t8 grow?????please help

is it possible to have a successful grow using a t8 fixture with only 2 bulbs i know i wont have anything outstanding just want to know how many plants i can grow successfully with 2 t8s .. im not trying to do anything spectacular just a grow for personal use so please tell me how many and bet way i can grow using only 2 t8s

Thats not enough light. you would be better off with t5, or cfl if you dont want to spend much

how about with 4 t8 5600k for veg and 2700k for flowering

go to lowes walmart home depot, any store that sells lights, and buy cfl. i started with t8 and it was a dissapiontment. cfl are your best bet if your looking for cheap lighting. search some cfl grows on here and youll see what i mean

It will work fine for your expectations.

I did exactly that because of cost, space, and low temp needs.
The really cheap two bulb t8 ficture I bought was good for seedlings.
I kept 6 small plants only inches under the light. Keeping tham as close as I could without burning them. When they got a bit bigger, about 12'' and were streaching some; in a rush I fliped them kinda early into flower. I adder another two (2) bulb fictures (3 fictures,6 bulbs total). The plants still streached but not as bad as I thought they might.
The finished Product wasn't bad at all but, yeld was on the low side. Buds were airy. (looks like 1/2, weigh 1/4).
I think seeing as you're a new grower its an ok starter steup. Up-grade when you've got the money and know more of what you're doing and go from there.

But, as pothead said running CFL's is better if you get the amount you need and arrange them proper.

G'luck.

ccarrender said:

is it possible to have a successful grow using a t8 fixture with only 2 bulbs i know i wont have anything outstanding just want to know how many plants i can grow successfully with 2 t8s .. im not trying to do anything spectacular just a grow for personal use so please tell me how many and bet way i can grow using only 2 t8s

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There is a way to supercharge those T8s. There are many videos online on how to do this. I have 2 T8 2 bulb 4 footers that I did it to. They have been running strong for several months now. A normal 4' T8 puts out around 2100 lumens. By adding another balast, the light output nearly doubles.
The concept is that when you add another balast to the fixture, you are overdriving the bulbs, but reducing the draw from the balast. Instead of the original balast powering 2 bulbs, the load is split among 2 balasts. It actually is easier on the balast. It does shorten the life of the bulbs, but the cost of HO bulbs is 4-6 times more, so even if the last half as long, you still save money. I bought a T8 fixture at Walmart, and added another balast for $12.00 more dollars. The total cost for a supercharged High Output 2 bulb fixture was around $25.00.
It works and is not dangerous at all. Google "how to overdrive a fluorescent bulb. It's really cool! Your 2, 4' T8 bulbs will crank 3600-3800 lumens each. I did this in about 15 minutes and it ROCKS! I use them for side lighting to supplement my 6x4' T5s. I wish I had discovered this a long time ago. Would have saved me hundreds of dollars in HO bulbs and T5 fixtures.
Like I said, It shortens the life of the bulb, but the 4' T8 bulbs are only around $3.00 or $4.00 so who cares?
I am new to this forum but have been growing many years. I live in Colorado, and it is legal here now, so I am coming out of hiding.
I have a crop of Strawberry Cough 35 days into flower with all fluorescents. T5s, T8s and Cfls. I will post pics and start a journal here soon.

If you need additional info on this, check aquarium lover forums. Alot of aquarium people do this, because their aquarium hoods came with T8 hoods and they already fit their tanks. They need more lumens to grow and sustain certain types of coral. I have aquariums and that is where I learned this.
Like I said, I have been running 2 of these overdriven fixtures for 6 months now and the bulbs are still cranking! I hung one of the 2 bulb fixtures next to my 6 bulb T5 to extend my grow space and the buds under the overdriven T8s are just as dense and the same in size as the ones under the T5. No diference whatsoever!

ccarrender said:

how about with 4 t8 5600k for veg and 2700k for flowering

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If you can afford it, go with several 4 bulb T5 HO units. A lot more light than the T8s and the most $$$ efficient fluro system .

RockyMtnMan said:

If you need additional info on this, check aquarium lover forums. Alot of aquarium people do this, because their aquarium hoods came with T8 hoods and they already fit their tanks. They need more lumens to grow and sustain certain types of coral. I have aquariums and that is where I learned this.
Like I said, I have been running 2 of these overdriven fixtures for 6 months now and the bulbs are still cranking! I hung one of the 2 bulb fixtures next to my 6 bulb T5 to extend my grow space and the buds under the overdriven T8s are just as dense and the same in size as the ones under the T5. No diference whatsoever!

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why overdrive bulbs when you can just start with t5 units to begin with? The T5 HO s are more efficient, can be packed closer, and overdriving shortens bulb life.

you can always add more bulbs as you go tey are usually pretty cheap you can even get a decent one at wally world