Reddit reviews Hydrofarm Agrobrite FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System with CFL Bulb

Take this advice. TAKE IT. Throw away all those bulbs and ghetto rig you got ( which is good, first time DIY is a right of passage) but trash it and buy this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001UV6P9I/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1347112107&sr=8-1 you'll need the other bulb for flowering here it is http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002TJS7LE/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1347112191&sr=8-3

Now you already got those little ones so use those as well, put them on the sides. You want like a box of light around your plants when usin Cfls not just from the top. Looks good so far my guy.

Turn those bulbs on their side so the majority of the emitted light is pointing towards the plants and not the other bulbs. All you're doing right now is illuminating your light bulbs. Literally every bulb in there, including the spiral ones, are pointing their most lumen emitting surfaces away from the plants. If someone asked me how they could waste the absolute most light in a Grow setup I would show them this. I really, really hope this is a joke. If not, I'm not trying to be mean, but you need to do some reading. Have you never seen one of these: Hydrofarm FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Ku1LybB2CVFKG

Notice the horizontal orientation with a reflector along one side. The reason there isn't a reflector on the end of the bulb is that very little light is emitted from that part.

Again, not trying to be mean here but you should have been able to figure that out by looking at the bulb.

What a pretty planter! Unfortunately, I don't think this is going to be a good fit for the space you've described. No plant will survive completely without sunlight - and unfortunately herbs are some of the more light-demanding plants out there.

If you wanted to build this anyway, you could provide enough light for the plants to grow using a grow light - probably just one big one could do the whole group (something like this) It's pretty ugly to be honest, but it works to keep my plants alive in the Washington winter!

The best plant I can suggest is some kind of Pothos - either an upright or vining type, you can buy them at Home Depot/Lowes pretty much all year. Leave that door open to give the kitchen a little light and they'll grow just fine - they're almost impossible to kill.

Good luck!

Thank you! This is my light!

I'd personally try something like this: Hydrofarm FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Gq9avb111DS9T

Cheaper option:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HG1JC0U/ref=pd_aw_sbs_lg_3?refRID=0G0QRJC0PAW8MQJVVP45

I've seen them used throughout veg. I'm not sure if you can purchase other colored bulbs for flowering. They don't produce much heat which is also a plus.

This Hydrofarm grow light system This would allow me to grow plants and herbs in my sun room in the winter and anyone who knows me knows that food is super important to me, both in health and taste.

A Fluorowing by Hydrofarm, and a timer that follows the date's standard sunrise/sunset times.

It seems to be working well, the plants appear to be enjoying it, so hopefully they handle winter well with that level of exposure.

I use to have LED lights (90W LED grow light, 2 inches above my cactus) and they were pretty happy, except the pinkish blue color really hurts my eye and make my room like Christmas year round. I switched to a 125W CFL and a 4x 24w T5HO (both around 10000lm, 2-3 inches above the plant). so far I couldn't tell the difference other than a couple dollar more in power bill and a lot more pleasant light.

none of my cactus etiolated under those lights yet (4 months under LED and 2 under CFL/T5HO) so far I like the CFL better because I can upgrade it to a 200w/switch the spectrem to red easily to induce flower. but that sum up all the experience I have with lights, hopefully it helps

There's a $60 125 watt CFL fixture that I use to illuminate clones and seedlings. It is just right for putting directly over a standard nursery flat humidity dome (1x2 feet).

Hydrofarm FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_jnFEwb6HX94SH

My favorite humidity dome for cloning is actually a transparent plastic storage bin about the same size as that nursery flat.

I have a hydrofarm 125w setup for $62.05. It works very well for what it is, but keep in mind that the ballast is in the bulb and not the fixture, so you'll end up paying more in the long run with bulb replacements because you're also buying a ballast (I only needed it once).
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-Fluorowing-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395153590&sr=8-1&keywords=hydrofarm+fluorowing

A handful of cfls or a 100 watt CFL with hood. I think a flourowing? Not much needed to keep it alive. It will get lanky So keep topping it though

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001UV6P9I?vs=1

You'd probably want to start looking at CFLs.[This] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UV6P9I/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00) along with some 23w cfls with reflectors is what I will be doing for my grow. I was told I would need 80-100 watts per square foot of the grow space so the same should apply with you. Also due to the height, ventilation shouldn't be an issue with a couple fans though I would wait for someone with more experience to give you better responses.

