96 watt 2 foot 4 lamp t5 VS 100 watt MH

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
so i have about a 2 foot by 2 foot growing area, i curently use my 96 watt, 2 foot, 4 lamp, t5 fixture

there are two 50 watt MH floodlights that where used to illuminate a sign in front of a business that closed down so i picked up the lights seeing as they had removed the pole and wiring making it easier for me as i had no tools with me

id like to know, for vegging 2-6 plants in a 2' X 2' space what light would be better two 50 watt MH or my t5??
 

wilsoncr17

Well-Known Member
T5 is better because it will cost less, and veg doesn't need the intense light of flowering. You would just be wasting money to run the MH right now.
 

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
im trying to kinda make a comparison here, t5 6500k gives the plants more of the light they need with less power than a MH, im guessing the fluros give out a better spectrum than a MH even though it gives out more light
am i correct
 

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
so my t5 fixture has four 2foot bulbs, each outputs 2000 lumens so the fixture gives out 8000 lumens of 6500K light at 96 watts, the MH fixtures at 50 watts each put out 3400 lumens and its 4200K light so 100 watts gives me 6800 lumens
it looks like the t5 wins by the amount of lumens per watt and i also think 6500K is better for veg than 4200K
please correct me if im wrong, and share your input
 

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
i'd say use the t5 definitely but, if you can, do both because MH is absolutely perfect for veg.
well i use the t5 to start seedlings and veg them for 30-45 days before they are getting too big for my fixture, i was using 26 watt cfls in the past as suplimental lighting but i was wondering if i should buy 2 bulb 2 foot t5 fixtures for the sides or use the 50 watt MH fixtures

what do you mean "MH is absolutely perfect for veg." is 4200K better than 6500K
 

sirbudmaster

Well-Known Member
well i use the t5 to start seedlings and veg them for 30-45 days before they are getting too big for my fixture, i was using 26 watt cfls in the past as suplimental lighting but i was wondering if i should buy 2 bulb 2 foot t5 fixtures for the sides or use the 50 watt MH fixtures

what do you mean "MH is absolutely perfect for veg." is 4200K better than 6500K
how do you know those MH are 4200K?? can be and could be up to 20,000k.....


peace-
 

DownOnWax

Well-Known Member
Fluorescents are great for vegging!

I use them for the first 2-3 weeks and then switch to MH after that when the plants start getting too big. I would keep them in the fluoro cab if I could but fluoro light has no penetration.
 

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
how do you know those MH are 4200K?? can be and could be up to 20,000k.....


peace-
i searched the bulbs name and type and the spec sheet said 4200K, what is the optimal spectrum for veg?
the bulb thats in there at the moment is at the end of its life so id need to get a new one and from what i can see the company offers the bulbs from 3800K - 4600K, what should i get?
my plants have almost outgrown the t5 fixture i have so im going to use the MH fixtures i found for additional lighting till i flower
 

sirbudmaster

Well-Known Member
i searched the bulbs name and type and the spec sheet said 4200K, what is the optimal spectrum for veg?
the bulb thats in there at the moment is at the end of its life so id need to get a new one and from what i can see the company offers the bulbs from 3800K - 4600K, what should i get?
my plants have almost outgrown the t5 fixture i have so im going to use the MH fixtures i found for additional lighting till i flower
I would pick the 4200K....then you could use it also for flowering...as supplement lighting.

Peace
 

Knally

Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of T5's. I run two of the 4-bulb 3-ft ones in my 2 by 2.5 ft flower area and have had great results.

The new T5's can be used through harvest and give a 400 hps a run for its money. I have a 400 hps flowering now also. Not much difference between the two grows so far. I also use a mix of 6500k and 3000k bulbs in the T5's so that I have 4 of each at a time. The girls love it.

USE THE HOT5's!
 

ganjaboii024

Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of T5's. I run two of the 4-bulb 3-ft ones in my 2 by 2.5 ft flower area and have had great results.

The new T5's can be used through harvest and give a 400 hps a run for its money. I have a 400 hps flowering now also. Not much difference between the two grows so far. I also use a mix of 6500k and 3000k bulbs in the T5's so that I have 4 of each at a time. The girls love it.

USE THE HOT5's!
thats amazing, what setup do you do scrog?
it would be nice to see a direct comparison between t5 and hps
 

Knally

Well-Known Member
My first grow i flowered with T5's.....4oz wet is what i yielded


Peace
How many plants? How long did you veg? Did your grow take longer to mature under the T5's? than hps?

I average 2 oz dry per plant under my T5's, but I veg longer than most growers.
 

sirbudmaster

Well-Known Member
How many plants? How long did you veg? Did your grow take longer to mature under the T5's? than hps?

I average 2 oz dry per plant under my T5's, but I veg longer than most growers.
2-months.......topped, fimmed method. I cant say it took longer to mature than HPS cause i still dont grow with HPS :cuss: BUT flowered for 65-days at which i was about 50/50 amber to cloudy trichs. I grew 6 plants under T5's ended up with one massive female.


Peace
 
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