Growing With Florescents

[migreen]

I would like to use florescent due to all the heat problems i read about with the other...what are the pros and cons...my grow box is 36"x30"x60" temp in basement is 65 to 68 thanx, migreen

[phaquetoo]

FTW

Peace

Jim

[migreen]

ok what is ftw? tell me why they work, migreen

[Guest thequietone]

FTW = Free the Weed

[Kingdiamond]

Fluorescents put out a good amount of heat as well but nowhere near what a hps lamp does you need at least 1 4 bulb t-5 high output fixture and a bunch of twisty bulb cfls for side coverage.

 

I tried doing an all fluorescent grow for my first grow but due to poor bud formation i added a 400 watt hps in the last month of 12-12.

[peanutbutter]

800 watts of CFL. One AK47 plant.

 

12 ounces indoor one single plant.

 

[migreen]

800 watts of CFL. One AK47 plant.

 

12 ounces indoor one single plant.

 

Thank you, I would like to use florescent lights due to heat, I was thinking about t5 any other would be great help

[phaquetoo]

Thank you, I would like to use florescent lights due to heat, I was thinking about t5 any other would be great help

 

 

Use the sun and Free The Weed!

 

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j310/Phaquetoo_pics/hillbilly%20legal%20free%20grow/IMG00105-20100705-1954.jpg

 

FTW

Peace

Jim

[Mr. Wilson]

This is America. Everything must be huge and over the top. Huge SUV's, 4000 sq ft houses, monster trucks!! and huge grow lights!!!

 

Florescent lights are too European. Too efficient and cost effective.

 

Seriously. Yea. Use 'em. They work well. Very underrated. If you know how to grow, you can get a decent crop.

 

Or you can... FTW, if you like to live dangerously.

 

The sun is cheap (and much better), but bail money isn't.

[migreen]

This is America. Everything must be huge and over the top. Huge SUV's, 4000 sq ft houses, monster trucks!! and huge grow lights!!!

 

Florescent lights are too European. Too efficient and cost effective.

 

Seriously. Yea. Use 'em. They work well. Very underrated. If you know how to grow, you can get a decent crop.

 

Or you can... FTW, if you like to live dangerously.

 

The sun is cheap (and much better), but bail money isn't.

 

Yep, that is what I am thinking...trying to learn all about it and then buy it...migreen

[Nemosity]

FTW, as long as it's in a locked enclosure.

[Kingdiamond]

I would like to use florescent due to all the heat problems i read about with the other...what are the pros and cons...my grow box is 36"x30"x60" temp in basement is 65 to 68 thanx, migreen

Reading over this thread again if your temps are steady in the 60s to low 70s a 400 watt hps is perfect for this space i ran an open faced reflector on the HTG economy 400 watt grow system and kept the temps in the low 80s with next to no ventilation any reason why your not going with a hps light?

[kenzie1051]

when i first started i used two 50 gallon rubbermaid containers... one upside down on top of the other one with 14 23w soft white cfl's from home depot. and a SOG planting style 21 plants in about 6 sq ft. i ended up with 4 oz of some awsome smoke.

 

 

if you feel like you want to use flouro's go right ahead and do it... whether you use t5's or cfl's just make sure you get them as close to the plants as humanly possible.. you should have to move your light or tie tops down further all the time. you wouldn't want them more then 5 inches away i would try to stay in 2-3"

 

here is a link to my 1st grow. you can get creative with pigtail sockets 16g lamp chord and cfl. if you make the right shape you can get great results.

 

http://www.marijuanagrowing.eu/pure-power-plant-cfl-rubbermaid-sog-t32507.html

[migreen]

Reading over this thread again if your temps are steady in the 60s to low 70s a 400 watt hps is perfect for this space i ran an open faced reflector on the HTG economy 400 watt grow system and kept the temps in the low 80s with next to no ventilation any reason why your not going with a hps light?