Hijacking here because you seem knowledgeable, and this is somewhat related. I'm building in a similar sized space as OP. I have Two of these hanging from the ceiling and on either wall I have 2, 2ft strip t5 lights. Right now I have 6500k bulbs in everything for veg, but the total lumen output for the bulbs I have to switch for bloom is just about 20000 lumen.

According to the lighting guide here in the microgrowery, 2000 lumen per square foot is minimum with medium in the 5k/sqft and optimum around 7k/sqft. For my space, I'm just around 2200 lumen/sqft. Do you feel this is adequate?

I'm still in veg, but when I switch to flower, I'm concerned if I'll have enough light. In such a tight space, adequate ventilation isn't easily achievable for a HPS(400W Ideally) lamp without raising the temperature too much (I think anyway) The room fluctuates between 71 and 76 now, so I worry that the HPS will push it into the mid 80s or possibly higher and hinder the plants' health.

OH and I there's 4 plants all of equal size each in 3 gallon containers if that helps.

I was considering getting one more of those bulbs I linked and hanging it vertically(with no reflector, I'll buy one of the hanging sockets) in the center of the 4 plants. So far I topped them twice, and I have 4 main khola nodes on top! They all look great, I'm so proud and happy. Like I said though, this is veg, and come flower it'll be lacking output.

TL;DR: 9sqft grow room, 20000 lumens at 2700k(about 4000 of the lumen are admittedly at the 3500k range) or around 2200 lumen/sqft. Is this adequate for a bloom I can be proud of?

P.S. Sorry for hijacking.

well right now I'm using two desk lamps that are 24w 8000 lumens cfl light bulbs. Also the leaves are clipped because those were the original stems that I cloned.

I'm upgrading to this growbox with this lighting fixture for my two plants:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YXDS9Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UV6P9I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

what do you think?

got this

been using for seedlings and clones. works great!

Your plant's looking pretty sad. 20w isn't really adequate. 100 actual watts/square foot is recommended. You'll need a few more like that, even if you're just using them for veg. I use this 125 watt for the first few weeks before switching to MH.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-125-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1347486071&sr=1-4&keywords=grow+lights

How do you think these are for a 1 or 2 plant grow? If I'm being too cheap, just tell me. I'm not ready to throw tons of money at this just yet.

That is not a good enough light for growing peppers.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-Fluorowing-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382155587&sr=8-4&keywords=Grow+light

That would be fine for a plant or two


Pretty much any pepper will gor indoors. Try and avoid thick walled or huge peppers like bells though. Those need a lot of energy to grow. You'll have better lick with smaller pods.

They are definitely T5. So in your opinion, would I be better off using 1 of the lights pictured for veg, or on or two of these CFL's for 2-3 plants in my 4x4 tent setup? I'll check into the T5 light and see if it's HO. It's designed to replace "high bay" HPS lighting in a warehouse setting with 30 ft. ceilings.

You could go with cfls but honestly the quality (even the chinese companies like marshydro and galaxyhydro/roleadro) in the cheap LEDs is actually quite impressive.

Just do some research on em. But for your space I still think 1 or 2 mars hydro 300w would be best (they run at ~140w and give you about 4x the yield per watt as CFL)


If you wanna do cfls though, you could get some 40-60w cfls in small fixtures placed throughout (they have to be within 2-4 inches of your plants at all times) or get 1-2 of these https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-Fluorowing-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I

but for the price you are paying for cfls, you could get one of those mars fixtures on ebay for less than 70$.

That 120w cfl hood might yield you 1-1.5 ounces and the mars would yield you at least 4oz and would produce the same amount of heat and electricity usage and a muuuuch better quality end product.


hope this helps!

I'm using this http://www.amazon.com/FLCDG125D-125-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent-System/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344984581&sr=8-5&keywords=100+watt+cfl+grow+light

It doesn't say in the product description but it's 6500k, I checked with customer service and double checked the bulb when it arrived.

And I agree, something is not right. Could it be because I started in miracle grow and had to transplant? Could it be a dwarf?

I dont see why you would need to water three times a day unless you are doing a hydro set up, but with a budget like that I would suggest you stick to soil. It will be cheaper and more forgiving if you mess up. If I were you I would go something along this route:

150 watt CFL-60$
Soil- 20$
Nutrients-40$
Fan-15$
pH test strips-13$
Total=150$

All you need after that is some pH up and pH down and an PPM meter and you will be good to go. Less than 200$.

