Small scale autoflower t5 grow

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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
ATTETION I AM A NOOB! I have a closet 110cmx70cm wide and 180cm tall I have some autoflower seeds I wanna grow a only one plant, I just need some help with the lights I was thinking of purchasing two double bulb shop light fixtures, so it would be 4 36″ t5 bulbs. I don’t have allot of money and not the greatest ventilation so I thought t5s would be good. Since they don’t put off allot of heat. i do have fans also. and also what pot size should i use, and what should i put the light cycle as. I heard that 16/8 is good but also 18/6. What bulbs should I use for flowering. Are t5s still good? And any other help would be muchly appreciated.
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
I used T5HO with autoflowers. You want about 40w per sq. ft. You will benefit from using 2-3 CFLs as sidelighting in mid to late flower. Use 6500k lights in veg, 3700k in flower. I did something like 4 cool to 1 warm in veg, 1-3 in flower.

I'd recommend LED. But, the learning curve can be difficult. If you can get Cree LED "lightbulb" replacements, you could use about 8 of those in veg and 10-12 in flower. See this page for what I'm talking about. That's not too complicated compared to choosing a grow light. Might cost about the same as a T5HO setup, uses less electricity (you only need 25w/sq ft.). Should be cooler. I've forgotten how warm my T5HOs were.

Regarding container size, do 3gal. Plant directly into it. If you're not skilled at transplanting, the shock can set the auto back (they don't have time to recover). Watering a seedling in a 3gal plant takes some consideration. After it's 3 weeks old it will have grown into the container and watering won't be as difficult.

In that space, you can grow two autos. Remember, veg and flower uses the same 18/6 light/dark cycle. What I do is have one in flower and one in veg. When I'm 2 weeks from harvest, I germinate a new seed and tuck it in between the plants to get shaded light during the first week. I harvest a plant every 6-7 weeks.
 
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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
az2000 said:
I used T5HO with autoflowers. You want about 40w per sq. ft. You will benefit from using 2-3 CFLs as sidelighting in mid to late flower. Use 6500k lights in veg, 3700k in flower. I did something like 4 cool to 1 warm in veg, 1-3 in flower.

I'd recommend LED. But, the learning curve can be difficult. If you can get Cree LED "lightbulb" replacements, you could use about 8 of those in veg and 10-12 in flower. See this page for what I'm talking about. That's not too complicated compared to choosing a grow light. Might cost about the same as a T5HO setup, uses less electricity (you only need 25w/sq ft.). Should be cooler. I've forgotten how warm my T5HOs were.

Regarding container size, do 3gal. Plant directly into it. If you're not skilled at transplanting, the shock can set the auto back (they don't have time to recover). Watering a seedling in a 3gal plant takes some consideration. After it's 3 weeks old it will have grown into the container and watering won't be as difficult.

In that space, you can grow two autos. Remember, veg and flower uses the same 18/6 light/dark cycle. What I do is have one in flower and one in veg. When I'm 2 weeks from harvest, I germinate a new seed and tuck it in between the plants to get shaded light during the first week. I harvest a plant every 6-7 weeks.
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unfortunately
i probably wouldn't be able to get the LED for the t5s so would 4 36" 40w lightbulbs work in that space and should i use a mix of cool light and warm light? and ill have reflective Mylar would that help the light spread if i put the Mylar all the way around like on the floor and top? and sides obviously.
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
CloudsOverCanada said:
would 4 36" 40w lightbulbs work in that space
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Since you should strive for 40w per sq. ft, and you'll have four 40w tubes, that should be sufficient for 4 sq ft. Your space is 3.6' x 2.3'. That's 8.28 sq ft.

Your light will cover something like 3' wide by 1.3' deep. Reflective material helps, but you still need to strive for 40w sq/ft. A full-size auto (in a 3gal container) doesn't need 3', but it does need a little more than 1.3'. 2'x2' is ideal.

