does it really make sense to ever buy t5's instead of metal halide's?

[TREE KING]

there ya go then... use the 400. You still have to vent the tent regardless. T5's still put out a good amount of heat especially 400+ watts of them, don't be fooled. I recommend the Hortilux MH Blue. Replace it every 6-8 months if running 18+ hours a day. Horizontal use only. Not sure how well it works with certain digital ballast though.

thats exactly what i already plan to do i just wish i didnt waste my money on the t5 already. thanks for the recommendation, im curious does the blue bulb keep your plants more squat than a regular hortilux white bulb?

 

[watts]

Def man.. the spectrum is a perfect mix for plants. Great growth rates. You will be amazed when you see it for yourself.

 

[Hammerhead]

Obviously there are thousands of people using t5 for seedlings and vegging. When I compared a t5 to a hid to do my seedlings and veg the hid got 2x as hot. It was also to far away from the seedlings. I could also install multiple units t5 on 1 rack to veg 100's of clones. with just fans blowing on the racks.

I have had tents I never used them to do seedlings or clones/veg in. To dam hot.. Everything I do when there young does not include tents.. Tents are worthless without cooling added. It's like trying to grow in a hotbox lol.. The efficiency of t5 is much better then hid. To me it's a no brainier to use t5.


As we all say If your happy with what you got thats all that counts ..

 

[TREE KING]

Obviously there are thousands of people using t5 for seedlings and vegging. When I compared a t5 to a hid to do my seedlings and veg the hid got 2x as hot. It was also to far away from the seedlings. I could also install multiple units t5 on 1 rack to veg 100's of clones. with just fans blowing on the racks.

I have had tents I never used them to do seedlings or clones/veg in. To dam hot.. Everything I do when there young does not include tents.. Tents are worthless without cooling added. It's like trying to grow in a hotbox lol.. The efficiency of t5 is much better then hid. To me it's a no brainier to use t5.


As we all say If your happy with what you got thats all that counts ..

i hear you if thats what makes you happy then do it. all i gotta say is id rather use a 400 watt mh than 2 huge t5's any day of the week.

i appreciate the info watts

 

[TLoft13]

I've used T8, T5 and Plls for vegging purposes. All have their niche, imho, mainly because of their different fooprint. While i prefer PLLs(usually 4x55W DIY) for my micromums and cuttings i need a bit bigger/faster, my outdoorseason preveg is usually done with oldschool T8. Enough light for my babies in 1l soil-pots, and that i can let them go for days without maintenance(no damage if they grow into the lights) is a big plus.
Below you see a temporary "growtent" for my outdoor-preveg, the whole setup including exhaust-fan, wood and lamps from the home improvement store cost less than a 400W MH, and is absolutly quiet because heat is so minimal no big exhaust is needed.

 

[Tony Sativa]

I veg with T-5's in a 5x5 SJ tent from seedling to 18 inches and no real problem with heat because it's set up proper. I got 4 tents in the same room and use ac only in a hot summer months. I use a 4 inch S&P inline for air intake and a 6 inch S&P hooked to a phat filter for exhaust. This tent has 2 of the 6 bulb badboy T-5's and one of the 4 bulb badboy T-5's all on a multi level 18 inch x 42 inch L shaped wire shelf with a e-z cloner on one bottom rack and a 8 bulb 2ft designer T-5 in the space across from shelf. That's alot of watts if you add them up plus the extra heat that the e-z puts off but never has got over 83 degrees and that's with the dimmer speed at 3\4 speed on exhaust fan. So if set up right it's good to go.

 

[the gnome]

HO T5s all the way for seedlings, I have 3 4ft 8bulb units and 4ft 6bulb unit
the light is spread out and not a single point source so I can get the lights 2-3" from the tops and get minimal node spacing not mention plants on the edge stretching toward the light source.
theres the heat issue that an HID will produce quite bit more than a T5
also when i have a back up in veg waiting for something to finish up in the bloom room
I can keep veg plants under the T5s up to 24-30" in height with ease and again the single point lite source from a small HID would be somewhat of an issue

both have thier good points but overall there's a lot more pro's using the T5 watt for watt using the 4ft 8bulb T5 wattage and smaller for the comparison, when you get into the higher wattages the HIDs take the stage
all my opinion of course

 

[Blaz3]

I honestly am a FIRM believer in t5's..not jsut ANY t5's...but PLL bulbs...each 2 ft bulbt emits 5000 lumens..most t5 2ft bulbs emit around 2000-3000 lumens...PLL bulbs kick ASS..

