# T5 lighting hempy buckets



## Raisin Jackson (Nov 7, 2009)

Hey I was hoping for some opinions of using a t5, an 8 bulb four foot system, over hempy buckets, say 16x 2.5 gallon buckets. I've never used t5 for flowering, but was concidering this for a cheap easy low maintenence system that would produce a decent to large yeild, I'd like to say 1lb+. It would be in a crawlspace, so short, 4.5' or so high. I can't run much more than that for wattage, so what ya think? Better than a 400 watt hps? I'd only be able to fit 9 buckets, tops, under that, probably more like 4, so I'm thinking that wouldn't be as good. Is there a better way to run a small but nice yeilding crop in a crawlspace without alot of juice?


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## Growdude (Nov 7, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> Hey I was hoping for some opinions of using a t5, an 8 bulb four foot system, over hempy buckets, say 16x 2.5 gallon buckets. I've never used t5 for flowering, but was concidering this for a cheap easy low maintenence system that would produce a decent to large yeild, I'd like to say 1lb+. It would be in a crawlspace, so short, 4.5' or so high. I can't run much more than that for wattage, so what ya think? Better than a 400 watt hps? I'd only be able to fit 9 buckets, tops, under that, probably more like 4, so I'm thinking that wouldn't be as good. Is there a better way to run a small but nice yeilding crop in a crawlspace without alot of juice?



The 400 hps is much better and you can get just as many plants under it, I dont think 16 is going to fit under either.

With your grow area being so short I recommend the T5 but dont expect a pound.


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## pcduck (Nov 7, 2009)

:yeahthat:   :goodposting:


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 7, 2009)

My buckets are 9" in diameter. At 5 weeks I can still keep them side by side and expect to til the end, no gap between buckets, and I wouldn't veg for more than 2 weeks or until the roots are in the rez, so I could fit 25 under a 4'x4 light (t5) or 9 under a 400 watt. Am I missing something? I have 16 in a 40x40" space, and all of 325 watts or so of light, mixed led/cfl, and hope for at least a pound. If I was using a 600 I'd be sad with under 2 pounds with the same plants. 
I definately appreciate your response and to disagree don't bother me, but I'm just imagining these 8 bulb t5s after seeing 2 and 4 bulb setups shooting alot of good bright light, just seems like they'd be great for buds.


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## JBonez (Nov 7, 2009)

not saying its impossible, but good luck, 1lb from less than 400w of T5 is a little hopeful.

Look into VHO Flouro's if you want something brighter, but want to stay with flouro's, thats the only way you are gonna get closer to your 1lb, still tho, gonna be hard.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 7, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> I have 16 in a 40x40" space, and all of 325 watts or so of light, mixed led/cfl, and hope for at least a pound. If I was using a 600 I'd be sad with under 2 pounds with the same plants.



How many lumens are those 325W of CFLs and LEDs putting out.  I am guessing that when you figure this out that you are going to find that you are way underlit for your 40 x 40 space.  I anticipate less than 8 ozs.

You had better be prepared to be "sad".  Two pounds off a 600W is 1-1/2 g per watt.  Even very experienced growers with their grow places dialed in do not get this kind of yield.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 7, 2009)

thanks for the replys, I'll just do my best, I just want the best 2ndary grow I can get for what I can spend.. I wish I had some input on my 325 watt grow, but I don't, I'll see at the end of december, I got a log, I'd love advice/input. If I used a 600 watt I'd get a pound, or more, at least,  period.  I'm hoping for a pound with 16 buckets, ones a loss, a runt, but I aim for a pound anyway!! Cuz I'm crazy mad psycho. no way right?, an ounce a plant!!!?? Hempys get a qp under a 1k, easy, so I'm full of it. I know commercial growers want alot more than a gram a watt.. It's a benchmark, a guideline, people do that in soil, organically, under LEDs... I think that I'll just pick a way and see what happens.. Anyone using t5s and hempys??????


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## Growdude (Nov 7, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> My buckets are 9" in diameter. At 5 weeks I can still keep them side by side and expect to til the end, no gap between buckets, and I wouldn't veg for more than 2 weeks or until the roots are in the rez, so I could fit 25 under a 4'x4 light (t5) or 9 under a 400 watt.



Ive never seen a 4'x4' T5 , do you have a link to this light?

But 9" side by side doesnt leave much room at all, A sog would work there but the plant are going to be small.

From what ive seen a T5 flowered plants they do ok but the buds look loose and smaller in comparison and I have doubts about the potency vs HID.


