T5HO info/help

[Bogart Mc Thunderdunk]

i am just about to start my first indoor grow once i have everything on an ever increasing list of stuff i need. on the way i have an extractor and 10 single T5HO ballast/bulbs. for now i have decided that this is what ill be using i know its not the best but for my situation(small stealth grow) it has to be for now and i think itll work pretty well, i will supplement later if needed.

my cabinet is 4x2x2 so heat would be an issue
hxxp://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57604

with those ballasts i get a 6000k bulb with each good for veg but i need to get some bloom bulbs to make them viable. i have found a place in the usa that sells them but would prefer somewhere in europe for easier delivery

hxxp://www.aghydroponics.com/T5-2Ft-Grow-Bulbs-24W-HO-3000k-8pack-p/litbulbt5-pxfl248308.htm

this deal seems like a good price to me does anyone know anywhere that has a similar price around here or a bit more.


also i am wondering if this will be enough for flowering since the cabinet is only 2 foot high i will be growing autos to start just to get to grips with things. would it be worth buying some led lights to add to this to keep the wattage down and help them along a bit.. i hear theyre garbage but just wondering if theyd be ok in this situation. if not what are the other options.
also im sure i will buy a Hps+cooltube in the future once i have a bigger area, just cant now.

so far the lumens would be 2500 per square foot
cheers for any info.

 

[stemjosh]

2 Ft high would be really really REALLY tight i mean think just like six inches at least for pots the T5s will take up another 4 or five inches and a couple inches between your plants and the lights and you got like 12 in of growth. I'm not saying it cant be done but.....

 

[Bogart Mc Thunderdunk]

yeh i know, best i can do for now. if its not working ill do a single plant the 4 foot high way and raise the lights or something like that. i have a few nothern lights plants(outdoors) at the moment have lst'd them alot and theyre basicaly only 8 or so inches up from the pot, wide short bushes. hopefully itll work anyway. might take more veg time for non autos or stunt the autos a bit but i think its worth a shot anyway. if burning could be an issue is there anything i could use like clear plexiglass just under the lights (still allowing ventilation and not effecting the light) that would limit the plants height and stop them touching the lights(just an idea). i wont be going for a big grow just a small micro stealth thing with a few plants at most.

might limit the pot size to keep them a manageable size too. ive seen a few bonsai grows that would definately fit.
if all else fails ill use a closet (for everything or just flower) but i think its worth a shot anyway.

for anything other than autos i thought i could try something like this
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O is the pot with plant coming out of it.. could try trailing it across the four feet tied down.
or a ScrOG/SOG of some sort.

stealth is my main concern on this one. next time will probabaly be a bit bigger/have a hps

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Is it possible to set that 2x4x2 thingy you have so that it is 2x2x4? I think you would just have so much better luck with a space 2x2 that is 4' tall. You could probably put a 4 tube PL55 T5 (20,000 lumens) in there and have room to do 4 autos (hXXp://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-Supply-2-Foot-4-Lamp-PL-55-Tek-Lamp.asp). I don't see thescrog idea working with autos. Autos really do better with no advanced training that stresses them or slows down their growth as their life is so short. I just don't think their short life span is conducive to a scrog grow. And I see a 2' height limit as a real liability.

 

[Bogart Mc Thunderdunk]

hi HG i could do that, i was going to see how it went horizontally and switch if necessary. i could wait till sexing autos then switch with less space needed, the plants would be closer to lights when small then etc. an awkward way of lowering the lights basically. just ideas again anyway.

i have 10 individual T5 HO ballast/bulbs on the way which are 20,000 lumens which can be attached where needed so wouldnt be too hard to change, or is there something about the fixture they come in that would help- reflector etc? just im trying to conserve space. the t5s on the way seem tiny by measurements ive found anyway height wise while horizontal seems like 2 inches or so but i may be misunderstanding that. also id say with 10 smaller 24 watt bulbs there would be less heat on each light mabe better for close plants? maybe not though.

