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

TREE KING · May 25, 2012

i just bought the biggest t5's you can get for my ez clone 120 and if you add up the watts it uses its over 400. the measurements on a ez clone 120 are 44″ x 24. the t5's i bought fit that perfectly but its over 400 fuckin watts!. thats less than a 2' x 4' space. if i use a 400 watt metal halide i can use 1 light for 2 ez clone 120's because that covers a 4' x 4' space.

so one of my questions are why the fuck would anyone ever use t5's instead of mh's?

my other question is does anyone out there root clones with mh's? i know your supposed to root clones with fluorescents but if theres a way to use mh instead it would make things alot easier. if i cant do that il have to switch to a metal h after the clones root even while the clones are still in the ez clone because some times il be veging with the cloner

OBK · May 26, 2012

In situations where heat is a killer, T5 can work where HID won't. Also clones don't need much light, so HID could be overkill. Just a couple of possibilities.

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

OBK said:
In situations where heat is a killer, T5 can work where HID won't. Also clones don't need much light, so HID could be overkill. Just a couple of possibilities.

but 400 watts of a t5 or 400 watts of mh use the same amount of electricity right? what im saying though is it takes over 800 watts of t5's to cover the same space that a 400 mh can cover

Hammerhead · May 26, 2012

T5 can be installed into areas a hid can not be. Temp issues are the biggest concern and then installation possibilities are better for T5

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

Hammerhead said:
T5 can be installed into areas a hid can not be. Temp issues are the biggest concern and then installation possibilities are better for T5

is it a bad idea to root clones with a mh? if not how high should i keep a 400 watt above my clones?

sso · May 26, 2012

the best rooting action ive seen was with a mh (off to the side on a 24 hour mh light (kinda under the canopy.))

mh would give you bigger trees.

the heat of the t5´s is spread out, usually making the heat easier to deal with. (instead of one 400w piece at 400f or something like that, you have what 6-8 50w pieces each at 100F or something like that.(probably 150F))

(the heat of the t5´s is actually greater, but more spread out and no piece reaching the same great temps, simply because the wattage is less.)

its probably cheaper too in the long run to use mh, less bulbs to buy.

space dictates alot which one you´d buy though and the size of the flowering room.

with a smaller flowering room, id get the t5´s or a smaller mh. (probably get a smaller mh, nicer and stronger growth.)

PetFlora · May 26, 2012

Due to the Inverse Square Law I doubt a 400w MH will distribute same lumens throughout an entire 4 X 4 space. HID produces huge radiant heat making it inefficient (and potentially harmful) to veg/clone

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

PetFlora said:
Due to the Inverse Square Law I doubt a 400w MH will distribute same lumens throughout an entire 4 X 4 space. HID produces huge radiant heat making it inefficient (and potentially harmful) to veg/clone

i use a 400 mh over 2, 2 x 4 trays on my tall moms and im very happy with the results so there wont be a problem with not having enough lumens over 2 ez clone 120's.

petflora lets talk about my specific situation for a second. heat and space are not an issue in my situation but electricity is. if i use over 800 watts of t5's over 2 ez clone 120's then wouldnt that be alot more heat and electricity then one 400 mh? the t5 footprint isnt wide enough so if you have alot of ez cloners and space isnt an issue than it would be idiotic to use t5's wouldnt you agree?

how high should i keep a 400 mh above my clones while rooting does anyone know?

gregor_mendel · May 26, 2012

I always like the performance of my 2x4 T5, but when it came time to relamp, I sold it.
The bulbs cost $100 to replace, while you can get a 400watt metal halide for about $20 (or HPS)

Chunkypigs · May 26, 2012

that is way more light, 430 watts, than you need to clone. 2 -64 watt shop lights is enough for both your cloners IMO...

i love my t5s for vegging.

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

Chunkypigs said:
that is way more light, 430 watts, than you need to clone. 2 -64 watt shop lights is enough for both your cloners IMO...

i love my t5s for vegging.

i need my plants to veg a little in my cloners and i want them to grow fast. i have no problem with having to use 400 watts on 2 ez cloners. why do you love your t5's for vegging if the footprint is so small? is it the space thats an issue?

Highlight · May 26, 2012

Deleted

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

Highlight said:
Am I foolish for still using t8's? I like them because they are cheap, don't get hot, and the leaves can touch the bulbs without burning.

its probably the other way around with people being foolish for using t5's. other than space im not seeing a reason for using them. mh would probably use less heat cause you can use half the watts than a t5 because the footprint is too small. after thinking about this what im gonna do is use two 4ft fixtures for regular fluorescents over each ez cloner until the plants root and then il switch to a 400 watt mh. i dont see any reason to use t5's in my situation i wish i never bought that fuckin thing

Hammerhead · May 26, 2012

People using T5 are not foolish.. If you dont like using T5 thats your deal. I love using them over HID in the space I have. I can not use a hid to do what my T5 does. The room gets extremely hot with HID not good for seeds and unrooted clones.. To ea there own as they say

TREE KING · May 26, 2012

Hammerhead said:
People using T5 are not foolish.. If you dont like using T5 thats yuor deal. I love using them over HID for seeds and unrooted clones.. To ea there own as they say

my fault i didnt mean it like that i was just using Highlight's own words and giving my opinion to him

Chunkypigs · May 26, 2012

I love them for veg because they produce a tighter more compact plant with shorter internodes. but a 430 watt unit will light up a bigger footprint if you raise it.
they are pricey tho...

a buddy has been having bad luck with clones in a couple ox ez's that are parked under a
430 watt 5t for months now and I've been thinking it was too much light on them.

I get good results cloning under low light. I think that t8's veg real well up to about
18" - 2" high and they are really cheap.

good luck! grow safe!

Highlight · May 26, 2012

Deleted

LiLWaynE · May 26, 2012

T5s are great for many reasons:

* don't need to be cooled

* keeps nodes spaced close together, instead of all streched out

* bulbs are cheap

list can go on and on, but i would never say that it does not make sense to use t5s..... u can even flower plants with t5s and get nice nugs..

LiLWaynE · May 26, 2012

Highlight said:
Also, I was told t8's are on sale just about everywhere because most major retailers will soon discontinue them for t5's. I got 4 40watt bulbs and 2 ballasts for $15. They cover a lot of ground, and I can foliar feed with the lights on, so they work great for bonsai moms and clones, but I prefer a MH for full sized plants.

seems like a fat chance in hell that they would ever discontinue production of T8s..................

hammalamma · May 26, 2012

I have 8 bulb t5, i get way more growth from a 600w mh and alot more heat, both are for my 2x4 tent. A 400w would prolly be a better comparision. In the aummer i use t5s and the halide whenever i can.

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

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