Veg/Clone lighting advice requested

[malachii]

Hi all,

Need advice for the lighting of my new home depot veg/clone/mom cabinet. Top half used for moms, bottom for clones, then later veg when they grow up.

I will use T5s because they are low profile. 24 inches ones since my cabinet is not wide. Actual grow are will be 24x18, so 3 sqft.

How many 2500 lumen bulbs do I need for slow-growing bonsais (2?)

How many 2500 lumen bulbs do I need for cloning (1?)

How many 2500 lumen bulbs do I need for veg (probably 4).

The bonsai area is easy. I buy 2 or 3 (whatever you say) T5s and install them. The bottom area is harder. I need the flexibility to flip a switch or plug stuff in, and go from low power for clone to high power for veg.

Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[general_sketch]

For the veggers, 40-50w/sq ft is a good target to aim for. Same applies to flowering too.

Clones need minimal lighting, bleed-off from a lamp for mothers or veggers is enough.

Bonsai moms need lighting similar to what you'd give your vegging plants before flowering. You can get away with toning it down slightly but shouldn't go too far. Healthy moms give healthy cuts.

 

[malachii]

For the veggers, 40-50w/sq ft is a good target to aim for. Same applies to flowering too.

Clones need minimal lighting, bleed-off from a lamp for mothers or veggers is enough.

Bonsai moms need lighting similar to what you'd give your vegging plants before flowering. You can get away with toning it down slightly but shouldn't go too far. Healthy moms give healthy cuts.

Running 4 tubes will get me the 40-50. So I can do that for the mothers. Not a problem. The clones/veg gives me a headache though. They are below the mothers, or above, so light leakage isn't practical. I guess I could cut holes between the two levels to ensure some leakage. Otherwise, I think I need 4 separate solo fixtures so I can have just 1 on for the clones, or all 4 for veg later. Thoughts on that aspect? Thanks!

 

[Cartoon Head]

Also,think about heat generated from lights in the lower part heating up the floor of the upper part.I know t5s run cool but they do build up heat slowly.Have you got enough space to have a small compartment between levels where air can be vented and light pollution controlled?

 

[treehugger]

For the veggers, 40-50w/sq ft is a good target to aim for. Same applies to flowering too.

Clones need minimal lighting, bleed-off from a lamp for mothers or veggers is enough.

Bonsai moms need lighting similar to what you'd give your vegging plants before flowering. You can get away with toning it down slightly but shouldn't go too far. Healthy moms give healthy cuts.

correct me if i am wrong, but don't those wattage recommendations refer to HID lighting, taking into account efficiency and performance distinct to that class of lighting?

 

[malachii]

Also,think about heat generated from lights in the lower part heating up the floor of the upper part.I know t5s run cool but they do build up heat slowly.Have you got enough space to have a small compartment between levels where air can be vented and light pollution controlled?

That's a really good point. There is something I can do about it. I have an extra shelf I can insert to give me a 4 inch buffer between the 2 zones. Thanks!

 

[jimbobthe3rd]

malac...i know some people that run a similar setup, and they leave the T5's close to the upper level, because of the generated heat, they don't need heat-mats for their cloning setups..just a thought.

 

[malachii]

malac...i know some people that run a similar setup, and they leave the T5's close to the upper level, because of the generated heat, they don't need heat-mats for their cloning setups..just a thought.

When you say close to the upper level, you just mean that they hook the T5's very near the top of their space, in both spaces?

My setup is something like this in ASCII art:


+----------+
+..........+
+----------+
+..........+
+..A.......+
+..........+
+----------+
+..........+
+..B.......+
+..........+
+----------+


So in the above cabinet, you're saying to put the lights at the top of A and the top of B, rather than hanging them closer to the clones? The top section is for storage for me (nutes, etc).

Thanks!

p.s. Temps at 77 with just the single bulb of the T5 on. Room temperature is 72.