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New York

This year I was thinking about trying to keep my plants inside for 1 or 2 more weeks to give my soil more time to dry out and for it to get warmer. What types of grow lights would you guys recommend? I was looking at metal halide but it seems very expensive to run all day. Thanks

2/24/2019 12:14:49 PM

New York

I have 1 2ft t5 but I don’t think that will produce enough light for multiple bigger plants

2/24/2019 12:15:36 PM

Sharon, MA

I use T5 Bad boy.
Send an email to pumpconn@msn.com.
We compared lumens from 4 companies, plus we compared T5, to T8 and T12's. Will email you the newsletter.

2/24/2019 12:54:38 PM

Simi valley, ca

metal halide is the way to go,, buying them is expensive,,but running them (1-2) 600 watt each for 14 hours a day for 2 weeks would not add up to all that much ! approximately 3$ a day for 2 bulbs x 14 days = 28$ you should find them used & if you need bulbs dont buy 100$ bulbs,, get new ones for 40-45$ i think a 2 -3 week old plants would only need 1 bulb though !! otherwise just lower your t 5 a little at a time until bulbs are just a few inchs above plants the t 5 should have 2-4 bulbs !

2/24/2019 12:56:50 PM

Lymington

A lot of our growing industry is turning to LED lights and it’s probably where we would go Stewie

2/24/2019 1:32:50 PM

Grittyville, WA

I have no problem with the LED's for starting pumpkins... the plants look normal to me and my power bill is high enough already. Unless you need the extra heat... then consider halide. I've not compared prices recently... If you can get a second hand setup for a good price you could go that route.

2/24/2019 2:52:53 PM

New York

I found this light and it’s only 23$ should I get the 1000 watt or 600 watt and what fixture should I use. https://www.walmart.com/ip/iPower-1000-Watt-Metal-Halide-MH-Grow-Light-Lamp-Bulb-with-Full-Spectrum-6000K/706965999?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=5243&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-51320962143&wl5=9004746&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=114225094&wl11=online&wl12=706965999&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAiAnsnjBRB6EiwATkM1XtJSjY_TFjSoaWDGNWOqWQbMO4ntNV-K6939rT4djRlPVnnThaF3oxoCRNYQAvD_BwE

2/24/2019 6:43:28 PM

New York

Thanks for the help

2/24/2019 6:43:48 PM

New York

Also if I went with led what types would work for bigger plants?

2/24/2019 6:51:20 PM

Syracuse, NY

all you REALLY need is areal coverage of the space you grow your seedlings in and the capability of raising or lowering your fluorescent lights to even less than half an inch above your leaf surfaces. you shouldn't even have your plants indoors in peat pots, ideally, for more than 10 days or until the first true leaf dictates the direction (usually opposite) that the plant will most-likely grow in. i always have to look at it from a perspective of what i spend ON AGs compared to what i can end up SELLING them for, to continue on with my love for GROWING them; at least i don't have to worry about burning them if they grow in WITH the 40-watt fluorescent bulbs, lol---2 - 4' fixtures with 2 - 40-watt (one full-spectrum and one aquarium/plant) bulbs in each, suspended by ropes through screweyes and kept at-height with knots at every few inches looped over screws in the basement rafters for ultimate accuracy. i should replace my bulbs this year, though---my tiny Martha Stewart oscillating fan is still going strong, too, lol---eg
PS---i'll probably always be argumentative about the duration of the lighting (12 hours, 14 hours or, in my case, 24 for the ultimate in non-leggy plants---also, why spend hundreds on lights that you will only have on for 2 weeks and for only half the day? once a year. perhaps consider also sprouting your REAL plants first, inside the MAXIMUM 14 days before you intend to plant out; if any of them do not sprout in 3-5 days, plant another, second-choice REAL seed, and so on, by then planting your OWN seeds as backups from last year or whenever; last year, i only had 3 other grower's seeds that sprouted and the rest my own---although i was VERY pleased with a few of my own, i should have started with more of other growers' seeds to begin with---ahh, such was life----eg

2/24/2019 8:12:09 PM

New York

Okay thank you for the help. A lot to think about

2/24/2019 8:22:36 PM

Grittyville, WA

Rig it up. Then run some test seeds and make adjustments if needed (height fans timers thermostats... etc)

2/24/2019 10:57:20 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

LED is the way to go. I suggest 2 x300 watts to spread out the coverage some. All the light you need at the right wavelengths with no loss to heat or unusable parts of the light spectrum.

2/25/2019 8:03:17 AM

Central Illinois

The bulb you listed for $23 will need a ballast a ceramic socket, power cord, high temp wire and a holding case to run it. They can be bought in pieces and wired yourself or as a kit. The unit puts out quite a bit of heat so you may need exhaust fans.
Some times you can find used outdoor halides for cheap

2/25/2019 9:29:24 AM

Connecticut

Hi Adam044:

For the situation you describe, I think CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) would be the "best" option, followed by T5 Fluorescents. Regular metal halide lights are outdated and LED's are hard to justify for only the seedling stage.

I have been doing a lot of research into lighting so if you want to learn about all the options check out my videos with slides provided in the description. Have no fear all videos are 1:35 to a max of 3:50).

Artificial Light Options Overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgcKx6ppJ9U

Grow Light Life Span
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqHwH7f5FU

Fluorescent Lights (check out the T5 light comparison test link at the end)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnz6oUEs0Y8

Metal Halide (MH) Grow Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf1NLXIoC2E

High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Grow Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5k_0SVQBjQ

Ceramic Metal Halide CMH Grow Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KksYfRookTE

Light Emitting Plasma (LEP) Grow Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd2UeNMTSdk

LED (Light Emmiting Diode) Grow Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhagJHD2xuE

-Matt D.

2/25/2019 10:29:26 PM

Grittyville, WA

I have 450 watts of Led covering about six square feet. I think thats the real wattage not the equivalent wattage. It does get confusing. There may not be much difference in heat with the T-5 s. T-5 s might be better for germinating and you can get very healthy plants with t-5s. Slight drawback with leds is the light is polarized and you dont want to stare directly at them. Advantage might be they focus the direction of the light better. So the light can be farther away. Which is why although t-5 s are nice to work with... they perform best when placed close. My led setups are ok 2ft away... which would take a lot of t-5 bulbs. I hope this info is true this is my understanding but ...I am really not an expert.

2/25/2019 11:06:22 PM