Buying Guide Questions
After reading our review on the best CFL fluorescent grow lights, we hope you are a little bit more prepared with your purchasing decision.
What CFL light is best for growing? Can you grow plants with a regular light bulb?
We have reviewed the best CFL lights on the market so that you can check them out again. If you feel the lights don’t meet your requirements, you ask a fellow indoor grower to give you pointers. A lot of things would influence your decision depending on your needs, capital, and availability.
How to Choose the Best CFL Fluorescent Grow Lights
There are a couple of things to consider before you get a CFL for your to grow room. Looking at the packaging of most CFL lights, the information readily available are the wattage, lumen, and kelvins. These are enough to help you make informed decisions.
- Wattage of a bulb is the rate at which a bulb expends energy and indicates performance.
- Lumens measures the amount of light generated by a source. Each CFL bulbs will generate about 2500 lumens
- Kelvin measures the color temperature of the CFL lights.
However, science buffs will like to take it up a notch and measure some other values. The three values that you may need to measure are DIL, PPFD, and PAR.
- DIL means daily light integral
- PPFD is photosynthetic photon flux density, a measure of how many photons will get to your plant.
- PAR is the active photosynthetic radiation and is the range of light from blue to red.
If you do not understand these terms, it ok. You don’t need to stress, and you can just ask in your community the types of lights they use and how it benefits them.
People often think to grow plants indoors, you need special lights, but they don’t know that they can use regular lights. The reason why CLF lights are used is that they are better at growing plants indoors. However, CFL produces yields are higher when you add a more warm spectrum designed to aid growth, so you can add a couple of t5 grow lights to your grow room. Regular light bulbs sometimes don’t provide enough light of the correct spectrum to help your plants develop and lead to weak stems.
Different plants have different needs, so be sure to pay attention to your indoor plants and change the light bulbs appropriately.
Can you use CFL bulbs to grow plants? How many CFLs do I need for two plants?
CFL bulbs are designed to provide all the wavelengths of light needed for your plants to grow without the levels of heat generated from incandescent bulbs. However, CFL fluorescent grows lights don’t have as much intensity as the sun, so you will need a few bulbs to make up for that deficiency.
The number of bulbs required for two plants depends on the intensity of light from the bulbs. You need up to 10000 lux for the plants, so get the number of bulbs that will give an equivalent of that. Also, you need to consider the size of the plant as some plants need more light than others.
Too much light can cause photoinhibition if the plant doesn’t need too much light. For plants that need light, ensure you supply as much light as possible. Another thing to consider when using CFL to grow plants is the color spectrum of the lights. Plants need both warm and cool light spectrum to grow, so use the appropriate color during the various phases of growth; for instance, cool light is suitable for the flowering phase of your plants. Using it any longer may result in smaller buds’ low yield.
How many lumens does a CFL plant need?
It is advisable to give your plants as many lumens as possible except for plants susceptible to photoinhibition, but 10000 lux is enough for most plants. However, there are other things to consider; the wattage required is usually dependent on the space the plants take up.
About a hundred watts are required; 50 to 70 watts is often enough for most vegetables per square foot. Multiply the square foot area covered by the plants with the wattage to get the required watts. One of the great things about the CFL bulb is that you can have a lot of it to supply enough lumens without worrying about heat as it gives off little heat.
Are CFL bulbs better than LED? Do CFL bulbs get hot?
You may wonder if CFL is better than LED, so let’s get into their performance and see which one trumps the other. We’ll be considering the lifespan, energy efficiency, and cost.
When it comes to longevity, the LED lights are a clear winner, and they have an amazing lifespan of up to 50000 hours. Some CFLs last up to 10000 hours, but you will most likely get about 8000 hours of life out of it. Asides from having a long lifespan, the LED bulbs are very durable compared to CFL lights. CFL lights are very fragile and break easily if not handled with care.
Comparing the costs of both CFL and LED light bulbs, it seems like the CFL is cheaper at the onset. However, in the long run, you’ll save money by going with the LED lights since they last longer than the CFL and require fewer replacements.
