T5 Grow Light any good?

I have a metal halide for veg growth, and it's definitely doing the trick, but it's simply too hot and too expensive. Anybody know about T5 grow lights and how they work in comparison? Good or bad?

T5's are fine, they are great for clones and young plants. Where ever you plan on using it I would say just make sure the walls are white or otherwise reflective. Ideally you would want to let your plants grow to slightly over a foot tall, then you'll have to get them under some more intense light. I've let plants grow to two feet under T5's, it was enough to maintain them but the plants began to stretch while other growth (side branches) slowed drastically. You could always use more than one fixture and use the additional fixture as side lighting and this should allow for more pronounced growth than if you had just one T5 fixture.

Then there is horticultural LED lighting if you can afford it.

t5 works great for both veg and flower, yields might not be as much as with hps or mh, but quality will be as good or better. just be sure to switch to 3000k bulbs to flower. dont listen to anyone thats never tried it ^^

Im currently on my 2nd t5 grow man and they work fine. I run 2 54 watt high output lights and some cheaper 19 watt fluorescent tubes for side lights. My plants are looking great. I use the LST method for mine so that I can keep the light focused on more of the plant. I flowered 2 plants under mine last time and it worked great. I got a little over 30 grams dried and it was my first grow. I don't care what people say you can use t5s and have success. You may not get as much bud as a MH or HPS but you can do it.

I have 7 plants I'm growing with T5s and have had no issues at all.

I currently have 20 plants under my T5 system (43watt bulbs, 8 rows but only 6 lights on atm). Like everyone else has stated T5s are great for veg, I personally grow them under the T5 for 1.5 months then bring out a MH for two weeks, and finally throw them into my flower room once the other plants are done. Gotta keep the sea flowing, helps ensure a steady flow of good every 2 months.

thanks for all the input. I see why switching to a metal halide after a while is a good idea, just because the plants need that extra boost. The reason im thinking of T5 is because of my heat issue though. Really it's either invest more $ on a good ventilation and air flow system, or getting T5. It's just too hot in my tent for a metal halide. (85-90 degrees)

T'5 is awesome for clones and a good multiple t'5 setup will get you through veg amazingly, however will not do so well for flower, try useing a smaller light if the heat is a huge issue, if on a 1000 use an 600 or if on a 600 use a 400. you will lose lumins and growth the lower you go but the temp will drop. or maby try going with an air cooled hood. my 6" vortex fan keeps 4 1000w lights touchable. so maby instead of downgrading light upgrade your cooling in the area. hope this helps

have you flowered with t5's before glassblower? just curious

carokann said:

t5 works great for both veg and flower, yields might not be as much as with hps or mh, but quality will be as good or better. just be sure to switch to 3000k bulbs to flower. dont listen to anyone thats never tried it ^^

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OP said he was using a MH for vegetative growth, then asked how a T5 fixture compared in that regard. He never mentioned anything about flowering under one, and neither did I. I said that based upon my experience the ideal scenario would be to grow the plants out under a T5 fixture until just over a foot tall. Then change to more intense lighting in order to sustain vigorous growth.

The longer tubes are the most efficient; 4 foot T5's and 8 foot T8's put out between 88-98 lumens per watt. That is comparable to lower wattage metal halides. But, if you used four 54w T5 tubes @ 4,800 lumens per tube: 4 x 54 = 216 watts and 19,200 lumens. A 250 watt MH puts out 20,000 lumens, so the energy savings just wouldn't be huge. The higher wattage halide you're using, the less energy you save compared to fluorescent tubes. A 1000w MH will put out about 110 lumens per watt, making it more efficient than the most efficient fluorescents. So anything you might save in terms of energy would be the cost of cooling the lamp.
With the cost of a new fluorescent fixture or more, plus the tubes (plus secondary tubes if using for both veg and flower), it might cost the same or less to upgrade your ventilation.

i think T5 sounds like a mad good idea, for early veg growth at least. I think switching halfway through for better growth is also a good idea. I think i'll stick to my halide for now, maybe hook up a good cooling system. T5 sounds good for really compact short growth towards the beginning though. Thanks for all the input.

I've used t5s for flowering and if you do it right, you can get decent yields...not as good has hps, but still a good crop.

I have had Very good results with my T5s, I continue to use them now Iv'e grown for 34+ yrs mostly outdoors..I havent had to buy smoke for about 3 yrs...
Take care

Pilgrim