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## DonJones (Nov 8, 2009)

Growdude,

I think he is talking about one of those multiple tube panels, probably about 10 or 12 bulbs side by side, but I could be wrong.  Incidentally using HO T5s rather than normal T5s nearly double the light output per tube.


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## Growdude (Nov 8, 2009)

DonJones said:
			
		

> Growdude,
> 
> I think he is talking about one of those multiple tube panels, probably about 10 or 12 bulbs side by side, but I could be wrong.  Incidentally using HO T5s rather than normal T5s nearly double the light output per tube.



He says 8 bulb 4 foot system.  I just put up a 8 bulb T5 in the shop it was the same width as a 4 bulb.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 8, 2009)

I think it's 4' wide, but yeah, an 8 bulb HO t5. Definately sog style but I will run the first batch with older plants, vegged long enough for adequate clones ( selecting new moms, getting a papa for breeding:holysheep: ). Only be like 14 plants tops.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 8, 2009)

I didn't mean to add the sheep, slip of the finger.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 8, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> thanks for the replys, I'll just do my best, I just want the best 2ndary grow I can get for what I can spend.. I wish I had some input on my 325 watt grow, but I don't, I'll see at the end of december, I got a log, I'd love advice/input. If I used a 600 watt I'd get a pound, or more, at least,  period.  I'm hoping for a pound with 16 buckets, ones a loss, a runt, but I aim for a pound anyway!! Cuz I'm crazy mad psycho. no way right?, an ounce a plant!!!?? Hempys get a qp under a 1k, easy, so I'm full of it. I know commercial growers want alot more than a gram a watt.. It's a benchmark, a guideline, people do that in soil, organically, under LEDs... I think that I'll just pick a way and see what happens.. Anyone using t5s and hempys??????



What kind of "input" do you want?  Do you have pics posted?  Where are they?  I recommended that you figure your lumens so you really know what you have...so how many lumens do those lights put out?  that should be your _*very first step*_.

You should also realize that more buckets do not translate to more bud.  Basically, your lighting is capable of producing x number of grams under the conditions you are growing, regardless of the number of buckets you have.

You are operating under some serious misconceptions.  Commercial growers do not generally get more than 1 gram per watt.  I do not believe that if "I used a 600 watt I'd get a pound, or more, at least,  period..."  That is simply not realistic at all for a new grower.  I have been growing for many many years (LOL--I have kids older than you) and do not get over 1 gram per watt and I have my grow pretty dialed in.  I did a 300W HPS scrog grow that I ended up with about 5-1/2 ozs and I was very happy with that.  If you look at some of my grows, you can see how big and healthy the girls get and I still do not break that 1 g/watt.  IMO, there is simply no way that you are going to be able to get 1 elbow with 325W of CFLs and LEDs.  Not trying to bust your chops here, but I think that you should have some realistic expectations.  A oz of mj is quite different when on the plant and when it is trimmed, dried, and cured.  Here is a pic of a bud that dried out at about  14 grams, just to give you an idea how large a bud has to be to be an oz.:  http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=84303&d=1224609475

I will close by telling you that IMO, your first priority should be learning to grow and getting your space dialed in and the yield will come.  To start off with only big yield in mind is going about this backwards.  If you want an elbow, you are going to have to get more, better lighting.


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## eastla_kushsmoka (Nov 8, 2009)

do you know how to lst? i would suggest you keep them plants short & wide if you plan on using flo's


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## Growdude (Nov 8, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> I think it's 4' wide, but yeah, an 8 bulb HO t5. Definately sog style but I will run the first batch with older plants, vegged long enough for adequate clones ( selecting new moms, getting a papa for breeding:holysheep: ). Only be like 14 plants tops.



Well without a link to your light I bet its not.

and with the height restriction I dont think the footprint is going to cover that many plants.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 8, 2009)

Yeah I'm not a new grower. I'm also not that young. I have no idea really of the width of the t5, and do realize the whole- limited by watts not plant number. This is my first time growing under a setup lIke I have (I have a journal on here) but ive grown a bit in the past.. I guess I'll get my thongs setup and start a log, like the log I have, and see. I don't like people assuming I'm brand spanking new to this, I'm not, and I have a beard and a bunch of kids myself. I've never grown under t5s though, I'm just surprised to actually get so many responses, it's very cool. I'm used to growing large scale under 1k mixed spectrum bulbs- did ok, but all organic in soil. All quality, as good as I've ever smoked, and don't assume I'm new there either, I live where there is more high quality bud per capital than anywhere, sorry California, ak is tops. I really appreciate the responses though, but I'm not young, man I wish I was, the beard wasn't always so grey. I just wanna grow another grow, up my total yeilds and still be able to do some breeding. I'll see what I can get in my crawlspace, still thinking the t5 is what I'll go with, I'm very limited on what I can run down there, just not enough circuits until I reroute some.