also is there any point in putting some bulbs lower on the sides or does this do more harm than good? id assume more trouble with them touching the bulbs etc but just wondering. was planning just to cover the roof in them anyway.

the scrog idea was for if i used sativa/indica types to keep down height.
or a sog with tiny clones or autos(maybe) eventually.


aaaaaaaaaanyway any answer for the questions in my first post? i cant find any t5ho bloom bulbs in europe also any supplemental bulbs i could add while still keeping down wattage/heat. plexiglass ceiling anyway realistic/usefull? for a situation like this would a small led fixture or two be worth anything(i know theyre supposedly crap just thinking of adding on not relying on them.) or anything else that might work.

 

[Hushpuppy]

Hello friend; I wish I had an answer for you. I don't remember if I listed basementlighting.com before. They are in the UK and they have a lot of stuff. Don't know if they have bloom bulbs or not though. There is one problem with the lights that you listed. They are 2footers which don't put out as many lumens as 4footers. I don't know if you have the room for the bigger ones though. But for the money, if you can fit the 4ft lights that will serve you better. I saw a picture where another guy grew a plant in a very tight space and tied it over so that it grew out horizontally(much like if you do a ScrOG). He just didn't have a screen so he did all the work of tieing it himself. the point is that he had it very low. Don't worry about the plants growing into the T5s, they are not hot enough to burn unless the leaves are actually touching the bulb. You don't want to allow that for the simple reason that it would block light more than create a burn risk. another Idea that may serve you for running the cabinet the low way. If the cabinet sits off the floor any(or if you can raise it up some and create some space underneath the cabinet), you could cut a hole big enough for a plastic tote to sit down through the bottom of the cabinet and then set your planter in that (with either soil or DWC), that would give you upwards of (6in)15cm more space in the cab for the plants to grow. I would do that on one end of the cab and grow just one plant in ScrOG so that it grows out toward the other end of the cab. In ScrOG one plant would fill that space nicely and produce quite well.

 

[Bogart Mc Thunderdunk]

Hello friend; I wish I had an answer for you. I don't remember if I listed basementlighting.com before. They are in the UK and they have a lot of stuff. Don't know if they have bloom bulbs or not though. There is one problem with the lights that you listed. They are 2footers which don't put out as many lumens as 4footers. I don't know if you have the room for the bigger ones though. But for the money, if you can fit the 4ft lights that will serve you better. I saw a picture where another guy grew a plant in a very tight space and tied it over so that it grew out horizontally(much like if you do a ScrOG). He just didn't have a screen so he did all the work of tieing it himself. the point is that he had it very low. Don't worry about the plants growing into the T5s, they are not hot enough to burn unless the leaves are actually touching the bulb. You don't want to allow that for the simple reason that it would block light more than create a burn risk. another Idea that may serve you for running the cabinet the low way. If the cabinet sits off the floor any(or if you can raise it up some and create some space underneath the cabinet), you could cut a hole big enough for a plastic tote to sit down through the bottom of the cabinet and then set your planter in that (with either soil or DWC), that would give you upwards of (6in)15cm more space in the cab for the plants to grow. I would do that on one end of the cab and grow just one plant in ScrOG so that it grows out toward the other end of the cab. In ScrOG one plant would fill that space nicely and produce quite well.

hey hushpuppy, yeh you did that was my other thread you recommended these. i think theyre the only ones that would fit anyway and with the smaller ones i would be able to put it the taller way too easily. delivered today they look tiny so im happy enough, they seem to be about 2inches~+. i was thnking of trailing a larger plant across the floor, ill keep cutting holes in mind and do it if the whole thing becomes too much hassle. id prefer not to just id have to seal it off for light leaks etc(maybe not for autos but anything else) ill keep looking for bloom bulbs anyway but if any uk/europe users know anywhere send on some links.

im gonna give this a shot anyway. just looking for ways to make it more viable.