cheap grow op?

I can't use HPS or MH so I was thinking about using CFLs until I could afford something better but I'm not really sure where to start... Somebody point me in the right direction.

What kind of space will you have to grow? Closet, grow box, room?

Just standard closet until I can get enough cash for a grow box. Soil by the way, too poor for hydro set up.

I have 5 plants doing well with 2 - 125w and 6 - 26w CFLs. I bought 3 small inline fans at Radioshack to manage heat and I do run them, but it has not been an issue whatsoever. I believe the 125w's can get expensive, I'm not sure exact prices because I got mine free. I've seen a Hydrofarm 125w light w/ refractor at $150, but I believe you get just the light for around $40-50 and build your own refractor. The 26w CFLs are at Home Depots and Lowes for around $4 a piece. I got 2 of the vanity bathroom light bars, and put the 26w CFLs in those. It is probably the best bet going with a lot of smaller wattage CFLs, as I hear life expectancy on the upper wattage CFLs are questionable, and the 26-30w CFLs are real cheap.

CFLs produce very little heat, can screw into any normal light socket, and are much cheaper than MH and HPS lights, which makes them ideal for limited space and budgets. The attitude with CFLs is fit as many as you can, as heat, power, and space will allow. The CFLs will burn the leaves if they rest directly against them, which is why I run the fans to keep them moving just in case, but they are about 3-4 inches away. CFLs are available in numerous light spectrums, including Daylight/6500K for vegetative growth and Warm/2700K for flowering. For a complete grow you want both, with an emphasis on the light spectrum that primarily used during each appropriate stage the plant is in. Also when buying CFLs, look at actual watts used, not the incandescent equivalent. I wouldn't recommend smaller than 20w just because they are so small, and I would recommend 100w for 1 plant and 30-50 additional per plant, but I believe you can suffice off 30w if you are on a real tight budget.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need more help.

That helps but I need more detail. I've looked at lights a bit and I kinda get it. A lot I've seen don't have spectrum types on it, I need what to look for on a box. I plan on using the shiny side of foil for milar and I have a small fan, I guess I could get more if needed. The lights are my biggest problem. I Would have to build a device for holding the bulbs safely and then there are the actual bulbs... I need to "See the light" as it were.

Well like I've mentioned, you want Daylight which has a color temperature of 6500K, for vegetative, and Warm which has a color temperature of 2700K, for flowering. All the CFLs you will find at Home Depot or Lowe's should state all of that information, or at the very least have the color temperature.

I also recommended going with multiple 26-30w CFLs instead of high wattage CFLs like the 125w. This is just a recommendation because they are readily available and easy to mount because they can go into any normal light socket.

Shit, I thought I was pretty detailed. Do you want me to tell you exactly what you should do or something haha? You want more details, here you go.

What about the lights themselves? Should I build a crazy multi-socket hanging lamp or something?

You can, or you can spread them out around your grow space instead of hanging them all from one place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_QRorECvo

That video is a walkthrough to make a cheap CFL light refractor for $30 including the bulb.

The best advice is to read grow journals and look at other people's set-ups. It will help make it less intimidating because it's pretty easy to set-up a little grow room. Try grasscity.com and look around.

I'll have to check it out when I'm home, I can't look at weed vids at school.

It's not, it's just how to set-up the light. The guy who makes the video doesn't grow pot, or at least if he does he doesn't let anyone know in the videos. He grows all kinds of plants.