The LED bulb also wins the match when it comes to energy efficiency. Even though CFL is more energy-efficient than regular lights, they still give about 80% of their energy as heat. Even though CFL still gives off heat, they are not as hot as regular bulbs and won’t burn plants. On the other hand, the LED bulbs emit a tiny amount of heat and use less energy than the CFL. LED uses 25% of the energy an incandescent bulb uses, while the CFL uses up to 75%.
The LED edges the CFL in terms of cost, durability, and energy efficiency. However, if you are new to indoor growing or have a small space and budget, the CFL is ideal. If you are interested in LED to grow lights, then check out the Best 2000 Watt LED Grow Lights
How do you make a cheap CFL grow light fixture?
Interested in making your cheap CFL grow light fixture? Then watch this video below.
Can you grow with LED and CFL together?
You can grow with both LED and CFL. It is often recommended that you mix different types of lights of varying temperatures to help improve the growth of your plants. However, when mixing lights, be sure to use the right temperature to avoid burning your plants. Depending on the growth phase of your plant, you’ll need different types of light. These are the Best Light for Flowering
Irrespective of the type of light you are using, and the mix you are using, it is essential that you have the correct setup to ensure you get the best out of your indoor growing. Check out the Best 2000 Watt LED Grow Lights
How Close Should my CFL Lights be to the Plants?
CFL light positioning depends on the growth stage of the plants and how much light it needs. However, you can place them as close as possible to give the plants the maximum amount of light. If you are using warm colors of light, be sure not to place the lights too close to the plants to avoid burning them.
How Long Should I Turn on the Lights For?
As we mentioned earlier, this also depends on the plants. You can leave the lights on for an extended period. However, it is advisable to leave them on for just half a day, considering the energy bill.
Here are the some additional informations on why you should consider buying CFL Fluorescent Grow Lamps:
- Types of CFL Bulbs for Different Growth Stages: Different stages of a plant’s life cycle require different types of CFL bulbs. Daylight bulbs are ideal for the vegetative phase as they support rapid leaf growth and plant development. During the flowering phase, warm white bulbs are more suitable as they mimic the natural sunlight conditions of this stage, promoting blooming and seed spreading.
- CFL Grow Lights Advantages and Limitations: CFL grow lights are popular for their ease of use, availability, low heat generation, and cost-effectiveness. However, they have limitations in light coverage due to their shape. Unlike tube fluorescent bulbs that offer a broad pattern of light, CFLs have a narrower coverage, which might require using several lights for adequate coverage, especially during the bloom stage.
- Choosing the Right CFL Bulbs: Selecting the right CFL bulbs involves considering the color temperature, which varies between daylight and warm white bulbs. Daylight CFLs are beneficial early in the plant’s life, while warm white CFLs are better during the flowering stage. The choice of bulb depends on the specific needs of your plants at different growth stages.
- Mounting and Timing of CFL Grow Lights: CFL bulbs can be placed close to plants due to their low heat emission. For indoor gardening, it’s recommended to provide at least 12 to 14 hours of artificial light daily. Using a timer can help manage this effectively.
- Recent Product Recommendations: Some recently reviewed CFL products include the Hydrofarm FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System, known for its all-in-one design and efficiency, and the Agrobrite FLC26D 26-Watt Spiral, noted for its energy efficiency and versatility.
- Light Spectrum Importance: The light spectrum is crucial for plant growth. Blue light is essential for vegetative growth, while red light is vital for flowering and blooming. An imbalance in these light wavelengths can lead to weak or delayed growth and blooming stages in plants.
Conclusion
CFL fluorescent lights are great for indoor growing, although there are better alternatives like the LED light, which is more efficient. But as a hobbyist or a beginner, you don’t need to spend a lot on getting expensive lights to grow indoor.
CFL lights are cheaper than more premium grow lights. Energy efficiency is also a point for the CFL bulbs, as this is great for the environment because you don’t use too much energy, and it doesn’t give off excess heat.
Before you purchase CLF fluorescent grow lights, be sure to check the rating, the intensity of light, and its temperature and check it against the requirements of your plants. You can invest in some CFL grow light kit if you want to start indoor plant growing.
The best CFL lights depend on your need, budget, and experience with indoor growing.
