Growing weed indoors with CFLs is a fantastic alternative in case you are planning to take care of no more than 2 plants.
Thus, CFL lights, also known as Compact Fluorescent Lights, are a wonderful option for both beginner marijuana growers, as well as those of you who are limited in terms of growing space.
That’s because CFLs won’t work well if your growing room exceeds 5 feet in height.
But then again, if you are planning to set up a compact growing space, such as a small tent, a cupboard, a weed grow box, CFLs are game-changers!
Keep reading and by the end of this article, you will be all ready to start up your marijuana growing adventure, using CFLs with great success!
#1 – Understand the Basics of Growing Weed Indoors with CFLs
Compact Fluorescent Lights are not new on the cannabis cultivation stage. In fact, CFLs have withstood the test of time.
Subsequently, there are more than thousands of happy marijuana growers, who have managed to enjoy stellar crops with the help of CFLs.
CFL grow bulbs are effortless to find in just about any ordinary grocery store.
Meanwhile, they are also super easy to install and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
Keep in mind, however, that using CFLs for growing marijuana requires you to monitor your green princesses each day.
You will not be able to setup a CFL installation which works on an automated light switch timer, for example.
Nevertheless, you need to consider investing into a reliable fan or carbon filter if you are planting your green babies in a cupboard, tent, or any other growing space which is limited in size.
Anyway, if you decide to grow your indoor cannabis garden in a useless room, such as your old bedroom, and in the case, you are attending a single plant, simply opening the windows can do the trick to support proper airflow.
#2 – How Many CFLs do I Need for 1 Marijuana Plant?
As mentioned above, CFLs work well for taking care of no more than 2 marijuana plants.
But for a start, you can use this expert guidance to help you calculate the best CFLs ratio, suited for a single cannabis plant.
Subsequently, you can easily follow up with your calculations in the case you are planning to grow 2 green beauties, instead of 1.
Compact fluorescent lights come in different wattage.
Wattage is what you need to take into consideration when planning your indoor growing operation.
As a rule of thumbs, an average of 150W – 200W in total are perfectly well-working to supply 1 marijuana plant with all the light it requires in order to flourish.
Next, it is always best to opt for numerous CFL grow bulbsof low wattage until you get the total of 150W, as opposed to purchasing just a few CFLs with a higher wattage.
Multiple grow bulbs will allow you to adjust the light much, much better.
As a result, all of the buds and leaves will get equal and sufficient access to light, which will reward you with greater yields.
42W CFL grow bulbs fall into the best category for marijuana growing. Thus, 4 grow bulbs of 42W will do an excellent job to tend a single green beauty.
But then again, 8 CFL grow bulbs of 23W-26W are also a good option.
Just stay away from investing in grow bulbs of 65W because it will be almost impossible to spread the light equally by using only 2-3 of the 65W CFLs.
#3 – What About the Color Spectrum of CFL Lights?
Marijuana plants require a different color spectrum during the vegetative and the flowering stage, in order to thrive and provide maximized yields.
For us, humans, the light spectrum is not visible, instead of in the case we see a rainbow in the sky.
For cannabis plants, however, the light spectrum is not merely visible; your cannabeauties will use the colors as to focus their growth in a particular area.
Thus, during vegetation, expert marijuana growers recommend using MH lights (Metal Halide) or LED lights, emitting an abundance of Blue light.
Blue Light aids plants to grow multiple healthy leaves and sturdy stems, which are both crucial for the process of photosynthesis and the ability of your plants to hold the fat buds without branches getting snapped.
Once the flowering begins, your green princesses will want more of the so-called Red light spectrum, which helps them to nurture those juicy, succulent buds.
But when it comes to growing marijuana with compact fluorescent lights, you want to remember that the color spectrum doesn’t make that much of a difference.
Focus on the proper wattage instead.
However, you can still choose to opt for the so-called Bright White or Cool White CFLs during vegetation (also labeled as 6500k grow bulbs).
When it comes to flowering, Soft White grow bulbs (also labeled as 2700k) are slightly superior for putting your marijuana plants in the mood to start growing buds.
The Bottom Line
If you are eager to try out growing weed indoors with CFLs, then we absolutely encourage you to embrace this approach with confidence!
That’s, of course, if you are only planning to nurture up to 2 green beauties.
Make sure you control the temperature because if you leave your growing space unattended, CFLs can cause heat stress predominantly due to the lack of proper and consistent airflow.
As a rule of thumbs, install your CFLs on an average of 8 to 10” away from the tops of your plant/s so that you avoid burning the gentle tips and future buds.
Happy Marijuana Growing!