I have been using my t12 since germination. I used my MH for about 3 days and had issues.
1) My power was taking forever to turn the bulb on. 18/6 cycle
2) The noise. The grow room is in the basement right under mine and my wifes bedroom. The hum from the MH drove her nuts all night.
3) weight. The system (ballest and all) is one contained unit. In order to hang it I had to rig up some crazy shit and that just scared the hell out of me as the system almost fell on the plants one time
4) Reflector. The system has it's reflector perminatly mounted. It does not look like it will be doing any good
My question for this is. My room is 4 1/2 by 7 ft. I can place the MH back up. Someone stated that using the t5 or 12 bulb systems are training the plants to grow slow. The plants were germinated on the 6th and are about 4 to 5 inches tall with some leaves. Not as many as I have seen with other grows but I contribute that to strain and other factors like my newbeness. I think they are growing slow. They are comming along and I'm not wishing for super fast as I know they will do their thing over time. But I would like to see some larger growth at this stage. If I move to the MH will the damage already be done? Once plants are "Trained" for slow growth can they be retrained for faster growth?
I stated it. I am a firm believer that the t-5's are better for a closet grower that the hids. Since you already have the mh-hid you will want to use it. You have to start with it about 18" above the plants and move in down a few inches a day, for your three week old plants you should be able to get it within a foot if you have good ventilation, closer if the fixture is air cooled.
THe reason I talked about training your plants to 'grow slow' is to make folks aware of what is happening with the t-12 and t-8's, or low amount of cfl's. I used them, still am for the first stages of growth and they will grow your plants. If you have never seen the difference more lighting makes you think they are fine.
I slow growed the tables of plants I have now. None of them will reach the three foot height that the ones I vegged under the hid's (Before I had the t-5's ) did. I have sacrificed a foot of mature plant height to 'slow grow' the clones. I will get a reasonable harvest just not as good as it could be.
I'm not saying it can't be done, I did it. I just want folks to be aware of the consequences.
The t-5's will grow your plants as well as an hid at any stage of growth. I am comparing my 440watt 4'-8 bulb t-5 to a 600watt hid. It's simly scientific advancement. Next will be led's. As the price goes down use of them will go up.
Gotdamunchies, this will not negatively affect your growth. Earl has had some thing to say about light and adding more at different times. I haven't done that type of research yet, I am going to find out what he has done. If you think about it, it all makes sense. In nature plants come up in the spring, the sun is still at an angle to the earths surface and not as intense. SUmmer brings it directly above for the Northen Hemisphere as the plants veg and then it begins to get less intense and shine for less of a time period, causing the plants to flower.
We should start out with the seedlings and clones under some light and increase the intensity until they are well into flowering, then maybe drop it down a little. That is the part I am not sure of and still want to check. V
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