[Sprink]

Allo stoners

 

I'm thinking about making a little propagation box for the first week (2 weeks max) to get me seedlings going. It'll just be for when I'm drying in the tent.

I'm not really sure what kind of wattage I need though. I've always started under big lights.

 

I guess that say 45 watts of blue would be fine for the first week, but would it do any harm after that? If need be I can get a 100W .

I know with photoperiods there's time to get them right under big lights, but I might want to start autos like this as well so wouldn't want to stunt them with low light.

I also don't want them stretching beyond reason

Light will be 24/0

 

It's gonna be a VERY basic ting, as always with me. Passive intake and extraction, so it wouldn't be used for long.

It will be small, maybe 30cm tall, and will have only a few seedlings in it.

 

I'm not experienced with CFL so I'm not sure how much will keep them right for a week or so.

 

All suggestions very welcome

 

Cheers

 

 

[Anonymiss]

I have 45 Watts (2 x 11 W + 1 x 23 W) of fluorescent in a space 28 cm x 28 cm, and that's fine for one plant for the first couple of weeks or so

[Sprink]

Nice one Missy

 

I might go a bit bigger as it'll be 3-4 seeds in there. Maybe 65W would be alright for 7-10 days with 4 seeds?

 

Cheers

[Anonymiss]

I think it probably depends on how big the area is, with height being less relevant than width/depth because by the time they reach the edge of the space they'll be capturing all the light at the canopy.

Beware that not all lamps are created equal though, and they can provide quite different efficiencies as the power level changes. There's a table with some of that sort of information here: http://www.t-g-c.nl/...s-and-coverage/

I'd probably go for a couple of household compacts, rather than one larger one

If you're up for something a bit more complicated in terms of sourcing and assembly (and probably a bit more expensive) then have a look at Osram's Dulux L-HE tubes. They're super-efficient for fluorescent, producing 100 lumens/Watt (that's as good as low-Wattage halide and HPS), and they're short, starting at about 330 mm in length. You'll need some caps/connectors and control gear though.

[Sprink]

Lovely, thanks Miss

 

I need it to be simples so I reckon a few 23W ones will do.

 

Cheers for the link to the table too.

[Anonymiss]

That sounds about right — A couple/three of those would probably work over something seedtray-sized.

In fact, a second tray, painted white and inverted, might make a reasonable reflector.

[2scoops]

Some steady looking cfl`s here.

http://www.ebay.co.u...item4ac97df16f