60-watt incandescent equiv is a 13-15 watt bulb = 800 lumens. Those are meant to replace bulbs for home lighting use. Something like this is a true 125w CFL and is rated at 7000 lumens to give you an idea at how much more light output grow lights have. https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-Fluorowing-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482898412&sr=8-4&keywords=cfl+grow+light.

You might also search for PLL or T5HO in this sub, especially if you plan to have a lot of plants.

Grab 2 of these

its like these, you can get 2700k and 5600k bulbs for switching

weve done about 6 grows now

look at this... http://www.amazon.ca/Hydrofarm-Inc-AGROSUN-Equivalent-160W/dp/B0055F4VB4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1421988831&sr=8-9&keywords=grow+light two of them is a lot of light. If you can afford it - http://www.amazon.ca/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-125-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421988875&sr=8-3&keywords=grow+light

Two of these are my veg tent lights right now. Nope, all from seed. I tried cloning Girl Scout Cookies but I always seem to fail at cloning though I know once I get a hold of it that is a route I'd like to take as well.

Yes, it's illegal to distill alcohol for personal consumption; owning a still is not illegal. The reason I bring the Kingston court case up is because it is treated in much the same way as possession of cannabis in most areas - the courts at large don't care unless you're selling, hence it being an outdated law.

As for home grows being restricted in Colorado - of course they are, that's how the law was written; stating that it's restricted because it's not safe but that renters require permission whereas homeowners do not is arguing false cause. It's basically the same argument for having pets in a rental - some areas allow it by law, some do not (at least in the US); in addition it also give added 'protection' for landlords who are victimized by illegal grow ops. But that's the US and this is Canada.

The reason for flagging illegal grow ops is obvious; if you don't have to worry about living in a place, chances are you don't worry about spreading dirt, water and everything else around, hacking up the wiring and causing a mess. A future buyer has a right to know if there may be water damage or potential future mold issues due to this.

What you're not seeing -again- is the thousands of Canadians who already grow their own and you'd never be the wiser to it. You talk about Colorado having all the "best" equipment for growing, which is completely false. Spend 5 minutes searching the yellowpages of your city and I guarantee you that you will find a Hydroponics center if your city is larger than 50 000 people.

Even still, the Internet brings the very best equipment right to your doorstep and totally private unless a warrant is issued for your financials.

less than 5 minutes on Amazon

http://www.amazon.ca/Aviditi-PTU-70-Reflective-Hydroponic-35-Inch/dp/B008B8BQRE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406428720&sr=8-2&keywords=grow+tent

http://www.amazon.ca/Hydrofarm-FLCDG125D-125-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B001UV6P9I/ref=pd_sim_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=01MWGNJ2TFW85VJ0Z10A

http://www.amazon.ca/iPower-GLFANXINL6FILT6MD25C-6-Inch-25-Feet-Ducting/dp/B00DIIPTHA/ref=pd_sim_hi_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TK5SZXH60ZRC8HKJ9FH

http://www.amazon.ca/General-GH4120-Hydroponics-WaterFarm-Complete/dp/B001ID8CMG/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1406428847&sr=1-1&keywords=hydroponics

http://www.amazon.ca/FloraNova-7-4-10-One-part-Nutrient-quart/dp/B00KERVR9C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1406428887&sr=8-5&keywords=hydroponic+nutrients

Combine all of the above with a GFCI outlet and a surge protected power bar and you're all set up to grow with an extremely low risk of water damage or fire. Add a basic small dehumidifier and zero mold. The argument against it due to risk of property damage is silly. You could make the same argument against house plants or home aquariums, try taking away either of those.


Finally, why should we let people grow their own?

Because, if we don't we create yet another class of criminal; Allowing 4-6 plants per adult for personal use is the best way to avoid further criminalizing people - people will do it either way, the surest way to increase risk is to force it underground. If you stomp on people's ability to do for themselves instead of regulating it, bad things happen.

Although I haven't bought from these guys this package is kinda a nice bundle of basic starter stuff. I would probably just get the seeds from other vendors at better prices. Another one to consider is [White Hot Peppers] (https://www.whitehotpeppers.com/). Good prices, cheep shipping, and a few mystery freebies tossed in.

You can get some good LED or compact CLF lights for around 75 bucks that will cover 2"x2" space to grow a few plants.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UV6P9I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mars-300W-LED-Grow-Light-Full-Spectrum-Hydro-Veg-Flower-Indoor-Plant-Lamp-140W-/291666162702?hash=item43e8a8740e:g:hgQAAOSwMVdYIpHw