Help! What should I do?

[JunkYard]

You probably should consider practical issues too. Are they vegging in the same room as they'll flower? That could mean dismantling a load of fixtures, and banging new hooks into everything to change to flowering lights. MH is still the best for veg and HPS for flowering. If you've got the money, space and ventilation, ignore the cfl's.

Remember, heat is an issue that needs adressing with these kind of lights, so you may need to fit that in your budget too.

I thought about this post for a while, and decided that you were right about the practicality of such a large T5 fixture. I decided on fewer plants and a 2' 6 lamp T5 fixure instead. Like I said in my above post, I'll start them out with the Fluoros' until they get about 8" tall then switch to MH. I can use the same hooks I used on the 2' fluoros to hang my HID.

One problem I 'will' have is I need to figure out way to mount my Carbon filter, and attatch it to my Reflector for cooling. There's not much room in my grow space, 3 x 5 x 6/7 so I was thinking about mounting it at the high part of my grow room, then run duct from the Carbon filter to my reflector, and on the other side of the reflector to be exhausted outside the room.

Do you think I could keep the ducting and Carbon filter hanging when I use the fluoros'? If not that could prove to be a pain when it comes time to change evreything out.. ..I won't need the Carbon filter in the beginning stages of veg, but I could still use the fan I'm buying (Vortex 449 cfm) to exchange air in the room. It won't take much to take the ducting of the HID, or put it on for that matter.. ..


Junk~

[JunkYard]

just get a HPS sylvania grolux 400-600watt full spectrum bulb....no need to worry about lights ever again!

its easey to start seeds under a HID, just make sure your bulb is a good 2-3-4foot away from the babies(depending how your temps are, and adjust as they grow and as temps allow...
you can even keep them under a single floro or on a windowsil till they develope some decent leafs, then stick em under the HPS.

I don't think I want to use full spectrum for veg, so I'm investing in both fluoros and MH for this stage. I've been thinking about starting with an HID, but I don't want to chance it. I want no stretch, no risk of burning them to death, and tight nodes; this can be accomplished with the fluoros until they get big enough to handle the HID.


Thank God for old friends who pay their debts, lol! If not for him, I wouldn't be able to afford the system I decided on.. :smokin:


Junk~

[faithlessxxx]

Wrong!!! You need an HPS for flowering. The MH is for vegging, like the flours.

[dutch.lover]

I didn't read thru all the posts but I will definitely say that T5s are totally amazing lights. I have a 400w MH and HPS, and a T5. I use the T5 for starting out seeds and clones, and I must say that it's freakin amazing. The plants are super bushy when I grow them under there, compared to the MH. I have never vegged plants for that long under the T5 tho, so I don't know how it would work with a lot more, bigger plants.

Dunno if that helped at all, lol, but just thought I would let you know that T5s kick ass.

[JunkYard]

Wrong!!! You need an HPS for flowering. The MH is for vegging, like the flours.

read up a few posts, and you'll see that I'll be using a 600 watt HPS for flower.. ..The MH is for veg, and the fluoros for starting and seedlings.

Junk~

Yeah, thought about a switchable, but they don't come in 600 watts, so I decided on a cool breeze reflector with a 600 watt HPS ballast, and I'm gonna use a MH conversion bulb for later veg. (After they get about 8 inches)

[JunkYard]

I didn't read thru all the posts but I will definitely say that T5s are totally amazing lights. I have a 400w MH and HPS, and a T5. I use the T5 for starting out seeds and clones, and I must say that it's freakin amazing. The plants are super bushy when I grow them under there, compared to the MH. I have never vegged plants for that long under the T5 tho, so I don't know how it would work with a lot more, bigger plants.

Dunno if that helped at all, lol, but just thought I would let you know that T5s kick ass.

How tall do you let them get before putting them under the MH?

[dutch.lover]

hmmm well basically once i make room under the MH, i put them under. so I usually only grow them til about 6inches tall... i could totally grow them higher, i just don't have the greatest setup for the T5 right now, so I move the plants under the MH when I have room.

but yeah, i can't emphasize enough the difference between the growth of the plants under the MH compared to the T5. The plants get wayyyyyy bushier under the t5, cause i can have them almost touching the light. they get more stretched out under the MH cause i have to have it kinda far away cause of heat issues, and the larger plants i have in there as well.

[JunkYard]

hey dutch, do you have a grow log here? I'd love to see your results withthe T5's and 400 HID's.

Peace,

[dutch.lover]

hmm well i don't have pics of the plants under the t5s at the moment, they are just clones at the moment anyways and looking kinda shitty cause they're new, but i could snap a couple pics of my other plants if you want.

[dutch.lover]

actually, i just took some pics of the T5 clones and all my other vegging plants, i will post them when i load them on my comp...stay with me