Using T5 for veg

I am looking into getting some lights together for my indoor garden. I recently purchased a video called "I Grow Chronic." It can be found on youtube. The guy on there (painted grenn) had his veg set up under t5 flourescent lights. Would it be ok to veg say 6 plants under t5 then flower them under a 600w MH?I appreciate any advice that you all can offer.

ya thats what im doing, or trying to do, but my problem has been that they grow much slower under a T5, but they do grow healthy and good. So that is a good plan, but give them about a month at least, maybe closer to 2 months for veg. So basically its a great idea, all except don't flower under a 600w MH (i think u meant HPS). use a HPS for flower.

I would flower under 400w HPS.

Currently I am flowering under 2 150w HPS lights, and a few CFLs. Just your preference, I guess.

That being said, T5 is the best lowkey way to veg. Even though it is slightly less efficient than MH and HPS, the heat is spread out over the whole tube, so you don't have any hot spots that would be otherwise detectable by infrared.

Yeah i would use the MH for veg and get an HPS for flower. But that is up to you ES, good luck!

Tom

Yota said:

ya thats what im doing, or trying to do, but my problem has been that they grow much slower under a T5, but they do grow healthy and good. So that is a good plan, but give them about a month at least, maybe closer to 2 months for veg. So basically its a great idea, all except don't flower under a 600w MH (i think u meant HPS). use a HPS for flower.

Click to expand...

I did mean HPS. Thanks for the input.

Oh alright well if its an HPS then def get the t-5s. You will grow some compact plants with a t-5 system and with the 600 watt for flowering......WOW. Good luck, your should have some awesome plants.

Tom

u will be fine to veg under t5s and flower under the HPS ! Best of Luck dude!!

fuck that bro...if you are gonna spend money on lights in the first place then throw in a little extra scratch and get yourself a MH for veggin...that's the way to go.

T-5s work excellent for veg, yeah MH is a lot more powerful but that doesnt mean t-5 won't get the job done. Maybe he doesnt want to deal with the extreme heat that an MH gives off. I always wanted to try t-5 but never had the dough to buy em

Tom

I used T5's from germination, vegetation, through flower. I am satisfied with the results for my 1st grow.

Check out my T5 fixture, i am using this on one plant flowering her out and she is fucking loving it.... her branches are getting so heavy i have to help them stand up so it doesn't snap off the main stock......

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/81105-slimboyzz-8-buld-t5-fixture.html

Thanks for all of the input. I will be sure to run a grow log of my project with the T5 for veg so you can all see how it does.

I'm installing a 4x2' T5 fixture in the next week or so for my veg area, a little closet lined with mylar. I'm excited to see how they perform.

If you have skinny weak plants, then us a MH. If you have nice bushy plants with thick foliage, you will find MH 400 to be lacking with regards to light penetration. Dont waste your time, HPS is the way to go!!!!!!

sorry but I must correct the original thread poster. In the video "i grow chronic" which I've watched like 5 or 6 times literally, He uses a plain old t12 fluorescant shop light for vegetative growth and a 400 watt HPS for the flowering side. T12 are just regular old fluoros from wall mart or home depot. T12's are not CFL, they are not the same as a T5 CFL.... A T5 CFL is half the diameter of teh T12 bulb and produces almost twice the amount of light that a t12 bulb can.... Growing under a real T5 is optimal; better yet, growing under several T5 is more optimal... Please dont confuse regular T12 Low output bulbs with T5 high output CFLs. I run an 8 bulb array of 4 foot, 52watt T5's. They are bright as hell. the housing of this array has built in reflective material behind the lights. If you can get actual T5 bulbs, then get them, but they require a different ballast than a T12 bulb amd are more expensive. my T5 bulbs go for about 10-12 dollars a peice, but they are well worth the money. My little Indicas veg out under this light and turn into round little fluffballs of branches and leaves, very dense and very healthy. You really cannot even match the strength of a T5 bulb with a T12, it just wont happen. Under the T12 ur plants will look long and skinny, with less branches. Under the T5 high output bulbs you get very very thick lucious vegetative growth. I'm not kidding you here; i'm impressed by mine everytime i look at them each and every day. Please reference the photo below to get aquainted with what a high dollar T5 array looks like. Its the big metal thing hanging over my plants, cant miss it. If you want to buy one, be prepared to spend... google "T5 array" smoke on!

I'm adding this after I submitted for those of u interested in what a real high output T5 array looks like and cost. http://www.plantlighting.com/hydroponics-viewer.php?itemID=370062166788 The array in the photo is the same one I have, yet they are advertising a 6 bulb array, when the one pictured is an 8 bulb array identical to mine.
This is lamp is very high quality and gives excellent results, A++++ highly recommended!

Millenniumbud said:

sorry but I must correct the original thread poster. In the video "i grow chronic" which I've watched like 5 or 6 times literally, He uses a plain old t12 fluorescant shop light for vegetative growth and a 400 watt HPS for the flowering side. T12 are just regular old fluoros from wall mart or home depot. T12's are not CFL, they are not the same as a T5 CFL.... A T5 CFL is half the diameter of teh T12 bulb and produces almost twice the amount of light that a t12 bulb can.... Growing under a real T5 is optimal; better yet, growing under several T5 is more optimal... Please dont confuse regular T12 Low output bulbs with T5 high output CFLs. I run an 8 bulb array of 4 foot, 52watt T5's. They are bright as hell. the housing of this array has built in reflective material behind the lights. If you can get actual T5 bulbs, then get them, but they require a different ballast than a T12 bulb amd are more expensive. my T5 bulbs go for about 10-12 dollars a peice, but they are well worth the money. My little Indicas veg out under this light and turn into round little fluffballs of branches and leaves, very dense and very healthy. You really cannot even match the strength of a T5 bulb with a T12, it just wont happen. Under the T12 ur plants will look long and skinny, with less branches. Under the T5 high output bulbs you get very very thick lucious vegetative growth. I'm not kidding you here; i'm impressed by mine everytime i look at them each and every day. Please reference the photo below to get aquainted with what a high dollar T5 array looks like. Its the big metal thing hanging over my plants, cant miss it. If you want to buy one, be prepared to spend... google "T5 array" smoke on!

Click to expand...

I dig your power strip bro...and I think that hid lighting you got goin on is helping a lot...but you are right about the T5's.....much better than T12.
Do you think you get better results in veg with that thing than you would a MH?

i like plants growin under flurotubes.....maybe not so fast as MH(idk..neva use one), but they bush out like hell!!

very interesting....what kinda heat are you pullin from that big boy? those plants look great!....and what is that against the wall....a 400 watt hps? how are you venting that hood? curious cause I am impressed

hey dude..who ur talkin too ?!?