Plant capacity lighting will allow

hi all

Curious to learn/thinking out future plans..

I have 8 4ft bulbs(t-12 40w 2600lum) running.

Space is pretty unlimited but hood is 4 ft by 2 ft and i would prefer not to use additional cfls or anything

What is the maximum number of plants you would advise growing with only these?

Im aware t-12s are what they are. These were from a commercial space and free to me

I don't think you can flower under T12. You need T5HO, which can veg around 30w/sq ft and flower at 40w/sq ft.

I've seen LED replacement tubes for T12. That should make your fixtures workable for growing. See Redbird LED Strip-Kit. If you had 8 4ft "external driver" tubes, the 20w version, that would be 160w and would cover 4' by 1.3' (5.33 sq/ft at 30w/sq ft.). Probably the same space, but half the wattage.

I haven't used those. I don't know if they are good for growing, nor how much they cost.