Things to Know About Lighting

ok so i looked up the T5 and it doesnt seem bright enough would it be smart to intall one of these cfls with a reflector

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Light-Bulbs-CFL-Light-Bulbs/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbmat/R-100676712/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053




http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100664506&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC-_-search-2-_-NA-_-100664506-_-N&locStoreNum=589

should i use two or one and is it ok two put them in a high corner or should i figure out a way to center it

It's not altogether the brightness (lumens) that is important; another important consideration is the wavelength of the light. T5's give you the correct wavelength of light that your plants need - but you have to get the right bulbs, not "daylight" or "soft white" bulbs.

things to know about lighting check spectrum and lumens as far as lumens u want to try to have as close to 4500 as possible per square meter to try and match the suns intensity because the sun even at its weekest times emits almost 5k and spectrum its proven canabi consumes more of the red and blue spectrum blue having a wave length of 400-475 nm and red 620-675 nm check your bulbs and do good and have healthy crops http://hightimes.com/lightingpart1 there is u a link for more imformation and comformation of my imfo

but i thought soft white was good for flowering and im only growing in veg stage for about a week because im so limited on space and i cant get my hands on any lowryder seeds

I've read through the sticky's but I was born in the 1950's so you see I just need some RIU family to give me their quick experience and knowledge prior to making a "bucket list"

So I'm kinda reading that HPS grow will make better???/harder??? buds...

I am doing my first prefab tent grow, but nuckle head me thought I had the MH in the wing from last grow.

So... being color blind , I never had a clue I was really using my HPS, HONESTLY.

I did 24/7 for about 1-2 months, then flipped to 12/12 on November 22.

So far, my grow is doing well:



What can I expect after I chop in 2012 ??????????????????

Thanks !!

Thanks for the nice read!

JamCE said:

Thanks for the nice read!

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No problem

We are thinking about running a complete cycle with the Hortilux Blue bulbs... from start to finish, the spectrum on the Blues are unlike any others I have seen out there. Price will eat you up though.

Great Post

LocoMonkey said:

Does anyone know where you can buy these in the US?

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It's so simple. Use google!! Google can answer all your queries. Lolzzz

Is it a bad idea to start off with a MH 400W?

It being 35cm away, in the x axis and 5cm in the y axis

No lid, but the tub is coated flat white. There's no reflector on the lamp, however it's in the tub with the plant. Currently day 3

Arsin225 said:

Is it a bad idea to start off with a MH 400W?

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Personally I would go with an HPS if I could only get one bulb but you should be able to give growing a shot if you are stuck with MH throughout the grow.

I'm not sure how big your grow area is so I'm not sure how appropriate a 400w bulb will be but again you should be able to get off the ground with a 400w (my first HID was a 400w HPS.)

forgetfulpenguin said:

Personally I would go with an HPS if I could only get one bulb but you should be able to give growing a shot if you are stuck with MH throughout the grow.

I'm not sure how big your grow area is so I'm not sure how appropriate a 400w bulb will be but again you should be able to get off the ground with a 400w (my first HID was a 400w HPS.)

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18L double tub , I have a HPS ready to go, just waiting till I want to go 12/12. I'm currently using one tub, no lid just because I feel like the plant at this stage doesn't need that much light hitting it, unless that's false in which case I'll put the reflector on tomorrow

T5... (8 bulb for veg and two 4 bulbs for side lighting w 400w HPS for flower)



day 28

yes, they are bright enough and with the right tubes are FAR more efficient than HID for the amount of PAR light. HID lights can put out 150k+ lumens, but a huge chunk of the output spectrum is (mostly) wasted in the green/yellow/orange region (those wavelengths are used, just less efficiently. HID's put out so much light that plants are able to scrounge what they need from whats available). If you get the correct spectrum and assortment of bulbs you can take on any HID system going watt for watt. potency can be increased when using bulbs with UVb output which results in more resin content. Put an 8 bulb T5 array against a 400w HPS... or 20 T5's vs a 1kHPS. T5 will match the yield and beat the potency vs HPS. (Yes you can get a cheap ass chinese ballast and 1kHPS fixture for cheap, and Yes you will spend a fortune on the specialty bulbs, but for some the low heat T5's are the only option)
In sumary, YES T5's will work, and work well when done right.

Good thread,

I'll second the vote for PAR T5s.

Just a quick question about lights. I have a closet and I only want to do 2 plants at a time. I have a 250watt HPS light and I just want to be sure that's enough for both plants.

Diamonds said:

Just a quick question about lights. I have a closet and I only want to do 2 plants at a time. I have a 250watt HPS light and I just want to be sure that's enough for both plants.

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You'll be fine as long as you have a decent reflector that has a wide enough throw to cover both the tops, you could prob keep it about 12" above the tops, which might be a little close to give good coverage for two, but if you lift it higher for better spread, you'll lose some of the light's intensity. 12-16" should be fine for good coverage of both. Dont worry you'll be ok. I used to have two 150w bulbs placed about 1ft apart and they covered a 3x3 closet with 5-6 plants. a 250w could cover 4 plants in a 2x2 pattern pretty well. your 2 could get a good size and be just fine

Great thread. Lots of good info. I'm starting a indoor grow soon and am looking to grow 4-6 plants and appreciate any lighting advice. Never grew b4 but very exited and inspired by the success of riu members. I hope to buy a grow tent or I intend to used a 3'x4' closet I have n my basement.

Blazin420Girl said:

Great thread. Lots of good info. I'm starting a indoor grow soon and am looking to grow 4-6 plants and appreciate any lighting advice. Never grew b4 but very exited and inspired by the success of riu members. I hope to buy a grow tent or I intend to used a 3'x4' closet I have n my basement.

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Honestly for the value, I would get a $150 Radiion 8 bulb T5 (ebay/growzebo), then you dont have to worry about elaborate ventilation systems to deal with the heat from HID. You can slowly upgrade the bulbs as you go, and the bulbs that come with will do fine. will fit in any 4x2' area. would be the perfect size for 4 plants. IMHO

good stuff