CFL's or T5's

[GreenValley]

I am just starting up and have decided to root and veg my plants under flours. What I am wondering is which type I should use, T5's or CFL's. Which will have better lumins, cheaper, etc. I have looked at some CFL's and am also wondering if I go that route should I choose a 65w or a group of 23w bulbs.

 

[PsyJiM]

:welcome: to MP

a friend of mine use 6x65watts CFL's for veg and flowering .. he says is good..but lots of ppl here use T5's , i stuck with my MH for veg & HPS for flowering.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

How large is your space? Lighting needs are figured as lumens per sq ft. For vegging, you want around 3000 lumens per sq ft. You will most likely need a group of 65W bulbs, if you decide on those. A 65W CFL will put out about 3800 lumens. A 23W CFL will put out around 1500 lumens. A 54W T5 will put out 5000 lumens. I use a T5 for vegging and am really happy with the bushy dense growth and the close internodal spacing I get with it.

 

[GreenValley]

I have 8 sqft of veg/clone space. What type of socket/reflector would you use a 65w in(ie:10"-12" reflector, diy w/medium socket, etc)?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I have 8 sqft of veg/clone space. What type of socket/reflector would you use a 65w in(ie:10"-12" reflector, diy w/medium socket, etc)?

You would need about 6 65W CFLs. A lot of people use those metal bowl shaped reflectors with a splitter in them. Check total prices of different types of lighting, including reflectors and splitters, before you buy.

 

[pcduck]

t-5's are sweet :aok:

If you can afford them I would go with the t-5's hands down way better then cfl's. imo.

 

[GreenValley]

What would you say about a T5 setup? Would it really be that more efficiant? How large?

 

[pcduck]

I use the 4 bulb 4 foot model. with t-5's you can have 2 bulbs at 21k and 2 bulbs at 65k if you want or all 65k for veg and the 21k for flower. Leaves room for expansion with the daisy chain feature.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I have a 4' 4 tube T5 in an 8 sq ft closet--2 x 4 x 4. The T5 puts out 20,000 lumens. Here is a link to some pics of my girls vegging under a T5. http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53446

Even though I have a 400 MH, I do not use it anymore because of the results I get with the 216 watts of T5. I also like the low profile of the T5. I can get the plants within inches of the bulbs

 

[Matthew7]

After a few grows I will probably switch to a six tube t5 ho fixture and a 600watt HPS cool tube for my 3x3 flowering space. It's what seemed to be the ideal after all considerations, and you seem to be in about the same situation. I'm using a digital MH/HPS system right now (with 2 little 2' grow lights for seedlings up to the first two weeks) ... it's okay for my 3x3', but you always end up wishing you had more light. The t5's have the heat advantage over MH and so the water in my buckets will probably stay cooler (its between 70 and 72 degrees now and I'd like to lower it a few degrees or so) -and the cool tube will do the same. My 400 watt, open reflector works ok, but I can't put the lights as close as you can with a cool tube or t5's.

Anyway, these are my plans and I've had the time to work out the kinks so I know you couldn't go wrong with a similar set up.- But a cool tube MH/HPS system will work great and has all the flexibility you may need in the future too (but six t5's and a HPS cool tube would be flexible enough to use both during the flowering cycle to bump up your lumen if you ever wanted to!). Just a thought, Matt