Mother room setup questions

[Vanilla Phoenix]

Doing some research on best way to setup a space for some mother plants for my small perpetual. I'm planning on having 4 Bonzai moms. The space I plan on using is 4'x2'x8'.

What do some of you guys think will be the best light with the less heat output? Was thinking of going the t5 route but also considering a led if it has less heat. I don't know anything about led's so yeah...there's that! Lol Wanna go with whatever has the least amount of heat produced.

I imagine I'm gonna need a small extraction fan to pull some air thru, so need some recommendations on that as well.

 

[Mystic Funk]

I just run cheap 4' T8's.
you just can't grow very tall plants with them. like 3' or less.
I keep mothers for years like this. you just have to rotate the mother out with a new clone after they get too tall.

a small 4'' inline fan will work to pull out heat.

 

[MJPassion]

I use T5s & 6500K bulbs but LEDs probably do produce less heat.
Using T5s you'll need 4 (200Watts) or 6 (300Watts) bulbs. An 8 bulb system will not fit in that space unless it's tilted quite a bit.

I cant say much about LEDs.

 

[dansbuds]

i run a 6 bulb T5 rack in mine ( 2' x 4' x 6' tent ) & a 6" extraction fan & filter . its overkill but it what i had on hand & works great , keeps my tent at ambient temps of the room its in .

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

I just run cheap 4' T8's.
you just can't grow very tall plants with them. like 3' or less.
I keep mothers for years like this. you just have to rotate the mother out with a new clone after they get too tall.

a small 4'' inline fan will work to pull out heat.

T8s are kind of a waste of space, the standard t8 bulb is 32 watts, a standard t5 is 54 watts, so a 4 bulb t8 is only 128w vs the same size t5 that is 216w.

 

[chronosync]

I hang a 250w CFL in a 2'x4'x5' tent. One small fan. passive. It's not hot whatsoever. T5s are probably better. I find the one big bulb kind of akward. I'm thinking about hanging it vert or standing it up. Can you do that with those?

 

[Mystic Funk]

T8s are kind of a waste of space, the standard t8 bulb is 32 watts, a standard t5 is 54 watts, so a 4 bulb t8 is only 128w vs the same size t5 that is 216w.

I was just suggesting something cheap to get him going.
you can fit three four foot two bulb configuration t8's in that same space.....
that's six bulbs total...
that's 192 watts! that almost matches your HO t5's at 1/4 the price. and he can get them anywhere. like you local home improvement store.
so that being said he can get going at a lower start up price and turn a higher profit.


plus t5's burn through bulbs like I burn through joints...


i'm not trying to sound like an ass... but that's just my two cents about it.

 

[justanotherbozo]

T8s are kind of a waste of space, the standard t8 bulb is 32 watts, a standard t5 is 54 watts, so a 4 bulb t8 is only 128w vs the same size t5 that is 216w.

yeah, this is not the case, ANY kind of flouro will do the job, even T12's will work, they just aren't very powerful is all.

...if you're on a tight budget then T8's will get the job done.

my T12 veg setup (i vegged with this setup for more than 2 years and it worked pretty good ok)

and the 8bulb T5 upgrade

...and just in case you missed it, a gift from my son.

...anyway, T5's are definitely a better option than T8's but if you're broke you can pick up a 2bulb T8 shoplight fixture all day long for like 20 bucks and you're in business, then, once you start reaping harvests you can use the cash no longer spent on bud to buy proper equipment.

...and Vanilla Phoenix, while i've never owned an LED fixture i believe that this would produce the least heat and cost the most cash, LED's are EXPENSIVE! ...if i were in your shoes i'd probably be looking at a 4ft 4 or 6bulb T5HO, 6bulb if it will fit in your tent, 4bulb if not.

...you could also just take cuttings from your flowering plants after the stretch, say 2 weeks in you just take cuttings from the low down shit that won't amount to anything anyway, then you root those cuttings, veg them until you harvest afterwhich you flip those now rooted and vegged cuttings and begin the process again, ...this would dispense with the need for mothers, ...i have to say that i personally keep mothers, lol, but i thought i'd mention that there is another option.

peace, bozo

 

[corky1968]

I have a T-5, 4 X 46 inch bulb fixture that was used for lighting my 90 gallon aquarium.
I'm going to replace my old bulbs with these nice 10000K bulbs pictured below. The pic
below shows a 24 inch bulb of 24 watt power. Mine will be 46 inch version at 54 watts
in power. 4 such bulbs in my fixture = 216 watts.

Anyone else try 10000K T-5 bulbs? They are much brighter than the 6500K.

I also will use some double T-8 fixtures that I have laying around for extra light.

 

[justanotherbozo]

I have a T-5, 4 X 46 inch bulb fixture that was used for lighting my 90 gallon aquarium.
I'm going to replace my old bulbs with these nice 10000K bulbs pictured below. The pic
below shows a 24 inch bulb of 24 watt power. Mine will be 46 inch version at 54 watts
in power. 4 such bulbs in my fixture = 216 watts.

View Image

Anyone else try 10000K T-5 bulbs? They are much brighter than the 6500K.

I also will use some double -8 fixtures that I have laying around for extra light.

i have no personal experience with the 10k Kelvin bulbs but i'm thinking they will be too blue and maybe should be just one of the 10K bulbs, 2 of the 6500K's and maybe a 2700K for a more balanced spectra, ...keep in mind that ganja evolved to grow under the sun and therefore it kinda requires more than just one color light. ...keep in mind also that plants don't 'see' light in the same way we do so just because it looks brighter to you that doesn't mean it will be better for your plants.

...anyway, good luck, i'll be interested to see how you do.

peace, bozo

 

[corky1968]

Mixing two 10,000k with two 6,500 K bulbs may be a better idea.

So this is what I'll try.

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

Great info in here. Really appreciate it guys. Well I just got back from my spot and measured the exact dimensions and the space is exactly 45.5"x22". So gonna look around and hopefully find a T5 fixture that'll fit. And grab a cheap 4" inline fan too.

The space is my old, unused flower area before I upgraded years ago. I kinda want to use it as my veg, turn my smaller veg area I'm using now into the mother room, and double my tent size from a 4x4 to a 4x8. But having to run an extra 1000w lamp for larger tent, and doubling my plant count makes me too paranoid! Lol.

 

[Tynehead Tom]

I was just suggesting something cheap to get him going.
you can fit three four foot two bulb configuration t8's in that same space.....
that's six bulbs total...
that's 192 watts! that almost matches your HO t5's at 1/4 the price. and he can get them anywhere. like you local home improvement store.
so that being said he can get going at a lower start up price and turn a higher profit.


plus t5's burn through bulbs like I burn through joints...


i'm not trying to sound like an ass... but that's just my two cents about it.

I'm with you man. I stopped using T5's because of the bulb usage.
I go to the used building supply outlets and pic up the standard 4 foot , 4 bulb ceiling fixtures and rip out the guts and install a Workhorse wh5-12-L ballast and T8 clips. 1 ballast runs 4 Maxlight 1" diameter T8 ,32 watt 4100K bulbs.
anyone curious about what that combo can accomplish can feel free to check out my back in the saddle journal or follow along in my 0 degree grow diary. I'll be showcasing the equipment that was used to veg all the plants I've posted since joining the site
They have their limitations, but for bonsai moms and vegging perpetual harvest clones, extremely hard to beat considering the economics.