Alexus Moreno - YOUR LIGHTING ISSUE Good Morning Alexus, many have seen your posts regarding lighting and we all know that it is one of the most confusing and difficult things to solve for growing plants indoors. There are certainly many opinions and many options but for you there are 3 primary factors: 1. You have 200 Solo Cups 2. Your BUDGET is $300. 3. You require enough light (lumens) to grow seedlings until end of March at most. I assume, since you are in business for yourself that budget is most likely your priority at the moment. In the attached image I have demonstrated the costs for using T5 lights, both 6 and 8 bulb fixtures as well as using an inexpensive 400Watt MH. You will can see that it becomes very clear that using T5s given the number of plants you have is the more expensive option. This is because of how T5s work and this is VERY important. T5 lights do NOT throw light to a broad area. They must absolutely be directly above the plants between 4-8 inches above the canopy. If plants are a little as an inch outside you will see them leaning towards the light. In regards to 400Watt MH lights. You will hear a lot of people go on about heat and requiring fans etc. I had the same concerns but I can tell you that honestly you need not worry. My basement grow room, which is wrapped in Mylar is 16x12 and the temperature in the room has NEVER exceeded 70F and I have NO fans. Also consider that extra warmth just helping out your furnace ;-) Running costs. You have expressed concern of the electrical costs of running 400Watt MH lights. If you get the cost of your Kwh for you energy from you electrical provider it is an easy thing to figure out. You will also find that the difference in Kwh between 16 4 T5s and 2 400Watt MH is not THAT much in the grand scheme of things. In fact the cost difference would not even come close to the cost difference of purchasing the different light systems. Also the MH lights come with hanging yoyos which makes life a little easer. In regards to the MH lights I have listed, are they best? Absolutely not, my bulbs alone are more expensive than the MH lights I mention. However we go back to our primary factors they meet ALL of your requirements. If you choose to go with T5 light systems you will either have to reduce your number of plants or increase your budget. I hope this will help you in making a decision. In my opinion your best option is to go with two 400Watt MH lights.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:56:28 +0000
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