8 T5s enough?

razoredge said:

wow.. I have never had heat problems with my T5's.. they run so cold that I sold off all 14 of my 1ks to switch over.. no joke, As of now i am running 6 of the 8 bulb HO 54watt bulbs at 208 volt and it only pulls 1.8 amp each and doesnt put shit for heat, I am really happy with the T5's and its super easy to control the temps and squat the lights down to 2 inches above the babys.. and with only 6 of the 8 bulb t5's I have 128 3 gallons under them..

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You ought to try touching my 54w compact T5's (22" long), there's definitely heat there.

Leilani Garden said:

What lamp; are you using, Oasis? I realize this thread is old but maybe it'll show up in your favorites.

THIRTY GRAMS off of one auto flower? Under a T5? That's quite a lot, even for an HID light with those plants. Like, a WHOLE lot.

Thanks for the info Tech Mang. I do appreciate it.

I believe I am done with my T5 experiment. It was fun and interesting and all that, lol, but right now, my plants are about the same size they were ten days ago when I posted this info. And... ta da! I think I've got the world's smallest ever flowering plant: it is about three inches tall and flowering! How marvelous!

That was an interesting science experiment. Hmm, wondering if I ought to let my child take this into school for hte science fair which is coming up soon!

Well, maybe not, but if there were any horticulture types, it certainly would present an interesting case, right?

thanks again for all the info.

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Yeah i get your skepticism and that's fine. I grew with t5's-6 tubes AS WELL AS 4 CFL'S ablout an inch from the plant. WITH TOPPING AND LST i got that yield.

If i just let them grow under the t5's with no other training or cfls to supplement- then yeah i prolly would have gotten about 20 g's. I have a pic of the plant about 12 days from harvest. I'll put up.

As far as the heat goes- yeah t-5's aren't heat proof but it isn't comperable to 400w hps.Plants CAN be about four inches from light and be fine with a fan blowing. the way i assured uniform height was with SCROG.

Here is something to think about tho-
I am currently growing 3 WOS non-auto plants under the same t5 setup with CFL's. I have done no topping and minimal LST. I let them veg for about 3 weeks before pushing to 12/12. They are about the same size as my auto were(prolly about three to four inches taller but it's tough to tell with scrog) and they look as though they are going to yield maybe 30 g's a piece.

What i think is up is that Training matters a ton as well as supplemental lighting for side branches when growing with t5's. Instead of having 4cfls on one plant providing "bonus" light i have two plants with one cfl and one plant with two cfl's. Not nearly the bud growth on the side branches as i was having with the Auto AK with all of the cfl's focused on it.

hmm I can touch the bulbs just fine, I know they put out heat.. but its not THAT bad.. I use a stand up ac and it cools a 12 x 15 foot space that has 6- 8 bulb T5's and there is NO HEAT PROBLEM.. also running a de-humid and a propane burner.. all out of a little 12kbtu ac.. all summer long when it is over 100 out side and never a problem

i got my t5 unit from an auction and i have no idea who makes it but heat really has never been an issue

I recommend using T8's. There isn't much of a difference, and they are easier to get. And 8 of them should be okay.

Home Depot has a 70w HPS for $42. Put it on a separate timer for 3-5 hrs/day.

You'll still need some venting. I agree with guys above, the floro's do put out heat