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## Growdude (Nov 8, 2009)

Raisin Jackson said:
			
		

> Yeah I'm not a new grower. I'm also not that young.  I don't like people assuming I'm brand spanking new to this, I'm not, and I have a beard and a bunch of kids myself. and don't assume I'm new there either, but I'm not young, man I wish I was, the beard wasn't always so grey.



I don't see were anyone was calling you young. just answering your questions.


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## pcduck (Nov 8, 2009)

> I don't see were anyone was calling you young. just answering your questions.



Growdude are you say THG is old?



			
				The HempGoddess said:
			
		

> I have been growing for many many years (LOL--I have kids older than you)



I am thinking that like... her kids are like 20 or so... so she is like 39 or so....right?



J/K I am just having fun..please do not take this in the wrong way THG or Growdude:aok:


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## Growdude (Nov 8, 2009)

pcduck said:
			
		

> Growdude are you say THG is old?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I see.. unfortunately Im a bit older


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## JBonez (Nov 8, 2009)

Raisin, im a little confused.

Seems as if youve been growing for a while, but then again it seems you dont exactly have the fundamentals down in regards to acquiring the weight/density you are looking for.

Totally not slammin ya man, just saying. If you want weight, then you would know that HID's are your only option unless you know what the hell you are doing with flouro's.

Also, weight is also largely dependent on genetics, and if you dont have a momma that pumps out weight then you are off on the wrong foot.

im here to help, but your posts are so confusing.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 9, 2009)

Im definately not a complete beginner, but never grown with t5s, and after hearing (obviously not here) that t5s work great I thought hmm maybe I could better utilize my crawlspace, u know. I'm sometimes, well almost always goofed up on something, including madness, so i don't always make sense. I'm pretty straight right now, I guess. I am "lucid" I love that word. I have a grow log on here with my ~325 watt box, 16 plants in hempy buckets, first hempy grow, I've made a few mistakes, but from what it looks like, I can hope for maybe not suspect to get more than 325 grams. But I may be really dissapointed with the led/cfl. Same space with a 600 watt hps has givin me a half pound, organic, not going for yeild, but just quality, I grew cheese and white Russian. I've grown under 1k bulbs and was just getting it dialed in, when things kinda went bad.. I grew the Jack in there and it was a decent yeilder, actually pretty good, about 3/4oz per plant vegged 10 days, then 55 days flower. 50 plants x 3/4oz= about 2 pounds under 2k. That's what about .5 g/p/watt I think but that was dirt. Hydro is supposed to kill dirt for yeilds. 

What would you guys recommend for 1 outlet of power,  4.5' ceiling. I don't know what 1 outlet can supply, but I'm sure 400 watts plus a fan should be good. I can add juice later, but my hands are full enough at the moment.


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## DonJones (Nov 9, 2009)

Right now I'm running 1600 watts (4 each 400 MHs) of old commercial magnetic ballasted MHs, and a 16" oscillating room fan all through one Harbor Freight digital timer on one 15 AMP circuit.  Thant seems like a lot for a 15 amp circuit but the wiring doesn't seem to be getting hot and the circuit breaker doesn't trip so it must be working okay.

Theoretically, 400 watts of 120 volt AC requires 3.33.... and the fan doesn't draw much more than 2 AMPS either so it's really not that much over loaded at 15.32 amps.

If on the other hand you use the 110V designation for a household plug in the amperage rises to 3.64 amps per light and 2 amps for the fan equals 16.5 amps total, which is theoretically overloaded.

*One of the most important things is to use heavy extension cords of at least 14 gauge and preferable 12 gauge so that the cords don't over heat!  Remember you have to account for every thing that draws through that circuit, not just what you plug into that outlet, unless it is dedicated circuit that feeds only that one outlet.  You should also install or have it installed if you're not sure that you can install it, a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) outlet any time you are using the power in a potentially wet or damp environment!  They can be a pain in the ***  but they will also saveyour life and maybe even prevent a fire. *


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## JBonez (Nov 9, 2009)

don, you may be on a 20amp circuit, and if you are on a 15amp circuit, well my friend, wise up, not worth the risk.

