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t5 ho question


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In the near future I'm planning to install grow shells in my hall. I have no experience in indoor growing so for the last few weeks I've been reading about different solutions people used to make their terrariums, grow racks etc...

I decided to go with the T5 HO tubes and give them a try...I've found few stores here in Croatia where I can get them but I also got a headache trying to figure out which ones are the best; lights in question are Osram Lumilux but they have so many models I got completely lost ((Seamless, Constant, XT, Energy Saver, De Luxe)...

According to what I've read, I asume I need lots of lumens and a color temperature of 6500K, right?

So the only model I found which is satisfying these numbers is Lumilux T5 HO Constant 80W, Cool Daylight http://www.osram.com/osram_com/products/lamps/fluorescent-lamps/fluorescent-lamps-t5/lumilux-t5-ho-constant/index.jsp?productId=ZMP_60244

Why do people mix Cool White and Warm White? What is the purpose of having different light colors?

If i want to cover surface of one shelf which would be 145cm*40cm (145cm is the length of these lights), how many tubes do I need? And is this light I found good or do I need to find another?

And these 80W really sounds much, especially if I'm planning to have 4 shelves, but the lower the wattage the lower the lumens...Does someone have experience with these lights?What would you recommend?

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While I'm not that experienced with growing CPs under artificial lights I have kept planted aquarium aquascapes for a while so I would suggest checking out pet shops for T5 ho bulbs, I'd say there is somewhere better to get them as I've always found pet shops to be expensive, but always good quality

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In the near future I'm planning to install grow shells in my hall. I have no experience in indoor growing so for the last few weeks I've been reading about different solutions people used to make their terrariums, grow racks etc...

I decided to go with the T5 HO tubes and give them a try...I've found few stores here in Croatia where I can get them but I also got a headache trying to figure out which ones are the best; lights in question are Osram Lumilux but they have so many models I got completely lost ((Seamless, Constant, XT, Energy Saver, De Luxe)...

According to what I've read, I asume I need lots of lumens and a color temperature of 6500K, right?

So the only model I found which is satisfying these numbers is Lumilux T5 HO Constant 80W, Cool Daylight http://www.osram.com/osram_com/products/lamps/fluorescent-lamps/fluorescent-lamps-t5/lumilux-t5-ho-constant/index.jsp?productId=ZMP_60244

Why do people mix Cool White and Warm White? What is the purpose of having different light colors?

If i want to cover surface of one shelf which would be 145cm*40cm (145cm is the length of these lights), how many tubes do I need? And is this light I found good or do I need to find another?

And these 80W really sounds much, especially if I'm planning to have 4 shelves, but the lower the wattage the lower the lumens...Does someone have experience with these lights?What would you recommend?

You can get the t5 units of ebay but they could be abit bulky for shelves. You can get the small fitments from hydroponic shops if there are any local to you, i will try to find a link to the ones i think would be best suited.

Dan

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Problem is not at getting T5 HO tubes, I can buy them in my street actually, real problem is choosing the right ones...I think I have to start with lights and fixtures so I can decide in which dimensions should my shelves be made because they will be ordered and i have to calculate dimensions which i want.

Question is: are these lights good? Do i need to add warm white? Combine all three (cool white, wam white and daylight)? And the wattage - they are available in 5 wattages:24, 39, 49, 54, 80W - the more wattage, the more lumens I get from them....and which Osram model would fit the best (Seamless, Constant, XT, ES, or De Luxe)

I can detail specifics of each one, you can see them on their site also...I just need to figure out what combination would be the best for shelves.

I was also searching through ebay but no need to order from there since I can choose from my shop.

Anyway, ty for trying to help :D

Edited by tripoza
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  • 1 month later...

Not sure if this answer is still useful to you, but something I found quite helpful on the web for assisting with 'whats best for my carnivorous plants' in terms of light bulbs and what sort of set up you would need.

 

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/SoilsWater/Lighting.php

 

Also helps understand which types of lighting are best for what stages of growth, and by using the spectrum absorption charts, you can match that with bulbs that you may buy. When looking at a local reptile shop, I found the colour spectrums were labelled on most of the bulbs packaging. Although a definite for whatever colour level you use, is T5-HO lighting generally speaking, since it generates a much higher lumen output than that of a standard bulb, i.e.: ones used for humans.

 

I hasten to add, I do not have a huge amount of experience growing lights under grow lights, but when I started looking into it, I found this to be very useful.

Edited by Incursion
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Question is: are these lights good? Do i need to add warm white? Combine all three (cool white, wam white and daylight)? And the wattage - they are available in 5 wattages:24, 39, 49, 54, 80W - the more wattage, the more lumens I get from them

 

I'm probably going to get my keyboad fingers chewed off here but ...

 

If the area is a 'confined' space then have a look at an LED solution. They are often 'DIY' solutions so some basic electical competence is required but you might find something that fits a given space better than T5's. Nothing wrong with T5's you understand, it's just 'horses for courses'.

 

If the setup is in your living space then I would go for 'warm white', you really don't want 'cold white' glaring out at you 24/7.

 

I honestly don't think that plants care too much about 'spectrum' in the sense that 'some red, some blue' is just fine. I have some plants growing in a modified 'fish tank' under 50W of LED light and they are doing just fine after 18 months. I really only paid scant attention to the 'spectral output' of the LED's. All white LED's have some 'red' and some 'blue' so I went for 'warm white' (more red than blue).

 

While researching possible lighting solutions I got the impession that a lot of the 'spectrum' (and lighting generally) arguments are only important to commercial growers and scientists, the rest of us can just use some practical lighting solution that fits our particular needs. The plants often just don't care.

Edited by Hud357
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Ah right, fair enough. Well from what I got from the link I posted was that you are quite right, warm white seems to work best. It also is most aesethically pleasing also as it fits our common perception of light being 'white'. Also suggests that it gives both ends of the spectrum the best.

 

Again, like I say, I have very little experience with actually growing plants under lights so I was unable to say for sure.

 

A final question - Do you have yours setup in such a way that they are almost only getting the light from your 50w fish tank light? Or are they receiving some normal sunlight also?

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A final question - Do you have yours setup in such a way that they are almost only getting the light from your 50w fish tank light? Or are they receiving some normal sunlight also?

 

There is no sunlight (other than abient) reaching the tank. It would be 95% LED and 5% natural light at a guess.

 

It seems to work for many cp's some of which are now getting demoted to 'weed' status. Drosera adelae, Utricularia longifolia and my one and only Nep (× hookeriana) are the main offenders. Even my mini phalenopsois is heading out of its pot into the unknown.

 

Funny, I thought that the terraium would be maintainance free but I'm getting the impression that I might be digging it all out soon and re-planting, Bloody plants, I might just dump them all and buy some frogs ... https://www.google.com/search?q=dart+frog&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI-NPQxImTxwIV4RTbCh26SwIv&biw=1440&bih=688

 

Tell me they are just the deranged creations of some insane Photoshop jockey.

 

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