4x48" t5 fluoro OR 400w hps for 2-3 indicas

[megahammer]

I'm going to want to flower some mango & want to know if there is going to be a significant difference in time to maturity, yield & smoke quality between a 200watt 4 foot 4 bulb t5 light (20,000 lumens) & a 400watt hps (55,000 lumens). I see the lumens are significantly higher for the hps but since it is a very small flowering area with only 2 plants flowering at a time would the t5 work almost as well as the hps?

I have heat build up & power consumption issues I have to consider as well si if the t5 will do at least 80% of the yield of the hps I'd rather just go that way & keep things more simple.

Manufacturers claim the t5 equals a 400w hps, but you know how manufacturers can be, I've read most of the Victor Vicious thread on t5's & he's using 8x48" t5's to replace 600watt hps to cover about 20 plants each so this seems equivalent on a much smaller scale, but I wanted to see if anyone has real world experience.

Thanks

 

[Garden Knowm]

HEY MEGA..

it is always better to go with HPS (when talking about 400+ watt bulbs)...

BUT AS you stated, heat build up is a major concern! and you must be able to manage heat when using HID lighting...

USING 8- 43 watt CFLs, these 3 plants yielded 8 ounces... which would be pretty good even for a 400watt HID... these lights did consume equal or more ebnergy than a 400 watt hid..

iloveyou

 

[david6767]

personally I would also go with the 400w HPS - only because of potential heat problems would buy a coolshade light and hook it up to an inline fan - perfect growing conditions.

Also consider the need for fresh air into the grow room - can get 220/240v 8-10cm computer cooling fans off of ebay for about $1.50

 

[megahammer]

i guess i'm reluctant to go with hps for a few reasons, heat, & height limits being the 2 most definitive.

My real ?? is what actual difference will I see between 400w hps & 4x4' t5(yield, quality & flowering time)

 

[VictorVIcious]

gentlemen lets get real. Why do you all want to compare a 400 watt to a 220 watt t-5 and a 600watt to a 440 watt t-5. Lets be fair. Not one person has compared thier yeild from a 400 watt hid and you would need an mh and a hps to do so, with what I'm getting from the 440 watt t-5. Garden Knowm. why did the cfl's work so well? Because you were able to get them closer to the plants?
Tell you what, I'll buy some cfl's, enough to supplement the 440 watt t-5 so I'm using as close as possible to 600 watts you all want to make a comparison too. DO you think my yield will be less than it is now. And then we get into logistics and heat and the extra 18" of available plant height.
HID's are like dinosours. Guess I'll go ride my horse to the store. VV

 

[megahammer]

gentlemen lets get real. Why do you all want to compare a 400 watt to a 220 watt t-5 and a 600watt to a 440 watt t-5. Lets be fair.

I want to compare 400watt hps to a 220 watt t-5 because those fixtures are about the same price from htg (400w hps=$119 & 220w t-5 = $129) & thats what fits needs (small short space, 2-3 plants). I'm pretty much sold on the T-5 especially after reading the journal in your sig (most of it anyway) I think due to better light spectrums & being able to put the lamp closer to the plant I should be able to achieve results close to that of the hps without having to find a different space to grow in & overcoming other limitations inflicted on me by my space.

Fuck it, looking at the logistics of my situation its either keep using cfl's or move up to t-5's. The hps just needs too much bullshit. I'm ordering them now & I'll let you know in a few months how the crop came out.

 

[VictorVIcious]

There is nothing wrong with using the cfl's in that space either, it may even be better because of the flexibility in placement. Since I have never used them, I haven't done any research on what is available, several others have, and have posted what they use. I haven't seen anyone post better results then 8oz from three female plants using a 400 watt hid light. VV