You could grow two smaller autos (in 1/2 to 1gal containers). If you grow only one plant within that narrow space, you'll waste a lot of light. To me, your choices seem to be two smaller autos. Or, add supplemental lighting (like the Cree LED "lightbulb" replacements I mentioned, about 8-10 of them) along each side of the T5HO fixture. Then you could grow two larger (3gal) autos.

I guess what I'm saying is, with the proportions of that one fixture, you're either going to grow two plants, or waste light. To make the most of growing two plants in your space, you'd need to supplement the fixture.

Regarding cool and warm bulbs. Some people do all cool in veg, all warm in flower. I liked to keep a little of one in the other. Just to be a little more "full spectrum." It's probably not important to mix colors like that.
 
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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
az2000 said:
You could grow two smaller autos (in 1/2 to 1gal containers). If you grow only one plant within that narrow space, you'll waste a lot of light. To me, your choices seem to be two smaller autos. Or, add supplemental lighting (like the Cree LED "lightbulb" replacements I mentioned, about 8-10 of them) along each side of the T5HO fixture. Then you could grow two larger (3gal) autos.
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so if i grow 2 auto flowers how tall would they get and so the 4 t5 bulbs are good to use could i supplement it with like 2 or 3 40 w cfls once in flower? or could i use a single 150 watt hps for flower and veg? could i grow two decent plants what do you think? what do you think the yeild would be? they say the strain is meant to have 300-500grams per M2.
 
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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
i actually really was thinking of an hps fixture like a sun master neutral deluxe, cause i can get it from my local hydroponics store but would that rack up the bill, cause i don't really wanna be spending allot of loot on my electricity bill, they do have an energy saveing bulb a compact florescent i think its a 150 watt or 250 watt.
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
My autos in 3gal containers become about 3' tall (including the height of the container). My tent is 4' tall. I usually have to bend a couple shoots over to maintain enough distance between the canopy and the LED. The link I gave you has a photo.

You have enough vertical distance for HPS.

I'd encourage you to stop looking at old tech and go LED. For a single plant, those LED "lightbulbs" I mentioned would work great. Would cost you about $80 US in bulbs. Maybe another $60 in materials to mount them (but that's stuff you can use forever). If you're going to fill your space, grow photosensitives, scrog, etc., two Area51 RW-75s would fit your space very well. 18.12w/sq ft.

If I were going to grow two autos in that space, I'd do one RW75 on the flower side, and Cree "lightbulbs" on the veg side. You don't need as much light for veg. You could add bulbs incrementally as the plant grows. Ending up around 7-8 bulbs when it begins flowering.

You asked if you could grow two decent plants. With good light, temperatures, soil, nutes, yes. I got 180g from an autoflower under 6 T5HO bulbs and supplemented with a couple CFLs in flower. It can take some time to workout the good stuff.

If you're concerned about investing too much, grow just one auto under your T5HO. (It's not clear if you have T5 or T5HO. The wattage of the bulbs sounds like HO. That's something to keep in mind when buying a couple warm bulbs for flower. Don't accidentally buy T5.
 
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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
az2000 said:
My autos in 3gal containers become about 3' tall (including the height of the container). My tent is 4' tall. I usually have to bend a couple shoots over to maintain enough distance between the canopy and the LED. The link I gave you has a photo.

You have enough vertical distance for HPS.

I'd encourage you to stop looking at old tech and go LED. For a single plant, those LED "lightbulbs" I mentioned would work great. Would cost you about $80 US in bulbs. Maybe another $60 in materials to mount them (but that's stuff you can use forever). If you're going to fill your space, grow photosensitives, scrog, etc., two Area51 RW-75s would fit your space very well. 18.12w/sq ft.

If I were going to grow two autos in that space, I'd do one RW75 on the flower side, and Cree "lightbulbs" on the veg side. You don't need as much light for veg. You could add bulbs incrementally as the plant grows. Ending up around 7-8 bulbs when it begins flowering.

