1-2 tea spoons of dextrose (Now that they're in pre-flowering mode I figured it might help, though does nothing for pH)

1ml of White Distilled Vinegar (5% acidity).

1 table spoon of Epson Salt (A natural additive for magnesium and sulfur)

As for the four plants they're all developing their pre-flowers now and pistils. The hawaiian and remaining purple thai probably are the #1/#2 of the bunch. Now that I know they're all female I figured I'd flip the 12/12 switch once they've healed up a bit..

I also got some powdered rooting hormone to take clones with once they've grown a bit more from the 12/12 stretch .

Will up load pics today!



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12/16/13

12/16/13

So it's been about a month since my last update. I had been struggling with finding a balance in my nutrients and had some toxicity going on. Also two of my plants turned out to be males so I had to kill them. My hawaiian is the last man...woman..standing at this point! Flowering strong nearing its 11th week (almost 3rd week of flowering). It's looking healthy and shooting out some strong branches. The FIM technique I used during its sick period seems to have paid off and it has produced some healthy leaves in its place. Sadly the fried plant you see in the other pot didn't fare we well and I will likely be cutting her down soon. Might experiment with boiling the roots and such to see if a I can make an herbal tea.

I have some noobies now as you see . I am experimenting with some soil, as you see this one mid plant is doing very well in it and I JUST transplanted it today, I also have 2 more "Purple thais" in soil and the rest in coco coir. As you can see there are some strange mutations as well as some nutrient issues with a couple. This time though I feel more confident in how to handle it.

Equipment update: I've added a REAL ph kit to my arsenal now, as well as overgrow's sea weed extract which seems to be working well.


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Part 2            01/04/14

It had some set backs and my original crop died due to some over watering/faults of my own. I was upset at first but now view it as a lesson and feel more comfortable/growing now. I am left with two 5-6 week old plants (One female mutant that I can't wait to share) and one middie that has turned into a pretty 1.5 ft female .

I ordered some seeds online from the U.K (The site will stay anonymous for obvious reasons).

G13 Labs Seeds Purple Haze
Feminized Cannabis Seeds - 05 seeds

Barneys Farm Seeds Pineapple Express AutoFlowering
Feminized Cannabis Seeds - 03 seeds

Dinafem Seeds Haze 2.0 AUTOFLOWERING
Feminized Cannabis Seeds - 01 seed

Auto Seeds Polar Express (1 Seed)
Feminized Cannabis Seeds - Pick 'n' Mix

FEMINIZED UFO #1 Delicious Seeds Cotton Candy  (1 seed)
FEMINIZED UFO #2 Delicious Seeds AUTO Northern Light Blue (1 seed)
FEMINIZED UFO #3 Reserva Privada Cole Train (1 seed)

I germinated them all (13 seeds) in separate moist paper towels and put them in my large plastic bag which I sprayed lightly with warm water. I left undisturbed for 2 days. Opened it up and had 100% germination rate . Nice long tap roots (longest was probably half an inch).

I got my egg cartons out and cut slits at the bottom and filled it up with some soil (Plan on transplanting to a soil/coco coir/verm/pea rock mix with some acidic epsom salt water mix to help with this magnesium deficiency I keep getting as well as help adjust the p.h of the medium.

I need to find a good soil probe, I just have the cheap green one and I'm not really confident how well it reads the moisture level..

Anyways I'll have pictures up soon .
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Jan 16th

So I am saving my dro seeds for when I've gotten some more experience on my belt but I have been throughly enjoying playing with all the bag seed I've saved up . The mids I get are decent. Seedy but good high. Well I started growing a middie around .50//.75 through my first attempt and this gal has just stuck with me . Very resilient, the leaves are beautiful and huge (bigger then my hand). I usually only need to water it once-twice a week. I just started flowering it Jan 6th and started out at 18 inches. After a week and a half it is showing some pretty hairs all over and it has grown 10 inches easily. If it keeps up this rate I'll have to whip out the string and LST it away from the HID.

Now I know this isn't the best thing to do with new seedies..but I stupidly broke one of my cfl lights so I have to keep them in the tent...but the tent is set to 12/12. From what I understand they will live...but it's not healthy for them. I am hoping that my main mother will finish up so I can switch it to a veg timing for my seeds/clones (1 from a mutant/2 from the mother mid plant). It's kind of freeing just practicing with bag seed because there's not as much hurt if you mess up and still get great dank in the process . You can start to smell it now if you put your face in the tent. It has the middy smell but more aromatic and slightly fruity (Lemon maybe.. something juicy/sweet).

I figured I'd finish january keeping the same schedule. You might notice the bottom leaves in some pictures are paling and showing a N deficiency (As the plant is switching from pumping energy to the buds now). I used a nitrogen solution with a drop or two of dawn as a sticker and sprayed only the affected leaves. We'll see if that helps any. I am happy with the feeding schedule that I have made but may to tweak it SLIGHTLY to adjust for the flowering.

