T5 Flourescent Lights

BIGRED85

Active Member
Hello, LEARNING HOW TO ROLL, lol righhhttt



Considering getting a 6 lamp, 4feet- T5 flourescent light, for use in a 22" deep, 77" tall by 6' room. Planning on HYDROponic


They are supposed to emit the same lumens as a 400 MH at 34watts-bulb, Very efficient on energy.


Has anyone tried or currently using these new lights?

Has any one used an ozonator to purify the air? I have one and want to put it to use, i believe it should help,


Thanks,


Happy Rolling :joint:
 

TeaTreeOil

Well-Known Member
Ozone is bad for plants. High enough ozone levels cause brownish spots that almost look like scabs(on humans).
 

GoldenGanja13

Well-Known Member
I use t-5s for veg 4' 8 bulbs, But for flowering, well after reading an article in last years high times I am going with Hps for 12/12. I want dense buds, but the thought of useing a t-5 and getting twice the sticky makes a person go Hmmm.
 

mrduke

Well-Known Member
i've got a 1000 hps on top and was thnking setting a 2x34 t5 on the floor for uplights, think that would help much or not worth the money???
 

Xan2

Well-Known Member
Ozone is bad for plants. High enough ozone levels cause brownish spots that almost look like scabs(on humans).
High ozone level can harm plants and human... but at the right level you kill any smells outta the room! But you should consider a can filter, they work awesome.
 

tipsgnob

New Member
I use the sunleaves pioneer IV light(t5), I use it for vegging only now. I have used it all the way from seed to chop and it did a fine job, but VV is right it does take longer.
 

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
*** cough BULLSHIT cough ***
UserFriendly

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When you said you had lost 11 out of 144, and i saw the pick of that single clone looking shabby, I was wondering if they were dropping like flies and thought it may be useful info. I most def did not say it was the problem. I wouldn't turn them all on until they were actually growing in medium. If you're comfortable with how it's going, then that's all that matters; keep on doing what you're doing.

That T5 fixture is nice. I know a lot of growers would love to have it. Even at half strength, it's more than i would suggest using for clones. I know it would be perfect for a mother cab.

You have a lot of plants and you're going to need a serious light. Al B uses 2k over 8x8 and gets good results because he has major overlap working with two hoods. Do you want pounds? Do you see yourself going big like that? I want you to get a 1000w, but only if you're going to use it to the fullest. Thats means inline fans, ducts, holes in things. It's going to cost money to setup, but we know its worth the cost and then some.
What is the problem?? I upgraded from 400 watt hid's to the t-5's. I upgraded from t-5' to 1000watt hps hid's over 2-tables that are 3' by 3', the same size Al uses or used, not sure if he still has that going on. I laid it all out there in the journal. I still don't have stock in any light company, just stating the facts as I see them. VV:blsmoke:
 

Total Head

Well-Known Member
I love these t5 threads although they seem to be few and far between so I get excited to hear good things about the grows. I have the sunleaves pioneer VI that i just got for my setup. I haven't started the grow yet but i did just fire up the light tonight to see it and to gauge the heat factor. It is noontime in midsummer in that closet! And being February in new england i was worried about how cold it was gonna be in there. Temp before turning light on was about 58f, after about 5 hrs it has been holding steady at a nice 74f. I touched a bulb and its just REALLY warm, barely hot. Just about perfect. It's a closet in the coldest room in the house so i'm not really worried about the summer heat (yet anyway). It's 324w and 27,600 lumens so i'm hoping half power will be good for the seedlings if I don't put them too close. And for the people who said flowering took long, did you use the bloom bulbs or keep the grows in? the bloom bulbs for the pioneer say they give about an extra 1500 lumens and have a color temp of 2,900 so i'm guessing (hoping) that the bloom bulbs will make a difference...
 

dvsmoi6

Active Member
Hey whats up, yeah i got a couple of T5 lights. When i saw ur thread, i was wonderin if i had started that thread and just forgot, but anyways, the ones i got are about a foot long. I bought five of them, and unfortunately the problem u might have is low light penetration. I had a canopy, cut it, then cut the rest a week later. I want to pick up an hps. Im not sure which is better, hps or mH. I wam using a small place, half a long closet, u know then ones apartments usually have.
 

