Lighting in clone area

So Ive been reading allot about lighting trying to find what would be best for my clone area. Im looking to get some other opinions, so far Ive come up with this :
24" T5HO=20,000Lumens & about $150
4x42W cfl=8,000Lumens & about $50
250mh=20,000Lumens & about $150

I think my final finished product eventually I would like to have the T5s when I have the money because of there sleekness and electricity savings. But at the moment I don't have that money.

So Im leaning towards the cfls but the Lumens are a little on the low side & I have a humidome that is 7" tall so the lights would be that much farther away from seedlings and clones inside. I dunno if that should be a concern with this setup or not.

Also I was reading about "narrow spectrum" bulbs for the T5HO and a T8HO that sounded pretty sweet. Anybody got any hands on info about those?

dude i use one t5 to veg 2 moms and it work ridiculously good. I bought mine on e bay for like 100 bucks i think....

What size was yours? I can only fit a 24" but I have room to use a 6 bulb one if I want. But I dont have the loot$ for that.

Actually im thinkin instead of getting an mh at all, I think I'll go with a 24" 4 bulb T5HO for clones and vegging. Then I'll have my 600w digi for my flower room. That should produce (I hope).

WildBill420 said:

Actually im thinkin instead of getting an mh at all, I think I'll go with a 24" 4 bulb T5HO for clones and vegging. Then I'll have my 600w digi for my flower room. That should produce (I hope).

Click to expand...

Get the 6500 K tubes only then.

WildBill420 said:

Actually im thinkin instead of getting an mh at all, I think I'll go with a 24" 4 bulb T5HO for clones and vegging. Then I'll have my 600w digi for my flower room. That should produce (I hope).

Click to expand...

Are you planning on keeping a mother plant in their with the clones or just taking clones as you move the vegging ones into flowering? It takes an 8 bulb 2' t-5 to give you 20,000 lumens not a 4 bulb. I'm thinking the 6 bulb or the cfls, would be better choices. VV

ya i got the 24 inch, 4 bulb one. it works awesome. you can see pics in my grow journal..

I ended up with a 4ft 4 bulb. I think I will mostly be taking clones as we go instead of keeping mothers. Im trying to germ some bag seeds directly in rapid rooters currently instead of the paper towel method. My T5 should be here in 2 days.

Just to get clones rooted? bleh you only need 2 of those 42 watt CFl's, that should be more than enough.

Clones need avery little light to get going.A simple T8 shop light which can be bought in 24 inch sets will work fine to get 50 or so clones ready to go. I use mostly T8 lights for clones and veg startings but recently have been keeping an eye at home depot and lowes as this is the time they clean old stock and extra inventory so I grabbed a few t5 LIGHT SETUPS FROM THE DISCOUNT RACK. i GRABED 5 SETS OF T5 LIGHTS. oops sorry caps were on and Im lazy....I paid $15 for each of the 2 bulb light fixtures with bulbs and $7.50 for the single 36 inch t5 lights.The 2 bulbs setups are 24 inch lights with 32 watt bulbs..again standard t8 or t10 shop lights work great.Heres a few pics of some of the t5s and then some plants under T8 shop lights..oh the first 2 are T8 shop lights then the 3rd is a single t5 fixture then pics of a double light t5 over 90 clones

Alright perfect. They should be perfect for my entire clone/seed/veg area

maybe i'm stuck in the past... but how would you compare t8 or t5 to the standard 4' t12 flourescent bulbs/fixtures. i use these in my clone/vedge room and have done so for years now. they work well. it costs about 9 dollars for a fixture.... and anywhere from 4-7 dollars for 2 bulbs to put in it... for a grand total of 13-16 dollars each fixture. i currently have 12 of these.

thanks for any comparisons...

Bump You !!!

(Any comparisons from someone that has used both... t12 vs t8 or t5? i'm sure cost is a big difference... but how about performance via area covered... depth of penetration, etc.

thanks (probably too late for me for now, but in the future i'm sure i could 'upgrade')

I am very limited on space so my clones must stay close to their mother. They all sit under a 250W MH light with reflector. The clones sit 3 feet under the light and the mother is a little less than a foot from the light.Im sure the clones dont need such strong lighting but this may reduce the chance of the clones being shocked once they move to the grow room. I do have the duct next to the light pulling hot air out. Things seem to be working well. Though I havent had this setup for too long.
(I have a separate room once the clones take root under a 600w.)

it seems to me that T8 is brighter than T12 and T5 is brighter than both. I have one of each at the moment. All 4'.

DaGambler said:

Bump You !!!

(Any comparisons from someone that has used both... t12 vs t8 or t5? i'm sure cost is a big difference... but how about performance via area covered... depth of penetration, etc.

thanks (probably too late for me for now, but in the future i'm sure i could 'upgrade')

Click to expand...

No comparison, but I use the 4 foot t12's for clones/mothers. 40W 6500K 3050 lumen bulbs. I go to MH for veg and HPS for flower.

Attached are pics of some light hangars I made. I use hi-output T8 fixtures with Verilux bulbs. This was an experiment I tried that I liked so much I will use it for my next vege phase instead of MH, to save on my power bill. These will all be chopped up for clones in the next couple of days.

The t10 and T123 are ok to use just less efficinet and not as bright. A typical garage shop light like at walmart is usually T8 now and comes with 2 bulbs usually just under $15 for a decent one or you can get one without bulbs at like home depot for around $8.They work great as young plant light and can be used nicely to veg but unlike T5s not so well for flowering as you need a ton for correct output.There are also T4 s but much less common and harder to find, T5s are the best but T8s are great and alot cheaper