HTG Supply has a 2 ft 2 bulb system for around 70$..or a bigger 2ftx2ft 4 bulb system..which is bad ass and can easily veg 25+ seedlings/plants...

i say t5's [pll] are very good for the simplicity..with an h.i.d..you gotta worry about ventilation...sound...additional fans..etc...with a t5 just put some pots udner,hang it up,and leave the door open with a small fan pointing at it..thats it..not so brighth that it disturbs,but vegges plants nice and fast...

here are my seedlings at just 7 days old..udner a htgsupply plll...

 

[watts]

for small scale growing t5 is fine.

 

[The Phoenix]

If I had money to burn, I'd go t5's all the way, but no way can I justify the cost of the t5 units when I can buy a 400 watt digi ballast and econo wing reflector combo so cheap.

I can veg at least 60 - 80 plants very effectively under one 400 watt mh. First off, you dont need a t5 unit to root cuttings. A simple set common floro lights will do that for less than $20 each.

You'll never veg as many plants under a t5 as you can und a MH, and heat from a 400 is easy to deal with compared to 1kw bulb ovens.

I usually just start 10-20 new plants per bulb every 2 weeks and by the time the older ones are ready for the flower rooms, new room is opened up for the younger ones to take over. Keep taller plants around the perimeter and smaller ones directly under the bulbs.

Here are part of around 80 vegging under 400 watt mh. Many new plants are rooting in cups or are new seedlings. 400 digi MH rocks for veg dont ya think?

 

[TREE KING]

you hit the nail on the head Phoenix the footprint isnt big enough to veg alot of plants. i wish i could of returned my t5's but i woulda looked like an asshole because i had the store special order it for me. im just gonna try to dump it off to someone for half price. money down the drain

 

[Green lung]

I can do 30 clones with 1 CFL.


My 400 gets to hot, I use T5 in my veg closet and don't have to use any ventilation.



.and yeah t5 for seedling and cloning is a waste of electricity.

 

[yerboyblue]

I like the T5s for small rooted clones because they are basically 'throw anywhere' in design. I don't have to hang them, worry about heat, and can literally put some boxes on each end to elevate them. Plus most have the ability to switch off half the lights.

Any thing bigger than small rooted clones I have some 600 MH conversion bulbs for.

 

[SMOKE-ONE]

What is the best reflector to use with a 400 watter to get the footprint really wide? I planning on purchasing one in the next couple of days.

 

[davie blah]

love my t5's best investment i ever made

 

[TREE KING]

What is the best reflector to use with a 400 watter to get the footprint really wide? I planning on purchasing one in the next couple of days.

check out the bell lighting reflector and the blockbuster below
http://www.growlightexpress.com/grow-light-reflectors-4/blockbuster-reflector-1498.html

http://www.hydroempire.com/store/bell-lighting-washington-lr1000w-p-848.html

i only use non air cooled reflectors cause the light reflects better and it makes things easier you just have to make sure you got the proper ac. theres also no glass to block the light i got both of these ones but i still gotta get a light tester to see which one works better. they spread out the light perfect for a 4 x 4 area and they can probably cover more space too

 

[supermanlives]

i have used t5 . had 2 setups . sold em and went back to regular floros 8 bulbs 4 ft. then they go under a 400, then to 600s or 1k

 

[TREE KING]

i have used t5 . had 2 setups . sold em and went back to regular floros 8 bulbs 4 ft. then they go under a 400, then to 600s or 1k

i can get away with using 2 regular flourescent light fixtures over 1 ez clone 120. thats 4 bulbs total which equals 160 watts which is much better for me than using a 400 watt t5. talk about saving on electricity lol i put em straight into flower after that. if i need the plants to grow quicker il do 1 400 watt mh over 2 ez clone 120's

 

[HAZE FIEND]

my 4 x 24w short t5 is getin my lil veg cube area way to hot! like to 100f hot! is this normal n should i get a fan and open an extraction hole or is there somethin wrong with my t5? i thought these where for cloning? it fried the few i put under it... maybe take 2 bulbs out til i have a few established mothers under there too?? the area is basicaly a 80cm box size with the light practicaly on the cieling or maybe 10 cm from it and the clone box was on the bottom so theres at least a good 60cm between em but my ballasts are undernieth the area so might be contributin to heat...

 

[Old Yeller]

The reason why people trim back the leaves on new cuttings they're rooting is to force the clone to root - not veg. You don't want lots of light over clones - it actually slows down the rooting process. T8/T12's are all you need untill the clone has roots.
After that my clones go right into med sized pots to veg under T5's untill they're big enough to transplant into the final 3 gal pot where they go under MH untill the time to flower.