Fluorescent lights for vegetative growth

Baked Jesus · May 12, 2007

I was wondering what would be the recommended amount of fluorescent lights, and the wattage amount, I would need for growing about 10 seedlings and some clones. The area I'm working with is about 5ft wide, 3ft tall and around 3ft from front to back.

Also how many lights would be sufficient to keep about 4-5 mothers nice and healthy. The area for these are around 3ft wide, 5ft tall and 3ft from front to back.

Any advice is welcome.

BloodShotI'z · May 12, 2007

You're gonna need alot of cfls for all that

Tigger · May 12, 2007

3000 lumens/sqft for CFLs...

Jumpper303 · May 12, 2007

i did the plant in my pic with ony one.

kindprincess · May 12, 2007

2 double 48'' flouro fixtures, four ge daylight tubes, t12, 40w, 6500k, 3050 lum ea.

one cfl for each mother plant.

kp

Pseudonym · May 12, 2007

Don't waste your time with t12s. Get a New Wave T5 lighting system if you want to use fluoro. I have the 4 24" bulb 96 watt system for about the same dimension room as you and it works perfectly for 10 plants. It's a great deal. The fluoros are cost-efficient, put out almost no heat, and produce about 10,000 lumens.

I wouldn't recommend CFLs for so many plants because like what BloodShot said, you're gonna need an assload, and it would take up too much room in your growroom.

Good luck.

kindprincess · May 12, 2007

Pseudonym said:
Don't waste your time with t12s. Get a New Wave T5 lighting system if you want to use fluoro. I have the 4 24" bulb 96 watt system for about the same dimension room as you and it works perfectly for 10 plants. It's a great deal. The fluoros are cost-efficient, put out almost no heat, and produce about 10,000 lumens.

I wouldn't recommend CFLs for so many plants because like what BloodShot said, you're gonna need an assload, and it would take up too much room in your growroom.

Good luck.

t5's are cool. they realy kick the butts of other flouros.

except the ge line t12;s. you have 10,000 lumens with four bulbs, i have 12,200 with four bulbs. and ge daylight bulbs are litterally cool; the plants can actually touch the bulbs with no burn probs.

kp

BIGMIKE13 · May 12, 2007

just my 2 cents :mrgreen:

t8's 2 dual 48" fixt. $20 a piece / 4 5000k bulbs. $3 a piece

i also mix in 2 actinic blue bulbs (aquarium bulbs during veg)

:peace:

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BloodShotI'z · May 12, 2007

How many plants you got there, BigMike?

BIGMIKE13 · May 12, 2007

i'll tell you if you send me a pup (sweet pit)

12 under veg, but for flower i would recommend hps for sure

like KP said cfl for moms

str8_pimpin · May 12, 2007

kindprincess said:
2 double 48'' flouro fixtures, four ge daylight tubes, t12, 40w, 6500k, 3050 lum ea.

one cfl for each mother plant.

kp

So If you were to get 2 double 48" fictures like you stated, You shoud be able to grow about 4 Mother plants?

Pseudonym said:
Don't waste your time with t12s. Get a New Wave T5 lighting system if you want to use fluoro. I have the 4 24" bulb 96 watt system for about the same dimension room as you and it works perfectly for 10 plants. It's a great deal. The fluoros are cost-efficient, put out almost no heat, and produce about 10,000 lumens.

So the 4 24" T5 Lighting system would be enough for 10 plants in Vegatative or Flowering Stage?

BIGMIKE13 said:
just my 2 cents

t8's 2 dual 48" fixt. $20 a piece / 4 5000k bulbs. $3 a piece

i also mix in 2 actinic blue bulbs (aquarium bulbs during veg)

How many mother plants will this Fit for Flowering?

kindprincess · May 12, 2007

str8_pimpin said:
So If you were to get 2 double 48" fictures like you stated, You shoud be able to grow about 4 Mother plants?/QUOTE]

i can veg four plants under one double, eight for two.

str8_pimpin said:

So the 4 24" T5 Lighting system would be enough for 10 plants in Vegatative or Flowering Stage?

Click to expand...

i think these are rather expensive when compared to the effeciency...

str8_pimpin said:

How many mother plants will this Fit for Flowering?

Click to expand...

tubes are not good at all for flowering. you just can't get any kind of decent penetration.

kp

Pseudonym · May 12, 2007

str8_pimpin said:
So the 4 24" T5 Lighting system would be enough for 10 plants in Vegatative or Flowering Stage?

I have 9 under that system right now and they're beautiful. The T5 system I bought came with 4 Ecolux bulbs and I got to choose between 6500K veg lights and 3000K flowering lights. I got 2 of each and then ordered 2 extra 3000K lights. I used 2 6500K and 2 3000K for veg and switched to 4 3000K for flowering.

midgradeindasouth · May 12, 2007

If you have not seen this in growfaq about lighting here it is:
https://www.rollitup.org/view.php?pg=faq&cmd=category&id=48

Happy growing

BIGMIKE13 · May 12, 2007

thanks KP; helping in my answer as well

the t8s are just a little upgrade from the t12.....40w t12 / 32w t8

t8s run less watts with a cooler temp from electronic ballast

again t5s are just to expensive for veg. hps for flower !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIGMIKE13 · May 12, 2007

Pseudonym said:
I have 9 under that system right now and they're beautiful. The T5 system I bought came with 4 Ecolux bulbs and I got to choose between 6500K veg lights and 3000K flowering lights. I got 2 of each and then ordered 2 extra 3000K lights. I used 2 6500K and 2 3000K for veg and switched to 4 3000K for flowering.

lets see pics...................lol :joint:

str8_pimpin · May 12, 2007

Pseudonym said:
The T5 system I bought came with 4 Ecolux bulbs and I got to choose between 6500K veg lights and 3000K flowering lights. I got 2 of each and then ordered 2 extra 3000K lights. I used 2 6500K and 2 3000K for veg and switched to 4 3000K for flowering.

Where is a good buy to buy these from $cheap$, and What would be thing price range i'd be spending. Also see if you can post pics....thanks :mrgreen:

Pseudonym · May 13, 2007

str8_pimpin said:
Where is a good buy to buy these from $cheap$, and What would be thing price range i'd be spending. Also see if you can post pics....thanks

Well unfortunately they're not gonna be that cheap, especially when compared to CFLs. I got mine from Hydroponics | Hydroponic Supplies for $120 + $20 for shipping and handling. They probably have the best deal as most other places I found online were trying to sell them for $160-170. They also gave me a 20% off promotional code because I called them to ask questions (weird, but I didn't complain).

Initial price is the only real complaint I have about the New Wave, but it's definitely the best choice for my situation. If I were growing a smaller number of plants I'd use CFLs, and if I had more room I'd be using MH/HPS. But I don't, so I invested in the T5 system

BIGMIKE13 said:
lets see pics...................lol

If I had a digital camera I would. Sorry guys.

guitarman7311 · Oct 19, 2008

K dont laugh. Go to walmart buy 6 of their 10 dollar grow lights. Duct tape them together. U now have a kikass vegitatin machine heee,. Really thats what I did and they are awesome

stoned1 · Oct 19, 2008

Run the t8s that what i use 2 6500k and 2 3000k for veg they grow nice and bushy and every green then i use 400 watt hps for flowering i babies look beautiful wish i i coud take pics.

Fluorescent lights for vegetative growth

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