A question from a fellow grower:
I’m only currently beginning to grow one, but it seems to be doing nicely, because it sprouted a few days ago. However, I’m worried about stretching since I’m a first time grower and I don’t know if I have enough light. For the seedling stage, I have one 24" Fluorescent Grow Light and its 75W of incandescent equivalent output using only 17W of energy. Is this enough since it is equal to 75w, or should I be looking at the 17w measurement? If so, Would adding a second one be enough light then, or do I need an entirely different light? Also, I’m deciding on whether to grow inside or out. If I go with indoor, I’m looking at the Hydrofarm SBM150S 150W mini sunburst with HPS lamp sold on Amazon. Will that be enough for fully growing 1-2 plants after germination?
CFLs have so many different configurations. You usually need about 40-50 watts of “florescent” power per square foot/30 sq cm, not the incandescent equivalent number.
Here is a loose guide I made so you can figure it out no matter what type of light you are using, if you can find the lumens, or FLUX or turn PAR ratings into equivalent lumens:
Seedlings and clones require about 400-1000 lumens per square foot.
Vegetative growth requires about a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 lumens per square foot
Flowering requires about 5,000 to 10,000 lumens per square foot, ideally, and can take possibly much more.
10,000 lumens is supposed to be about the average power of the sun at sea level on a lightly cloudy/hazy day at high noon, or something like that, lol.
It’s not idea, but you can make do with 2000 lumens for an entire grow if necessary.
Thanks! Your answer was very helpful!
As far as the grow device on Amazon. That is a nice starter lamp. I would shop around on ebay for options in that price range. Nice idea though.
What are you grwoing in?