# CFL sweet spot?



## samforest (Aug 29, 2014)

Hello
My first post, and what an effort to get this far. Have I joined some sort of secretive Masonic cult? Amazingly complex, hopefully easing up soon.
Anyway, I have a small light box for starting flowers and veggies in late winter, with 6 x30w CFL's on the lid pointing downwards. My question is will more light reach the seedlings if the lights were mounted horizontally or does pointing the bulb at the plant work better. Is there an optimum positioning of the bulb for best results? I understand a little about lumens, these are all 6400 K bulbs for early vegetative growth, but it seems the bulk of the light, if that is the correct way of putting it , is not reaching the plants. Appreciate any help.


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## StarHalo (Aug 29, 2014)

You need some sort of reflector; doesn't have to be anything complex, some brooder light housings would work fine, they're a few dollars a piece at your local big box hardware store. And I'm a big fan of hydroponics, a soak hose on a timer can give awesome results.


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## samforest (Sep 3, 2014)

Thanks for that. I am still interested though, in knowing whether more lumens come from the length of a cfl, or from the tip or end. Any ideas?


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## StarHalo (Sep 4, 2014)

It radiates in all directions evenly, so you'd see a lux-meter-difference-only from the longer profile of the bulb. But adding a reflector would increase light in the one given direction significantly. If you're really worried about directing all your light, you can move to a T-type long fluorescent tube, as used in office buildings - but even a basic setup for these bulbs is much more expensive than a CFL bulb and an expedient reflector.


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