can i veg with flourescents only?

ok
i will looks into t5's, sound like the way to go,i have always used mh and got good results but i am all up for trying a set of t5 if it gets simpler results with less heat

thanks

I would say similar results .. with out knowing ... but might need a week more or so to grow as big .. specialy if you do top/FIM em as some said ..

but I like that .. dont care for a week or two more if end result is great .. dont need to haverst that one time extra a year if my haverst is big and good enough .. actualy I would rather prefere it that way .. like the growing/nursing and see them grow big ..


and best thing is ther is VERY littel heat (I love that) so you can also easiy runn em 24/7 (I did run mine 20/4) I bet that will make em grow allmost as fast as a MH 18/6 and still with less cost and vay less heat = less ventilation needed = even less power used ..

I guess you can hear I like mine but yea try em out .. they dont cost a billion .. and can allways be used to start seedlings/clones Im sure ..




BTW
Im pretty sure a big scale grow wher you just have lots of smaller plants and you want them ready for the flowering room asap. will be better of with a lot of MH lights ..

but when you only grow a few plants for personal use and like the hobby and care for cost .. heat and safety I think T5HO is by fare the best choise ..

purklize said:

If you want something cheap, get T8 shop lights. Make sure the bulbs are 6500k ("daylight"). They will work for sure. The growth won't be quite as dense as with a T5 but it's not really that huge of a difference.

If you're looking to spend more, get a T5 light... they're fantastic, I use one for vegging as well. The plants are as happy as they were under a 400w MH. MH kinda suck... they lose their luminosity fast so they become inefficient within 6 months... lots of replacing bulbs and wasted power. T8s and T5s are similarly efficient when new, but don't experience this same decline.

I got a plant to grow 2ft tall, 3ft wide in 3-4 weeks under a 200w T5, from a clone with one tiny set of leaves.

Click to expand...

[h=2]T5 Type[/h]

• The T5 fluorescent bulb, like the T8, uses an electronic ballast. That is where the similarity ends. The cost of T5 bulbs, especially high output types, is significantly higher than T8 and T12 bulbs. T5 bulbs are also shorter and do not fit standard fixtures. For example, a typical T5 bulb is 46 inches long rather than the 48 inches (4 foot) of T8 and T12 bulbs. Conversion kits are available, with a ballast, allowing T5 bulbs to fit T8 and T12 fixtures. T5 bulbs save money over time because of a longer lifespan while producing more light with less wattage. The T5 also maintains maximum light output for almost the entire lifetime of the bulb.
  
  
  
  so yet another good reason to choose them ..
  
  I read it a few places .. that lifespan and output schould only drop 20% and fist near the end .. and the time of that is also longer with T5 then T8 ..
  
  sure T8 cost less .. but I dont need 20 fixtures .. I need one good one witch Im happy with .. not one I need to changes a month later for a better one .. useing more money ..
  
  also .. question was to find a good alternativ to a MH ...
  
  I have been doing a lot of research on them T5/T8 in the start .. and I must say that the more cost (maybe 100$ for a nice 8 tube fixture) will be payd back in full with a nice T5HO fixture with the right bulbs in it .. and last longer and give better light all ther life ..
  
  so unless your a poor man I would just safe up for a nice fixture and do some more research in the mean time ..