Anyways I just wanted to fill you guys in, a lot has happened and new things going on in my life so simply said I'm taking on the world and hoping the best of it lol.

My jalapenos are fruiting outside too [^_^], also got some Hot Thai/Sw pepper going. Even two Morning Glories (Love the look of the flower and never grown them before).

Will keep you all posted as things develop and change pace. Any general tips/feedback about the flowering process are welcome. If I remember correctly you stop all nute feedings (water only) 2 weeks (or a month?) before harvest and also one should flush (Water only?) a couple weeks before harvest. I'll refer to my book but if anyone happens to know feel free to post .

Also made my first thc butter extraction from the plant matter I saved up.



P.S The florida medical marijuana inititiave achieved enough signatures to get on the 2014 ballot (If the court rules in favor of the wording). Good news for me [^_^].
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1-24-14

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Blackd0ve420 said:
Yes I've heard about those butane experiences...

coconut oil and this coming soon

8 days later

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2-10

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itsaconspiracy said:
nice buds forming dude.

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I was relieved to see it , annnnnddd now little over two weeks later we have:

2/05, My experiment with a female half of a herme (From a purple thai), and seedlings that were exposed only to 12/12 (I know it sucks for them). Out of the many seeds I germintaed successfully, only a handful made it to the vegetative round while looking pretty healthy! I was happy with the outcome though. The little purple thai clone is so funny, I noticed it started flowering when it was only an inch and a half tall .

MOVING FORWARD to 2-10

Let's see how these babies grew up . Flowering time!



Starting to smell nice up in here . Smells like sweet medicine to me . I figured I would give it this month on its current feeding regimen. After two months of flowering (and around) will use my scope to keep an eye on the trichs to harvest at the right time. Already picked a few small lower branches as clones from it.

It seems indeed the ca/mg was the issue yet again. After the flush (With appropriate nute) as well as an extra feeding of CAliMagic the dead parts of the plant stopped progressing and the leaves began getting their green back. The buds also noticeably have thickened substantially. It seems to like all the nutrients and sugars it is receiving.

After a couple months I'll just flush with ph'd balanced h20 and probably some dextrose. Then just give it a water diet before it is harvested .



Shows the LST that I've been doing. A simple string (not too tight!) with the weight of the light water bottle bends the plant where it needs to be. Very flexible! Just be careful not to snap it .



Lastly here is the youngings! Growing up themselves . Some healthy looking sprouts considering their light schedule. We'll see how they take. As you can see more pictures of the the purple thai flowering clone (My first clone too!). It's doing really well.

Looking forward to having more exciting updates as they come. One in particular I'd like to mention!

As some of you might know now, the Florida Supreme Court ruled IN FAVOR of the ballot initiative's wording so it is clear for the 2014 ballot!! Big things happening everywhere...love it. It needs 60% to pass and polls are showing as high as 82% and as low as 68% +/-. Looking good
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3-11-14

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Blackd0ve420 said:

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itsaconspiracy said:
update please

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Will update today . My main baby is soon to be ready for harvest (March 20th is week 10 of flower) and is looking/smelling great! The trichs are mostly clear/starting to cloud up, with 1-2 amber hairs..still a bit early.

My two other plants are doing amazing! This time they won't have any burnt leaves off haha, so a lot more yield.

Right now the question at hand for me is what stage of harvest would be best for me, being Bipolar Type 1.

Obviously CBD is the best for me based on research, but that's determined by genetics. I do, however, have control of THC/CBN levels.  http://azmedtest.com/educate/cannabinoids/

There are other references that make the same assumptions. I definitely want some CBN but I am having a hard time determing what the best ratio is for THC:CBN  25:75  50:50  75:25. Leaning more towards 50:50. Input?

Pictures soon . Also as a note I will be shutting down the thread just to cover my internet foot prints as I continue to treat myself. Thank you all, especially you conspiracy, for holding my hand down this new journey . Now I need to get my hands on some CBD rich strain seeds!

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Here you go!28 Days Later (Pun intended)! The bud is thickening up great and you can see the trichs everywhere with the naked eye. I wish I knew how to make some good cbd and/or thc extract. Anyways the set date of harvest is the 22nd. Placing this plant (16/8; 12-12 flipped), at 4 months from seed to harvest. Compared to the two beautiful younger plants you now see (same mid baggie strain), their transition from veg to flowering was a lot quickier/smoother. Looking back the plants that survied under the pure 12/12 (And were female) took only 1 month 22 days to reach into the flowering stage...interesting. The smell is very sweet, and clean, but with a hint of fruityness.

My two newest plants are looking relatively really good! One of them is curling/drooping slightly, after checking the ph/moisture I realized both new plants had a very high pH. Just as well I am about to transplant them into the container size that my current flowering plant is in and give them a nice pH balanced flush .

