Hello all - I'm in the planing stages of a small set up and have a few questions. First off the space size 3'x2'x9' in height. I would like veg(4' height) area below the flower area. Ventilation is not a problem. My main question is lighting I'm considering 6 bulb T5 3' in length for veg. and 250 hps for flowering. Does the T5s have an advantage over CLFs or vice versa. I would like two plants in the flowering area all of the time. Strains used are Barneys blue cheese and Green house white widow.
You can make the arguement for both. At the end of the day MH and HPS trump them both. But I'd personally go with T5. Easier to get coverage over all foliage, cheap bulb replacement, and cfl's and adjusting them can get alittle sloppy. So if you have a little extra doe... go with T5. Performance wise it's close. I just think there is more work involved with CFLs as opposed to the T5flo's.
Question: Don't mean to steal the thread but what kind of lighting fixture would you have to buy if you were to use T5's and could I go out and purchase them at a store nearby such as Home Depot or Lowes ?
t5s are not available at home depot or lowes they require a specialized ballast. They available at a hydro supplier or an aquarium lighting supplier
What blazeholiday said. CFL= cheaper and about the same lumens/watt output as T5HO approximately. CFL is a bit more work but I don't think it's too bad. By if you're rumming SO many CFL that bulb placement is an issue, then you're probably also using so many watts that you should be using a HID for better efficiency anyway... Remember that manufacturers statistics for light output are fluffed a bit too: you can compare actual efficiencies on my lighting thread. Just follow the link in my signature