which light is best for seedlings and vegging?

[VACAVILLE,CA.GROWER]

I am starting 4 plants from seed. I will be using a 400w light for flowering. I am looking for a light for starting seeds and vegging. What is your opinion on a 2ft x 4bulb T5 light or a Led light?
VG 24 T5 Grow Light Hydroponics 4 Lamps 6500K Bulbs 2 ft Veg HO Fluorescent
Mars Hydro 300 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light 140w true Watt For Indoor Veg Flower

 

[breakdancer0003]

If you use the mars Hydro make sure to give them a bunch of distance (gauge it out i am using 600's at the moment and have them 2 1/2 feet up off the plants , there is very little heat off the leds but that is misleading, the light is super intense and will burn your plants / fry your seedlings if they are to close. That being said it's better for veg then the t5 in my opinion

Mars hydros other limitation would be its narrow ideal light footprint how big is your veg space ?

 

[VACAVILLE,CA.GROWER]

If you use the mars Hydro make sure to give them a bunch of distance (gauge it out i am using 600's at the moment and have them 2 1/2 feet up off the plants , there is very little heat off the leds but that is misleading, the light is super intense and will burn your plants / fry your seedlings if they are to close. That being said it's better for veg then the t5 in my opinion

Mars hydros other limitation would be its narrow ideal light footprint how big is your veg space ?

Thank you for the reply. I have vegged with a T5 before, did not really like it. So I am looking for something different instead of T5 or cfl. I have a grow tent that is 32x32x60. I have a smaller tent that I was going to use for starting seeds and vegging. I only plan on vegging for 4 weeks then flower.

 

[breakdancer0003]

just topped the bigger ones tonight these are under 3 600's mars full spectrum's in a 8x4 but currently jammed into the 4x4 end of it

 

[Traplife]

ive always kept my 2 plants canopy just 12" under my Mars Hydro 600 and havent had any light burn.
I also have 6 plants vegging under 2 250w Apollo 6400k CFL bulbs, theyre cheap, no heat, 250w actual watts for only $60! working great for our veg room!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HG1JS68?keywords=apollo bulb 250w&qid=1454138783&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4

heres the blue hogs breath under the mars600 31 days into 12/12

 

[breakdancer0003]

ive always kept my 2 plants canopy just 12" under my Mars Hydro 600 and havent had any light burn.

How big are they before you put them under the 600 that close ?

also very nice photos

 

[Traplife]

How big are they before you put them under the 600 that close ?

also very nice photos

Thanks its just a iphone macro-lens, but i had them under CFL from clone for maybe 10 days then put them under the hydros at maybe 18" or 20" distance, once i added the scrog net at 20 days i moved them to 12"

 

[VACAVILLE,CA.GROWER]

So again, should I buy a T5 light for starting seeds and vegging for 2 weeks. Then move them to a hps/mh 400w light. Or is the mars led light better for the same thing, starting seeds and vegging for 2 weeks. Then moving them under a bigger light. I have to buy a light so thats why I am asking about a T5 or the mars led.

 

[breakdancer0003]

I would say go with the mars hydro over the t5 if you want a veg light

But get the t5 for seedlings if you plan to use the 400 mh to veg

 

[bigsteve]

I would consider getting one of those digital ballasts that lets you use both MH and HPS bulbs. MH for vegging and HPS for flowering is traditional.

NOTE: A 400W MH bulb burns hotter than a 400W HPS bulb. So, if heat is a problem you can veg almost as well with the HPS bulb with quite a bit less heat. Important for those in small tents.

Good luck, BigSteve.

 

[jaibyrd7]

I would consider getting one of those digital ballasts that lets you use both MH and HPS bulbs. MH for vegging and HPS for flowering is traditional.

NOTE: A 400W MH bulb burns hotter than a 400W HPS bulb. So, if heat is a problem you can veg almost as well with the HPS bulb with quite a bit less heat. Important for those in small tents.

Good luck, BigSteve.

I have a 400mh/hps setup and that tent runs 8 deg f hotter when I switch the bulb from mh to hps. The hps produces more lumens.

 

[brimck325]

just use the 400....u don't need a special light for seedlings, just keep a good distance at first.some folk use 1000w from start to finish and some use the sun.

 

[jaibyrd7]

I root clones under a single t8 bulb (4-8 days to root, $9), I preveg under a 2' x 4 bulb t5 ($69) and veg under a 400W mh ($120 cool tube pkg). I bought all those for $200 on amazon. It just depends how much $ you wanna throw at something.

 

[VACAVILLE,CA.GROWER]

I would say go with the mars hydro over the t5 if you want a veg light

But get the t5 for seedlings if you plan to use the 400 mh to veg

well my plan is to start seeds and let them veg for about 2 weeks. Then move into the bigger tent and have them under the mh light for2 or 3 more weeks. Then flower. So I am looking for the best light to start seeds and veg for 2 weeks.

 

[TopDogTHC]

You got the answer above, t5 for seedling for first few weeks if your going to veg under MH.