Also as said I think after I finish harvesting and complete the cycle for this current flowering plant I will close out the thread here and in the shroomery for privacy sake (Will save record of it).

Without futher text here's the update!


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03/19/14
                   

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itsaconspiracy said:
good job Blackd0ve420 beautiful plants man and don't delete the thread it pretty awesome ,but on to updated as long as we get to see the ending fruits of your labor I'll be one happy stoner.

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Ask and you'll receive . I'll keep the thread up. Probably just won't update it as much. It's a helpful log. Anyways the wet weight was 4.5 oz and it lost 74% of its weight so it came out to little over a quarter oz. Little less then what I was hoping but the stuff is very fluffy/dense with 90% sativa high. Very uplifting, relaxing, doesn't cloud my head or couch lock me (very helpful for me personally). I probably could have let it mature a little more but I had a run in with grey mold and had to harvest quick and cut out the tiny hold it was getting in a few buds. I am currently re-working so the humidity level is below 50% from now on.

I'll update some time soon with pictures of the other two flowering mamas that look AMAZING. So will definitely expect a better load then what I got after this poor plant was subject to my novice hand . Feeling more confident at least.

I also having sprouting Northern Lights Blue Auto, Cotton Candy Auto (delicious seeds), Cole Train, Chiesel, and some other bag seed .

The little purple thai clone has turned out to be a hermi, I separated it from the others, I noticed 3 seeds that were almost mature in their pods. Will be an interesting grow lol. Will probably turn the clone into a cookie once I get the seeds (for experiment sake).

Anyways here's my first REAL harvest! Excuse my noob manicure work, still trying to perfect it. Plan to trim a bit more after it has dried/cured a bit longer.

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DonkeyDong69 said:
I have one suggestion: CFL's produce a very poor source of light at a very low efficiency compared to HIDs. You'll be paying more and getting less at the same time with CFL's as apposed to using HID's, and I think it's best to acquire a more powerful light sooner rather than later

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DonkeyDong69 said:
I have one suggestion: CFL's produce a very poor source of light at a very low efficiency compared to HIDs. You'll be paying more and getting less at the same time with CFL's as apposed to using HID's, and I think it's best to acquire a more powerful light sooner rather than later

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WildBud420 said:
I agree with donkey, CFL's are fine for veg, but flowering is much better with a HPS, if you only doing a couple plants you could get away with a 150w or 250w HPS, there are some cheap ones out there like this sun systems 150w, check it out... sun system 150w hps

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2'x2' is 4sq ft, at 50w HPS lighting per square foot, you'd either be going a little strong with a 250w light, or just a little weak on the 150w light. (Though either one would work fine, much better than CFLs.)

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Deadkndys420 said:
CFLs suck even with veg.

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DonkeyDong69 said:
It doesn't matter though. CFL's are very inefficient compared to a MH/HPS HIDs, irrespective of growth phase. Recommending CFLs for any growth phase over an HID is most probably a mistake.

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WildBud420 said:

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DonkeyDong69 said:
It doesn't matter though. CFL's are very inefficient compared to a MH/HPS HIDs, irrespective of growth phase. Recommending CFLs for any growth phase over an HID is most probably a mistake.

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No question HID's are better, but they are more expensive, and generate a lot more heat. In a 2x2x4 tent heat is a concern especially if your not or can't air cool the light.

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You are completely and totally wrong. You are making the mistake everyone makes and comparing like wattages. You can't compare a 200 watt cfl to a 200watt HID. YOu have to compare a 75watt HID to a 200watt cfl in order to it to even be close. Remember in order to get the light that a 200watt HID produces you need close to 1000watts of cfl if not more. Now if you used enough cfl light to equal the light being put out by 200watts of HID it would be much hotter with cfl light then with HID.

CFL lights turn much much more of their energy into heat then HID lights do. You have to compare equal amounts of light then which system more efficiently gets you that light.

To put it simply if you were running HID light instead of cfl light you'd be using 75% less energy to get the same amount of light you're getting now.

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WildBud420 said:
No question HID's are better, but they are more expensive, and generate a lot more heat. In a 2x2x4 tent heat is a concern especially if your not or can't air cool the light.

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WildBud420 said:
No question HID's are better, but they are more expensive, and generate a lot more heat. In a 2x2x4 tent heat is a concern especially if your not or can't air cool the light.

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WildBud420 said:
lol All i said was that cfl's work fine for veging 1 or 2 plants.

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DonkeyDong69 said:

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WildBud420 said:
No question HID's are better, but they are more expensive, and generate a lot more heat. In a 2x2x4 tent heat is a concern especially if your not or can't air cool the light.

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WildBud420 said:
lol All i said was that cfl's work fine for veging 1 or 2 plants.

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No. You said HID's generate more heat - we're saying, actually CFLs generate more heat.

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