You really shouldnt run more than a 12 amp draw on a 15amp circuit. Its not the extension cord you should worry about getting hot, its the wiring in your house. Just went over this with a contractor as i was thinking about wiring up another 15amp circuit to my grow room, he just laughed at me and couldnt imagine why i wanted so much power.


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## Growdude (Nov 9, 2009)

The rule of thumb is don't go over 80% of the circuit breakers rating.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 9, 2009)

pcduck said:
			
		

> Growdude are you say THG is old?
> 
> 
> 
> I am thinking that like... her kids are like 20 or so... so she is like 39 or so....right?



:rofl::rofl:  Yeah, I wish.  My "kids" are 38 and 35.

Raisin--325 grams from 325W of CFLs and LEDs just ain't going to happen...


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## MeNtAlPaTiEnT (Nov 9, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> :rofl::rofl:  Yeah, I wish.  My "kids" are 38 and 35.
> 
> Raisin--325 grams from 325W of CFLs and LEDs just ain't going to happen...


325 grams is a highball estimate indeed! Unless the LEDS push the plant(s) past anyones expectations and wows the community with a never-seen before rate of growth that expands those buds into long green, resin-oozing grinch dicks. You would probably have a higher rate of success with one big old mature plant.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 10, 2009)

Yeah I do plan on surprising some people, but not really me, cuz there are successful led grows out there, believe it or not, they aren't all posted on the Internet.. A 125 watt Procyon can get 125+ grams? I think so. I'm actually thinking of using ufos down there. Can a 90 watt UFO get 90 grams? Yes. And I can run 5 of em.


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## Raisin Jackson (Nov 10, 2009)

I think I'm going to start with the UFO, get one, see how it goes, buy another as I can afford it, I really think 5x 90 watt LEDs is gonna whip the piddle out of one 400 watt hps or a 450 watt t5. And at about 200 bucks I can build as I go, I'm broke as a joke at the moment, still paying back that 600$ Procyon. But my closet doesn't get hot, it runs about a steady 78 with the lights on.


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## DonJones (Nov 10, 2009)

For your own safety, read, understand and follow the requirements in the National Electrical code.  You have to base your safe load on the weakest part of the circuit. Normally if the circuit was wired to code originally and not altered, you do not have to worry about the house wiring because the code already builds in a large safety margin.  HOWEVER IF SOMEONE HAS UPGRADED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER TO A LARGE RATING THAN THE WIRE IS RATED TO HANDLE, THEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.  *Even worse is if you are unfortunate enough to have aluminum wiring!  If that is the case, don't run any where near the rated load for the circuit!*  You should be safe at 80% or less of the rating to allow for surges when things are first turned on or for electric motors to start up.

On the other hand, the most common cause of electrical overload fires start out side of the house wiring in what is plugged into the outlet.  That means the misuse of multiple outlet adapters and most commonly using the smaller 18 or 20 gauge extension cords.  When ever you start needing to use more than 4 cords per outlet, you really need to get a new circuit ran if at all possible.

Yes, a good practice is to only used about 80% of the rated load for the circuit to allow for concealed high resistance splices in the wall or less than efficient connections between the different outlets on the circuit.  Make sure that your timers, switches, power strips and the extension cords are rated at least the same as your total load and preferably higher.  What is in the wall already isn't something you are going to have control over but you can control what you plug in to the circuit.  Personally regardless of how light of a load I'm putting in the end of an extension cord, I use at least 14 gauge for short runs or light loads and then I jump to 12 for longer runs and if I have either a heavy load or a run of over 60', I go to 10 gauge wire  -- for the electrically challenged the current carrying capacity of a wire increases as the gauge number decreases or in other words a 14 gauge wire is physically smaller in diameter than a 12 gauge wire and the lower the number the more current the wire can safely handle. 

Also, if I'm running a new circuit I always use at least 12 gauge wire and a 20 amp breaker, and on runs of over 60' I usually jump to 10 gauge with a 20 amp circuit.  The cost of running a 20 amp circuit versus a 15 amp circuit is negligible in comparison with having too small a circuit and having to run a second one later or causing a fire.

Be safe!  Good smoking.


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## joseaf (Dec 19, 2009)

there is a video on YouTube in which the grower is using T5s only for everything. check out the video using keywords "T5 grow room."  I have a 6 lamp unit the I will try on my next grow. currently  using 400w HPS.


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