Clones, Seedlings, and T5

[doniboy]

Okay, I'm about to start my first grow, but have a lighting question. I stay in an apartment, and I'm using 1 4x4 tent for veg/flowering. I want to use a T5 light fixture outside of my tent on my seedlings and clones. I want to keep the light as close to the plants as possible as well... How are you all going about this? What are you all hanging your t5 fixtures from, and how are you going about raising and/or lower the light to the plants?

 

[Bluehillsmoker]

Suspend it from the ceiling, use a dog chains and hooks from home depot or lowes. Find the ones that can screw into the ceiling and maybe a stud finder to help out

 

[doniboy]

Suspend it from the ceiling, use a dog chains and hooks from home depot or lowes. Find the ones that can screw into the ceiling and maybe a stud finder to help out

Thanks for the reply, but I wanted to avoid doing that... Couldn't I just get way with using CFL bulbs with a regular bendable desk lamp?

 

[Rancho Cucamonga]

Do you have a T5 reflector with 2-4 tubes or just a single bulb? If you have a reflector they are somewhat heavy. Build a hanging light frame like below.

If you are not going to build a small room for your seedlings/clones, just build a hanging frame. All you need is a single 8' 2x4, drywall screws, drill and saw.

Forgive this quick crude drawing, I couldn't find a picture of one.


Hope you can understand the drawing(top view) The two 2x4s on each side are flat on floor, the two 2x4 pieces coming up from the middle of those two flat 2x4 pieces connect to the one top long piece which would be a little longer than the length of your T5 light reflector. Just use drywall screws to assemble. The two circles are the holes your clothesline rope go through, they each come out to their own side and come down and you can screw drywalls screws(two on each side) to secure clothesline rope like this



This is a top pic of a full small room, but on each side of that frame drawing you just need to screw in two drywall screws like you see above, and just wrap the clothesline in a figure 8 to secure light when you reach desired height.

You can either tie other ends of clothesline directly to your reflector to save space or just tie to light hangers.

Here is that T5 reflector below that clothesline pic.

 

[Guccizillaa]

Its easiest to go to lowes or Home depot and get some cheap chain, you can adjust your height with chain very easily.

On a side note too, i grow in an apt as well, don't grow anywhere the bug lady or other employees can't detect it at all.
I have a bug lady come once a month and the only place she doesn't go is in the bedroom, so the bedroom closet is where it HAD to go. Read over your contract and see WHO is in your apt and WHEN. Unless you've lived there so long you know its never and noone lol.