You asked if you could grow two decent plants. With good light, temperatures, soil, nutes, yes. I got 180g from an autoflower under 6 T5HO bulbs and supplemented with a couple CFLs in flower. It can take some time to workout the good stuff.

If you're concerned about investing too much, grow just one auto under your T5HO. (It's not clear if you have T5 or T5HO. The wattage of the bulbs sounds like HO. That's something to keep in mind when buying a couple warm bulbs for flower. Don't accidentally buy T5.
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I'm really interested in useing leds to be honest would this led light sytem be any good you think?

http://www.greners.com/i/grow-lights/led-brand/sunshine-systems/glow-panel-45.html
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
CloudsOverCanada said:
http://www.tthydroponic.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=722 even this t5ho fixture would that work I heard the glowpanel is shit.
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That's a 4' fixture. Your space is 3.6'.

Regarding LEDs, as I said, it's quite a learning curve because of all the choices -- many of which are rebranded Chinese lights sold at a premium. (Or, a lot of Chinese lights that are garbage. Apparently the glowpanel is one.). You can go cheap with a TopLED or Vipar (eBay). Or, a long-term investment in Area51, Hans panel, Onyx, Advanced. You have to choose between stronger 5w chips mounted on reflectors, or more diffuse light (3w, reflectors or mounted on white backboard). That choice has a lot to do with whether you'll grow tall or short plants. For my autos I like more diffuse light, with more coverage (more than one source of light). For tall photosensitives I have Area 51.

If it were me: if I already had the T5HO, I'd grow one plant under it. If I didn't have the fixture, I'd invest in those LED "lightbulb" replacements I mentioned. I'd grow one under that. You can add bulbs as it grows. Then consider investing in a fixture of some kind, using the bulbs as supplement.

The T5HO won't be a waste of money. If you end up going all LED you'll always need a backup souce of light when (not if) the LED fixture fails. But, I think those lightbulb replacements are a better backup than T5HO. You can use them as supplemental light. More flexible positioning.
 
charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
That's a 4' fixture. Your space is 3.6'.

Regarding LEDs, as I said, it's quite a learning curve because of all the choices -- many of which are rebranded Chinese lights sold at a premium. (Or, a lot of Chinese lights that are garbage. Apparently the glowpanel is one.). You can go cheap with a TopLED or Vipar (eBay). Or, a long-term investment in Area51, Hans panel, Onyx, Advanced. You have to choose between stronger 5w chips mounted on reflectors, or more diffuse light (3w, reflectors or mounted on white backboard). That choice has a lot to do with whether you'll grow tall or short plants. For my autos I like more diffuse light, with more coverage (more than one source of light). For tall photosensitives I have Area 51.

If it were me: if I already had the T5HO, I'd grow one plant under it. If I didn't have the fixture, I'd invest in those LED "lightbulb" replacements I mentioned. I'd grow one under that. You can add bulbs as it grows. Then consider investing in a fixture of some kind, using the bulbs as supplement.

The T5HO won't be a waste of money. If you end up going all LED you'll always need a backup souce of light when (not if) the LED fixture fails. But, I think those lightbulb replacements are a better backup than T5HO. You can use them as supplemental light. More flexible positioning.
Click to expand...
IAM growing small jock auto flowers however they just started flowering they would be 2 to 3 feet tall if I did not LST. I'm feeding the s*** out of them 600 watt HPS photo grid my temps are I'm not even running my fan I don't even have the glass in my reflector this cool weather is awesome
 

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charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
sorry autocorrect butchered that a little bit but I was trying to say my temperatures are perfect I'm not even running on my inline fan on my son system
 
charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
can I buy at Lowesthe screw in kind of lLED.? If so, which.. They are having a sale the PAR was very high but I haven't learned about all that yet . I need red LEDs correct? Do they sell blue or red at Lowes..will the regular white kind work?
 
charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
That's a 4' fixture. Your space is 3.6'.

