perfered lighting?

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Originally Posted by dlovejah

I run seedlings and young plants( 4 weeks and under) under T5's then I switch to MetalHalide for a couple of weeks...Sometimes if my plants are real tight from the T5 Ill put them under HPS so they stretch a little..... I really like the combo of T5 and MH if you can swing it.... good luck :rastasmoke:

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i want to make this a very good thread on lighting. Sticky, im on your side. I really truley do respect you. I sometimes enjoy giving people a hard time, and will not be rude like before. I've spent years on og everyday reading more than you can imagine.. i have little actual growing experience but sucessful year outdoors 2-3 yrs back when the midwest was having a drought(suuny skys every day pf the spring summer and a little rough in fall but still week on precip, and i was able to water and keep em going and all was wonderful. , all the bogs(cat tails) were bone dry i had 35gallon buckets. wonderful grow,but man it was a fuck load of work, worthe results great powerful high. harvested 4-8 ounces., with the only bad luck of gettin 4 of 12 for having 8 males.... but the years after there was too much rain and that location just dorwn the hell out of them. anywas back to lighting....


i have a 4x4x7 home box and i just picked up a 2 bulb philips 960 lumen 6500k t12 flouro. i might get another tomorrow if u think i should. but as my 2 seedkings mature im currently germinating 3 more, all three have popped im going to let them sit in the moist papertowel for another day maybe 2, transporting to on top of cable box for warmth and off for warm and cool. and once the taproot is nice and big and healty im going to put into a small dixi cup with happy frog soil made by foxfarm, and place them under the flouros wihch are abour 4-8 inches from current plants which are propped up on a box because the chain its hanging from isnt long enough. and i want to also hang a HID light, and here i currently on my hand have a 400 wMH with a venture lighting bulb with a 4000 color temp with and initial lumen of im not sure but 32000 and 4000. And i have a 1000w HPS with a pulserite superbulb.. if i dont have the right bulbs for these lamp fixtures.

Tell me what my options are for improving them?

What are the right bulbs?

Am i able to put a 1000watt hps ballast with a switchable mh bulb? while using my 2 or maybe 4 t12 flouros to block the directness of the HID. where both the mature veg plants can feed off the either 400 or 1000mh. where the seedlings get the flouros with a little of the HID indirectly? And then eventually place the 1000w HPS into the flower room and settle with the combo of a 400w MH and flouros in the veg box for both seedlings and mature vegging plants untill i have more room or seedlings and will use just the 400 MH and then transfer the ready veg plants into flower room, whcih will have a 1000W HPS on a moveable lightrail. ....

Why t-5 or t-8. why not t-12. will the t-12 work just or well or not?


Why T5s?

I have T12's

Don't let the tap root get too long- just let it EMERGE but not get more than 1/4" before planting. Add some fine perlite to your soil too if you can; the lightness is important indoors.
T5 is much more intense light but I vegged for years, and still do in some parts of my grow, under t12 shop lights. Use the 'daylight' bulbs or 'cool white' or 'kitchen and bath' as a second choice. T12 is safer because if the plants grow up into the fixture they take longer to scorch, but t5 is brighter. t8 is a compromise and also popular.
You have to use a 'conversion bulb' rated for your ballast if you want to run MH in HPS ballast.
Temperature swings are not all that good for seedlings. 24/0 with stable temps is ideal (yes someone will disagree; many people swear by a dark period- this is personal preference). Swings lead to more stretch than youwould see without the night/day difference. Stability is GOOD.