T5's Fabulous or Folklore?

[OregonMist]

I recently acquired a couple of 4 bulb T5 fixtures (18"x4') 54w at a price too good to pass up. After conferring with a friend in southern Oregon I decided to toss a few clones in small pots under these T5's to see what the hoopla have was all about. In the next 2 weeks the clones exploded into lush green bouffant of foliage in which even I was taken aback. After a little research I found that T5's are an excellent way to grow excellent strains of your favorite bud. Using the method of square footage of your grow space say 4' x 4' is 16'. We times that by 4000 lumens that is needed in each square foot. 16' x 4000 lumens is 64,000 lumens total. Adding some splitter 100w cfl single bulbs (5000 lumens) to the 40,000 lumens we get from the T5's should put us where we want to be around that amount. Side lighting or reflective material will work best at getting light penetration and moving around the single 100w to hard to reach spots. No the question I have for you guys is how many plants and in what size containers do you think works best?

 

[PrSourCookies]

I recently acquired a couple of 4 bulb T5 fixtures (18"x4') 54w at a price too good to pass up. After conferring with a friend in southern Oregon I decided to toss a few clones in small pots under these T5's to see what the hoopla have was all about. In the next 2 weeks the clones exploded into lush green bouffant of foliage in which even I was taken aback. After a little research I found that T5's are an excellent way to grow excellent strains of your favorite bud. Using the method of square footage of your grow space say 4' x 4' is 16'. We times that by 4000 lumens that is needed in each square foot. 16' x 4000 lumens is 64,000 lumens total. Adding some splitter 100w cfl single bulbs (5000 lumens) to the 40,000 lumens we get from the T5's should put us where we want to be around that amount. Side lighting or reflective material will work best at getting light penetration and moving around the single 100w to hard to reach spots. No the question I have for you guys is how many plants and in what size containers do you think works best?

Well I have the T5 lights 24w each 4 bulbs a total of 96W. This is my first time going to a cannabis forum so I'm hoping like you i get some answers about my question but I will say this...HPS lights are better than the T5 from what i was told by people who had used T5s. They are cheap but you won't get much weight on your colas with T5s. I do have a 600w HPS bulb but I'm not planning to use due to i don't have a job now due to my disability (knee & ptsd).

 

[PrSourCookies]

My question is for anyone who had grown with t5s 96w is....

"Using T5 4 bulbs 24w each (96w total) how much weight do you guys think ill get since i have 2 plants in 3 gallon pots each? 1 is Sour Diesel & 1 Tahoe Og"

if anyone can help me with this question i appreciated.

 

[JuanCarlos]

No one will be able to answer that question unless they are truly psychic. It's just the truth. There are way too many variable for anyone to fathom a guess at what any grows outcome will be.

 

[SWOGA]

Look up flouro grow journals, there is a wealth of information there. Good luck, it is quality not quantity.

 

[OregonMist]

Yeah, it's a guessing game. There's no real formula that's spot on. We all make mistakes and learn. HPS will yield you more. Cfls cost less, yield less so it's give and take.

 

[Spitz]

I always vote for the biggest container you can comfortably use. 3Gal at a minimum. If you can do 5 or 7G, go for it. It depends mostly on how long you intend to grow the plant and how bad you want to play doctor. You can do well in a solo cup but you need to perpetually feed, flush, PH, and maintain perfect moisture levels. Bigger pots = less human influence.

As for yield from a 96W... Go for it! The only thing you have to lose is nothing. Just keep them trained level and right underneath the footprint of the light. Good Luck!