T5s or hps-?? Couple personal querkz help!

[BeachBummed]

Hey guys so I'm starting my second run, just finished up a cross from a buddys spot in so cal, decided I'd try a go, but going from seed.

Popped all 10 ko kush from sannie. All healthy, just formed true leaves.

Anyways, my grow tent is 2x4x5h and height was an issue last time. They stretched to almost 40" when I flipped them at 10. I was using t5s, and I am now going for a mor powerful light, and using the 2ft 6 bulb and the p-tek lamp as side lighting.

So with my spac I can perfectly fit 8 2 1/2 gallon pots in there snug, so I have 20 total sprouts going just to hopefully get 8 healthy females.

Anyhoo, since this is seed and I want them to show preflowers before I flip them, I don't want them to be so big in the tent and not have room forlike an hps ya know? So I was thinking like a 4' 8 bulb t5 to just go over the whole canopy, and use the others as like a bad and front side lighting???

Can I please get some thoughts, suggestions??

It's in a walk in closet, temp was 77.7 steadily with the t5s. Has good air circulation, and a 4" inline fan to a carbon scrubber.

Thanks farmers

 

[easytimer]

HPS is what I use in my tent. i use a 1000w in a 4x4x6.5 tent. I use a cool tube with a 465CFM fan dedicated just to it with another 235CFM fan to vent the tent itself. in your tent I probably wouldn't go any bigger then a 400w HPS, and definitely do it with a cool tube if you go that route. You can almost touch the 400 to the plants if you get a good cooling system going. That way stretch should not be to much of an issue. You should also look into the SCROG method or LST. It works great in tents. I use SCROG and love it.

 

[BeachBummed]

Will a cool tube on a 400 watt sufficiently light the whole 4' width? It's 2 x 4

 

[CanadianClassic]

If i was you i would veg with the T-5's close to the babies to keep the nodes short and not letting em get to big and then flip them sooner and throw up a 600 watt HPS for the flowering cycle will save on hydro too not vegging with the HPS if u wanna know the sex sooner cut clones off each plant and put em under 12/12 in another area too pre determine the sexes b4 you flower then you can kill the males and free up more space

 

[BeachBummed]

A 600 would be wayyy too much heat for that small tent. Even with a cool tube it's just getting ventEd out if the tent and into the walk in closet, a 400 is the max wattage I can use... I live in a 1 be apt haha.

Anyways, could a cool tube reflex the whole 4' w?? I know it says 9 sq' is ideal for 400 watt. Even though this is 8 , it's long haha.

Thanks guys I appreciate the help!

 

[Kennie_B]

Your stretch will be significantly reduced if you use a properly cooled HPS instead of a fluorescent after the first couple of weeks of veg!

 

[BeachBummed]

Word Ive decided I'm going for the 400 watt digital, with a cool tube. I can easily vent it out another tent vent.

I'll start a little diary, haha my first dirty south run, I should us bojangles buckets for pots hahaha

nah though, about the width, like so a 400 watt with a cool tube would be close to the canopy ya know? I'm concerned the whole 4' width won't get properly lit...

If any of you have had experience I'd appreciate knowing haha

 

[ganjherbsmoke]

def more stretch with an hps
even a MH gives my plants more stretch imo
love all those lumens but
you gotta keep the light too far from lil ones and they just reach for the sky ive found
if you want really tight node spacing and less stretch ur gonna wanna go t5
i love my 8 bulber :)

 

[BeachBummed]

I used a t5 last time w no side lighting... Those things stretched a bunch.

But dude, hands down, dopest dope I've ever smoked. This stuff has been curing for a month, and it seriously... Is the stickiest nugs ever. Soooooooooooo dank. Like cut the blunt stuff haha.

I don't know what I did, if it was the strain or what, but you know living in sd and Denver ... I've seen some good stuff. But haha serious. I need to show y'all a picture or two. Stay tuned.

 

[true grit]

yeah i ran some 1000w mh in my veg tent for some time and just switched to 4' t5's and 24hr lighting...love it so far. Temps are way less but a 4x8 with a 2ft and 6ft is still hitting 79-80. Veg plants stack super nice under the t-5s though. Top em a couple times and let em sex or other wise they will need to be hella tied down to not stretch it up...

 

[dojoohno]

is the difference in heat between the 400 vs 600w hps really that much? isnt 600 worth having the extra spectrum?

 

[meangreen69]

had a 2x4 tent with 3 prunded and LST plants in 3gal

pots. veged with t5's, flowered with 600watt hps...i did

have heat probs. but if you have the means to cool the

roomthe tent is in then go for it..i got 3oz off one plant

2 1/2 & 1 1/2 oz's off the other two.

 

[jaredman]

I vegged 24 plants under a 4 bulb t5 with no problems. They actually grew very short and bushy. THey had 6-7 leaf sets and were only like 9 inches tall. They also showed sex a week after I topped them at this stage. T5 rock for veg in my opinion as long as you can keep it within a few inches of the tops of the plants

 

[jaredman]

I also got 17 females out of 24 So I really like the T5s