do i need more light?

joedan890 · Nov 20, 2013

im 2.5 weeks into my first grow and im using a 8 lamp t5 fixture that puts out 40,000 lumens at 6500k. multiple people have told me ill need a hps when i want to start flowering, and well i believe them.

im growing in a pretty small closet but i could fit 2x 250 watt HPS inline. would this give me the difference i need? the lumen output is about 50% more with each bulb producing 29,000 lumens.

thanks for any advice.

authentic196 · Nov 20, 2013

HPS will obviously give you better results, but i've seen very successful t5 grows all the way through, how many plants?

joedan890 · Nov 20, 2013

authentic196 said:
HPS will obviously give you better results, but i've seen very successful t5 grows all the way through, how many plants?

thanks for the reply, i have 6 going currently in 3 gallon buckets. i could fit 2 more tho but i figured i'd leave some room
i guess maybe ill see how this goes and go from there. im also only using seeds i found in the shake of some good bud

this is my biggest one
View attachment 2901427

Southerner · Nov 20, 2013

The answer to that question is always yes.

authentic196 · Nov 20, 2013

want no less than 100w's per plant, depending how big you get them/how long you veg, you could need 2-300 watts per plant, t5's you want to keep the plants small unless you have some other means for side lighting. even with my 1000w hps/mh I throw up all my cfl's from my first grow for side lighting =D

joedan890 · Nov 20, 2013

authentic196 said:
want no less than 100w's per plant, depending how big you get them/how long you veg, you could need 2-300 watts per plant, t5's you want to keep the plants small unless you have some other means for side lighting. even with my 1000w hps/mh I throw up all my cfl's from my first grow for side lighting =D

i planned on trying to learn how to effectively LST so i could maximize the efficiency of my light. if all my plants stayed short and spread out horizontally that would work well because my light covers a large area.

I have 6 cfl bulbs i can use but i dont have a good way to mount them effectively. i saw these single t5 strips that looked pretty excellent for side lighting. the problem with that tho is that in the middle of my grow area there is a door so i could only effectively light one side of the plant with the strips.

longarms90 · Nov 20, 2013

i base off lumens, 10,000 minimum per plant for me, but that 40,000lm t5 you have should do fine. more light is always a go, but for flower you could just change the bulbs to 2700k and you should do fine. i would train them if i were you since you have one flat panel of light, tie them down and get a canopy going, spread the plants out so you utilize all those lumens.

authentic196 · Nov 20, 2013

I use these guys with a Y split thing and put 2 23w cfl's in there, you can clamp that cheap 5 dollar crap from walmart anywhere =D

longarms90 · Nov 20, 2013

joedan890 said:
i planned on trying to learn how to effectively LST so i could maximize the efficiency of my light. if all my plants stayed short and spread out horizontally that would work well because my light covers a large area.

I have 6 cfl bulbs i can use but i dont have a good way to mount them effectively. i saw these single t5 strips that looked pretty excellent for side lighting. the problem with that tho is that in the middle of my grow area there is a door so i could only effectively light one side of the plant with the strips.

look up some lst tricks, but i always just start tying things down as it goes, no real method usually.

authentic196 · Nov 20, 2013

That's my little setup with my 600w and like 400w wortha cfls =D it is hard to have too much light but not very hard to have too much heat.

joedan890 · Nov 20, 2013

longarms90 said:
look up some lst tricks, but i always just start tying things down as it goes, no real method usually.

hmm ok, when is the right time to tie it down the first time? my oldest plant is 17 days from sprout. is this too early?

longarms90 · Nov 20, 2013

its not about age, ts about height. once they get tall enough to get a string around and able to get a good bend, then tie, and repeat as they grow. youll get a good idea of it as you go.

feasy · Nov 20, 2013

To answer your question no 2 250watt Hids will not be better than the 8 tube fixture you have. While you might get slightly better light penetration the fixture you have now should give you better results over all. How old are your bulbs? How well do you control your environment (temps/humidity)?

joedan890 · Nov 20, 2013

feasy said:
To answer your question no 2 250watt Hids will not be better than the 8 tube fixture you have. While you might get slightly better light penetration the fixture you have now should give you better results over all. How old are your bulbs? How well do you control your environment (temps/humidity)?

i control the temp pretty well it stays between 70-78. I havent picked up a humidity meter yet so im not sure about that.

the bulbs and fixture are brand new

do i need more light?

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