 

Well, I made my choice today and bought a Lumatek 400wt digtal setup, I have everything in place and ran it for a little over an hour anf the temp was about 79 / 82 depending where i had the thermometer. where is the best place for the temp guage in the box, what level? thanx, migreen

[Kingdiamond]

Well, I made my choice today and bought a Lumatek 400wt digtal setup, I have everything in place and ran it for a little over an hour anf the temp was about 79 / 82 depending where i had the thermometer. where is the best place for the temp guage in the box, what level? thanx, migreen

Optimal is in the 75-78 range but ive gone as high as 84 with no ill effects you made the right choice going with a hps way better harvest and bud size .

[wingnut]

I, have two thermometers one at root level and one at top of plants .

[migreen]

yep, i was afraid of fighting off the high temps that i read about on diff sites...I have a 6 in. in line fan in the middle of the roof of my 36x30x60 inch box and four 1.5" passive holes 4" above the floor...when i really get going i might have to drill a few more holes...also have a 6" fan on the floor...any ideas? thanx, migreen

[herb green]

If you like flouros check out this thread

http://www.michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/topic/18511-quantum-t5-badboy-12-bulb/page__p__160467__fromsearch__1#entry160467

 

HIDs are near impossible to beat but I really like the idea of those quantum T5

[Homes Labs]

If your growing with floros you gotta be smart about. It isn't going to produce like an HID but it can produce nice buds.

 

t5 lights will be your first choice. then t8, t10 and t12 if you have to.

 

for your clone, veg and mother plants use

6500k (k- kalvin)

 

and for your flowering plants use

2700k

 

from there get the highest wattage and highest lumen output you can find. double check your ballast to make sure the light can handle the bulbs.

1000bulbs.com or check your local hardware store.

 

If your temps are good try adding some CFL's for extra lighting. A REALLY good CFL / Floro setup will be expensive. Comparable to 250w or 400w HID. But with your heat issues an HID will require a much larger fan. In a box like yours you might be able to get away with 1 or 2 high output axiel computer fans with a CFL / Floro setup.

 

Also with a box type grow space become a big issue. HID's need more space between the plant and the light compared to a CFL / Floro setup. Hope this helps.

 

Not to sure on how tall the plants should be for flowering tho. Maybe 12". Can anyone with success shed some light,

[outsideinthecold]

Some observations on using T5's.

 

A typical 8-lamp 4-foot high output T5 fixture will provide 40,000 lumens over an eight-square foot area; or 5,000 lumens/ft. This is more than the Cervantes minimum 3,000 lumens/ft recommends.

 

Two five-gallon pots will comfortably fit under this type of fixture capable of growing plants up to four feet tall upon completion of the flowering cycle.

 

There are several approaches to maximizing usage of available light from a T5 fixture. First starts with careful pruning to shape the plant to maximize the light pattern characteristics. Lower branches and interior foliage can be removed to direct growth to the outer portions of the upper branch tops. Ideally a plant will develop with eight or more tops at roughly the same level from branches radiating from the upper area of the main stem rather than a single main cola. Careful pruning will overcome one of the T5's drawbacks, lack of penetration in comparison to a HPS.

 

Secondly, T5's allow placing plant tops extremely close to the bulb. Distances of less than two-inches are suggested and only direct contact with a T5 bulb will result in tissue damage.

 

Third, T5 bulbs may have a longer useful life than an equivalent HID bulb.

 

Some disadvantages are obvious. Watt-for-watt HID are simply more efficient. The HPS light essentially comes from single point of source while the T5 fixture spreads the light from a larger footprint. This means an HID light pattern is more square than rectangular and better suited to many spaces than the T5's.

 

Some disadvantages aren't so easily recognized. T5's are thought to run cooler. This may be true but the T5's still generate a significant amount of heat (and so do LED's for that matter). Worse, the heat from a T5 fixture is diffused, not only the length of the bulb but also from the internal ballast. Unlike an HID, neither can the fixture be air-cooled, the ballasts are contained in the fixture and can't be installed remote from the light itself. In most cases, a well designed and air-cooled HID light will actually run cooler in a confined space than a T5 fixture burning the same watts/hour.

 

Put it all together and a HID will grow bigger and heavier than the same wattage T5. But if one does choose to use T5's, with good genetics and practices, only your closest friends would know.