So i've got a biodiesel mass autoflower planted, its a seedling right now. what i would like to know is whether this is any good ( growing with a light outdoors)? is it pointless? its a small set up in my balcony, the light is well protected from rain. why i chose to do this was because i've heard many times that cfls aren't the best for getting fat dense buds and cause its not as sunny as i would like it to be here these days. i cant afford an hps setup. so i figured maybe an outdoor grow with a cfl could do the trick. its an 85 watt lamp. in my head i'm thinking that everything the cfl is lacking in spectrum etc will be made up for/ complemented by the sunlight. am i right in assuming this ? any other advice or comments would be appreciated. thanks!

Are you not getting direct sunlight on them?

If you are getting around 4-6 hours of sun I would say don't bother with the light unless to extend daylight hours and prevent flowering.

with it being an auto flowering strain your gunna want 24 hrs of lite to keep her from flower and to grow tall enough to make it worth your while ..depending on your local and how far you are into fall season will determin if its gunna work or not ..the days are growing short here now in the states and its harvest season right now for most outdoor auto strains ....

Assuming you started a seed in dirt, and are just starting to vegetate, I would suggest that you obtain a 10.5 in. Brooder Clamp Light and screw that 85w CFL into it and mount it over your plant, wherever you want.

What temperature (in Kelvin) is your bulb? or what color does it give off?

its a white spectrum bulb as far as i can tell, no idea about the kelvins but i know its got emits about 5000 lumens. i get a decent amount of direct sunlight on most days but its not consistent cause the rainy season's starting. i'm not sure if i'll be able to get that clamp light any time soon, but i'm thinking i'll set up a makeshift grow tent .yes the seed is in soil. and i'm a little concerned , the seedlings about 6 days old but hasn't really shown much growth as compared to others of the same strain i've seen of the same age in spite of the light. could this be a sign that this specific plant might have weaker genetics or something or am i just getting paranoid?

To answer your last questions : YES!

Don't expect every bean to produce the same exact growth characteristics, as it generally doesn't work that way. If the seedling is green and still growing, albeit slowly, it may be any one of a number of reasons, none of which you can do much about unless it's due to your actions: over watering, feeding too soon, poor soil aeration, too close to lights, too hot, etc.

One last thing: make sure the bulb you are using is the correct spectra, i.e. ~6500K, or towards the blue end.

Um...you aren't growing a seedling directly in the outdoors, are you ? If so, you may want to rethink that process and start them indoors, where it's easier to control its environment, get a good start in life before subjecting it to the perils of the wild outdoors!

Good luck

Sherif420, sounds like the right color for vegetation, and forget the reflector, that bulb is probably too big for it anyway... and I don't think that source has a store in your area either, LOL.

It doesn't sound like the sun is going to be very dependable for the foreseeable future, have you thought about growing your plant indoors as Doobie suggests?


Sounds like you've heard a lot of nasty stuff about CFLs... I do all of my growing with CFLs. You can see my latest results at CFL gro (perrrty nice) Scroll down the page for the latest photos.

hey guys ! sorry for the late reply, the seedlings doing well it seems to have picked up a bit now. i'm probably gonna buy another 85w cfl for once the plant gets a little older. i just checked the box the bulb came in and it says cool day light. i hope thats good for the plant, if not i can get another one. it also says colour temperature- 6500kelvins so from what i read thats good right? also yes they are now indoors most of the time because of the unpredictable weather.
thanks !

and its good to know cfls can produce good bud

Sherif420, 6500K is great for vegetation and the one bulb should carry you through that phase, but for flowering you'll need something in the 2700K - 3000K range and probably at least two, one for each side of the plant, and a way to mount them close to the plant. More would be better. Good luck with your grow... 52.