Regarding LEDs, as I said, it's quite a learning curve because of all the choices -- many of which are rebranded Chinese lights sold at a premium. (Or, a lot of Chinese lights that are garbage. Apparently the glowpanel is one.). You can go cheap with a TopLED or Vipar (eBay). Or, a long-term investment in Area51, Hans panel, Onyx, Advanced. You have to choose between stronger 5w chips mounted on reflectors, or more diffuse light (3w, reflectors or mounted on white backboard). That choice has a lot to do with whether you'll grow tall or short plants. For my autos I like more diffuse light, with more coverage (more than one source of light). For tall photosensitives I have Area 51.

If it were me: if I already had the T5HO, I'd grow one plant under it. If I didn't have the fixture, I'd invest in those LED "lightbulb" replacements I mentioned. I'd grow one under that. You can add bulbs as it grows. Then consider investing in a fixture of some kind, using the bulbs as supplement.

The T5HO won't be a waste of money. If you end up going all LED you'll always need a backup souce of light when (not if) the LED fixture fails. But, I think those lightbulb replacements are a better backup than T5HO. You can use them as supplemental light. More flexible positioning.
Click to expand...
IAM growing small jock auto flowers however they just started flowering they would be 2 to 3 feet tall if I did not LST. I'm feeding the s*** out of them 600 watt HPS photo grid my temps are I'm not even running my fan I don't even have the glass in my reflector this cool weather is awesome
 

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A

az2000

Well-Known Member
charlestonchunk said:
can I buy at Lowesthe screw in kind of lLED.? If so, which.. They are having a sale the PAR was very high but I haven't learned about all that yet . I need red LEDs correct? Do they sell blue or red at Lowes..will the regular white kind work?
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All I can recommend is the Cree LEDs at Home Depot. I'm just following captainmorgan's experiments with them (linked to in the link I posted earlier in this thread). If you can find someone who's used the lights you're referring to, go for it.

Regarding red/blue, the lights come in warm and cool white. From CaptainMorgan's thread it appears most people recommend 4:1 (2700k:5000k) in flower. Some recommend 3:1, others 5:1. For veg, 1:1 seems to be the recommendation.
 
charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
I was talking about the big chain hardware stores in generalI guess I just follow the same Calvin rules what aboutcapital Par. I'll check Captain Morgan how did my plans book aren't autoflower supposed to be a lot smaller
 
charlestonchunk

charlestonchunk

Well-Known Member
I cut a hole in the floor of my walk in 12 by 6 to install an ac / heat vent. If i want my grow room at 78 ambiant now (without ac ducting, and leave door open my closets great. I have to run entire ac system for 2 story log house. i disconected the one in my bedroom patched the hole amd installed iit in my grow closet. I own a log home in the woods. I have had only 5 successfull harvests. Never any monsters. I have ADD and mess with shit so much, i have a hard time finishing tasks....hydro is for me. My home is starting to reek though. Fall here is perfect for closet growing as you can run lights when its cool and not have more than 15 degrees variation. Humid level constant 50 to 60. I leave my door open in my closet but shut my bedroom door. I am using aurora soiless hydro co co coir. Feeding with FNB. Vegging with h and g aqua flakes. My leaves get splotchy at times. I know everyone will say cal mag.
 
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CloudsOverCanada

New Member
az2000 said:
All I can recommend is the Cree LEDs at Home Depot. I'm just following captainmorgan's experiments with them (linked to in the link I posted earlier in this thread). If you can find someone who's used the lights you're referring to, go for it.

Regarding red/blue, the lights come in warm and cool white. From CaptainMorgan's thread it appears most people recommend 4:1 (2700k:5000k) in flower. Some recommend 3:1, others 5:1. For veg, 1:1 seems to be the recommendation.
Click to expand...

I am interseted in the cree led light and ive cut the closet in half its size and made a grow box. so how many cree led bulbs do you think maybe around four or 5? And also what are the lights exactly called?
 
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