Where to order or buy the right CFL bulbs?
8:19 am in electronic components, made from scratch (without a kit), Materials and Resources, questions by Thomas Verheijden
Hi,
I’ve just recently found out about windowfarms and I want to get started building one as well. I have three huge windows, all together about 5m wide and 1,8m high, the only problem is that I don’t have any direct sunlight and I can’t find any place to buy the right CFL bulbs. I’ve read on the website that I need bulbs with a light temp of >5500 K but when I google this I can’t find a single website that sells them. And are there any other requirements? Like wattage maybe?
So does anyone know a website or a store, preferably in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I can get some of the right lightbulbs?
Many thanks in advance!
Tom
That might be difficult. You might be looking at getting them shipped from an online hydroponics supplier. Sunblaster is the lightening company of products I have been using lately and they work great.
There is nothing saying you can’t use regular CFLs from the store, they just won’t be as strong. Plants will grow slower.
@hardware junkie
Thanks for the reply, i searched around a bit more and i found two possible options:
a 5400K, 30 actual watts CFL bulb? and a cheaper (and therefore preferable option) might be this one:
http://www.dampkring.nl/14804/propegator.html
You think that would work?
Either one would work but you might spend more money going with the second option.
Plants will grow to the strongest light source, in this case your lights. You are going to need a column of those T5s (the second link) for each windowfarm column. CFL bulbs you could go on the cheap and just make a reflector from tin foil.
But that item in the second link would be nice. Good light source.
Check out your local hydroponics store. They have a wide array of indoor grow bulbs. I would recommend T5s for vegetative growth. If you are growing anything that flowers, you will wither need a HPS light, or for a cheaper option you can get “grow” fluorescent bulbs that are T5.
I’m interested in this too.
But so far I find it hard to get good information…
Here is some information (not much but e bit) from the newest book I read.
from ‘Soilless Culture Management’ Author: M. Schwarz 1995
‘Fruit crops such as tomatoes, generally need more light than vegetative crops, such as lettuce.’
‘The advantage of the first 10 W/m^2 is higher than additional advantage obtained from increasing the light intensity from 20 to 30 W/m^2.’ But the time period in which they are provided with light is very important. from 4 to 8 hours you get the double effect in growing. if the lightintensity is constant.
Lamps:
Incandescent (tungsten- filament): exessive heat production (only suitible if you need the heat)
For some Plants the high proportion of red and far-red light causes tall soft growth and other changes in plant form (as in to less light or because of the red??) only 7% of the electrical E is converted to light
Fluorescent lamps: commonly used in growing rooms or small germination areas (not big greenhouses) more efficient (20% converted to light)
cool white predominates in the blue region.
only low power (watt) available -> number of tubes increases.
High pressure sodium (HPS): 25% is converted to light. Long life expectancy (24000h)
spectrum predominates in the higher wavelengt and peaks at 589 nm (yellow) the light emission extends beyond the visible range (700-850 nm) which is required for stem elongation, increased fresh wight and early flowering of most plants.
Low pressure sodium (LPS) from type HID lamps are the most efficient with 27% converted to light.
A 180W LPS compares to a 400W high pressure mercury lamp. life: 18000h
emit most at 589nm an a little in the 700-850 nm range. 10% of the emitted light is supplied from incandescent(?) light, which is especially important for lettuce plants.
There is a little bit on what needs the plant for what but I would love to find a good source for more of it and indepth explained… so if you find something -> write it to me please!
yours Ziska
And here are some more basic infos!
From Britta: http://our.windowfarms.org/2010/03/05/do-i-get-enough-light-or-do-i-need-to-supplement-the-light/
and in german: http://www.gartenforum.de/threads/3003-Licht-bei-der-Pflanzenanzucht
have fun!
Some other Posts on which lamp:
http://our.windowfarms.org/2011/12/19/buy-this-lamp/
cheap for 10€. But there is no preview of the Kelvin range. in the manuel however there is the nm Range.
It works for some but some get problems with this lamp after a few weeks.
They (German conrad store) have quicksilver in them and high use of Power (35-80W) but the K is good. So what you use in electritity you get out.. maybe an energy saving bulb would be better…
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/572872/Osram-35-W-T5-Leuchtstoffroehre-865-HE-High-Efficiency-Energiesparlampe-G5-35-W-Tageslicht-Weiss-Roehrenform
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/572881/Osram-49-W-T5-Leuchtstoffroehre-865-HO-High-Output-Energiesparlampe-G5-49-W-Tageslicht-Weiss-Roehrenform
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/572890/Osram-80-W-T5-Leuchtstoffroehre-865-HO-High-Output-Energiesparlampe-G5-80-W-Tageslicht-Weiss-Roehrenform
This energy Saving bulb (also von megaman like in the other post) uses 20W and you get an equivalent of 85 W out of it.
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/574693/Megaman-MEGAMAN-ESL-HELIX-20W-E27865-spiralfoermig-Energiesparlampe-E27-20-W-Tageslicht-Weiss-Spiralform
but the manual doesn’t show the emission range in nm like in the other post… but you got the right kelvin amount.
yours Ziska.
P.S.: looking into LED’s migth be good to.