by Jorge Cervantes
Light and Lamps
You will need a light to illuminate your beautiful plants. If you decide to grow in a small space such as a closet or grow cabinet, you can use fluorescent, compact fluorescent (CFL) or HID lights. Fluorescent lamps work well to grow clones, seedlings and small vegetative crops. CFLs can be used to cultivate clones, mothers, and vegetative plants. When CFLs are placed close enough to flowering plants, big tight buds will develop. HID lamps are favored for growing vegetative and flowering plants.
Two 400-watt HID lamps illuminate plants better than a single 1000-watt lamp because they emit light from two different points. These points (bulbs) can be placed closer to plants. A single 1000-watt lamp must be placed 24-36 inches above plants. A 400-watt lamp can be placed from 12-24 inches above the garden. Each foot closer nearly doubles light intensity.
Use fluorescent, CFL, metal halide, or HP sodium bulbs to grow cannabis. Other bulbs – incandescent, tungsten halogen, LP sodium, mercury vapor – have poor spectrums and are not efficient enough to grow cannabis.