UserFriendly

New Member
What is the problem?? I upgraded from 400 watt hid's to the t-5's. I upgraded from t-5' to 1000watt hps hid's over 2-tables that are 3' by 3', the same size Al uses or used, not sure if he still has that going on. I laid it all out there in the journal. I still don't have stock in any light company, just stating the facts as I see them. VV:blsmoke:
Why does there have to be a problem? If you think of my objections as complimentary, then there's no reason for anyone to make up their mind. :lol: I'm mostly just kidding, but I want readers to know there are other opinions out there, even if you drop the period.

I've recently put a small tray to flower under a mixed spectrum with a girl I've been growing for quite a while now, and am happy with the pace. I have to keep the light within a few inches, but there is no drop off in performance/speed for lack of intensity at that level. I don't think that having to keep fluoros close to tops is a new idea either.

I do believe Philip is in development of some purple T5s, and they are due to hit the market this year. I'm sure you are unaffected, but I am excited none the less. ;-)
 

AeroKing

Well-Known Member
I have to keep the light within a few inches, but there is no drop off in performance/speed for lack of intensity at that level. I don't think that having to keep fluoros close to tops is a new idea either.
I agree +rep, but have some to add.

I believe that using T5s efficiently should involve:
#1 keeping close to the plant - A few inches is even too far IMO. I strive for 1", (though a fast growing plant especially in the stretch phase makes this difficult).

#2 Training/sizing the plant properly. With HIDs, you would likely build your canopy around the footprint of the light on a flat plane. With T5s, this is a little different. The plants have to be kept at size constraints that will allow the T5 to penetrate into the canopy. You can have 4' tall plants that are only 1' wide since lamps on both sides will penetrate into the middle, but if you're only 2' tall, but also 2' wide, the T5s won't work very well as there is no way to make them reach into the middle. Another good example would be a very short SOG. If your canopy is less than 12" tall, the T5s from the top may penetrate evenly, whereas if you let them get any bigger, you won't get light into the bottom of the canopy.

#3 Positioning them evenly, often not just on the top, but also on the sides as well. Since they don't have the penetration that an HID source, or even CFLs do, you need to take advantage of one of their strong points - the ability to spread the light onto the plant fairly evenly. In the SOG example above, you'd try to keep the lighting spread evenly across the area vs. an HID where you'd just put it in the middle.

#4 Taking advantage of another strong point of these lamps, their spectrum and ease-ability to create a custom tailored spectrum grow area.

At least that's how I do it...

I was really shocked to hear an experienced grower so blatently state an opinion that they will not produce in the same time frame as HIDs.
It doesn't make sense to me - they have a higher lumen per watt than a 600w hps and a better spectrum/PAR value. If you use them properly, there's no reason why you shouldn't see similar results...
 

Filipino Hooker

Active Member
If money isnt a problem, then you should use HPS because its a lot better for flowering than fluoros, no matter how many you have.
 

Filipino Hooker

Active Member
Hey whats up, yeah i got a couple of T5 lights. When i saw ur thread, i was wonderin if i had started that thread and just forgot, but anyways, the ones i got are about a foot long. I bought five of them, and unfortunately the problem u might have is low light penetration. I had a canopy, cut it, then cut the rest a week later. I want to pick up an hps. Im not sure which is better, hps or mH. I wam using a small place, half a long closet, u know then ones apartments usually have.
HPS is better. MH can be used for veging, but you want to use HPS for flowering, and since it can be used for veging as well, its a good deal over all to just get HPS.
 

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
Folks I was the original defender of t-5 lights in this forum, I pulled a pound per table, those buds in my avatar where grown under t-5's start to finish, they are great for closet growers. Go back and read the other journal if you wish, I am talking from experience using (4) 4'-8 bulb t-5 fixture mixed red and blue from start to harvest.
Why would it shock you that someone that has used all of the lights except cfl's makes a judgment? VV
 

AeroKing

Well-Known Member
Folks I was the original defender of t-5 lights in this forum, I pulled a pound per table, those buds in my avatar where grown under t-5's start to finish, they are great for closet growers. Go back and read the other journal if you wish, I am talking from experience using (4) 4'-8 bulb t-5 fixture mixed red and blue from start to harvest.
Why would it shock you that someone that has used all of the lights except cfl's makes a judgment? VV
So you're saying you've grown the same strain under T5s and HID and found the HIDs to finish faster?
 

mixin

Well-Known Member
i have a dr 80 tent with a 250w hps. i also just added 4 four foot t5's running vertically up each corner. they help light that sucker up 100% from top to bottom. it is so bright in there i am really happy with them.

total watts in the tent = 458w
 
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