T5

[urbanhighlife]

has anyone noticed a huge diffrence with using a T5 light set up for vegging say over using a hps or fluorescent lights. any comments on the T5 would be apperciated.

 

[Elephant Man]

I'm sorry, I can't offer any comparison. But I can give you a little info, maybe draw more interest to your thread.

There is at least one guy on here doing an all flouro grow, look around.

I, and many others, use flouros for delicate seedlings and clones. Work well for mothers, to slow growth a little.

As far as general cheap bulbs, 2x 4 foot 40 watt flouros will put out 6000+ lumens, not bad for $15 (shoplight fixture). But if you have alot of space to light, a 1000 watt mh puts out 110,000+ lumens, so if it takes 40x 4 footers to hit that, you are now burning closer to 3200 watts, plus initial cost is higher.

Flouros also run MUCH cooler, requiring much less extra equipment. HID bulbs need changing at least once a year, flouros last much longer.

So if your veg room is small, or cooling is a big problem, flouros could work out well. Get 6500k (mh color) or 3000k (hps color) or mix like I do.

As far as flowering though, HPS is alot more efficient than MH, giving closer to 130,000+ lumens per 1000 watt light...I don't think you can get near that kind of efficiency with flouros.

So, in closing, I think it really depends on the size of your room, access to cool air, size of wallet.

I am really surprised more cabinet and closet growers don't use them. I think 10 flouros (at around 3100k+ a peice) would draw as much as a 400 watt MH, with nearly same output. But here again, a 400 watt HPS is closer to 50,000 lumens (more efficient).

If you decide to go flouro, there are some other tricks you could utilize (if you are slightly mechanically inclined). If your space is REALLY small, you could overdrive the flouros and double each individual bulbs output, but you will generate more heat and lose efficientcy. You could also remote mount your ballasts to lowr temps even more.

I hope some of this info could be useful to you, I have not finished my coffee or had my morning smoke yet, so I hope my math is okay.

Good Luck!

 

[vitocorleone]

ok! dumb question... is there a difference between a t-5 and a floro? i bought my New Wave T-5 (8 2' bulbs in a nice fixture) for like $250..... it's supposedly a really good one but i thought floro were really cheap..... i'm just getting up myself so... i hope this wasn't already covered in your freakeh good post...

 

[Elephant Man]

The number after the T denotes the girth of the bulb in 1/8 inch increments, T8 is one inch diameter. I think the T8 at 32 watts is the most efficient, lumen per watt, but the bulbs are more expensive and only slightly more efficient than regular T12 (cheap and easy to find). There is alot of info on flouros and overdriving that KRSONE found in this link:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-tank-faq/175-cheap-lighting-odno.html

Thanks KRSONE.

 

[Elephant Man]

has anyone noticed a huge diffrence with using a T5 light set up for vegging say over using a hps or fluorescent lights. any comments on the T5 would be apperciated.

Just noticed this was your first post, make sure you go over and introduce yourself here:

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=26

Don't be a party crasher .

 

[nemesis_1999]

Anyone using T5 for growing, would love more info on this. In the process of figuring out whether to go hps, or combo of T5's and LED's.

 

[DLtoker]

I do... Is that all you want to know or do you have other questions...

 

[Growdude]

Anyone using T5 for growing, would love more info on this. In the process of figuring out whether to go hps, or combo of T5's and LED's.

LED's are not that great, I would not waste money on them unless your doing a micro grow, but then you would not be considering a T5's

HPS is the best all around light for flowering.

 

[vitocorleone]

I recently saw this article on some cannabis site that sed that LEDs are the grow lights of the future---they even did a grow journal with LEDs....they were in the 4th week of flower with a really interesting looking LED setup.....hold on a second......LED.....yeah, I think it was LED....