How high should my t5 be from my plants?
Why do different grow lights need to be hung at different heights?
If your indoor garden is supposed to mimic a plant’s natural (outdoor) environment, then the grow light is the sun from which everything grows- only you have control over what type of light and how much of it your plant receives. That's partially why growers say more light=better yields. But does that mean you should get more lights and hang them as close to your plants as possible without touching them? Of course not. It means making sure they receive enough energy to grow quickly without overpowering them. But to assure that your plants are getting exactly what they need- no more, no less- you’ll want to check the type of light you’re giving your plants: L.E.D., H.I.D., or T5 Fluorescent lighting. Some lights offer more heat energy, and others offer better spectrums, and each needs to be hung in a different distance from your canopy: LED grow lights, for example, need to be hung farther away from your plants than HPS/MH grow lights to avoid bleaching the canopy of your grow room from strong spectrums. On the other hand,T5 Fluorescent lights need to be hung closer to plants than HID’s in order to have an effect on them because the energy coming from T5's isn’t strong enough to get plants growing when hung from a distance of more than 12".
T5 Grow Lights & Other Fluorescent Tubes
A few years ago, growers usually only used fluorescent tube lighting as a supplemental light for cannabis plants, or for young seedlings and clones only.
In recent years, we've seen the creation of new high-light-output versions of fluorescent grow lights which can actually be used through the entire vegetative stage.
Some growers even use fluroescent grow lights such as the T5 successfully to flower their plants (if the plants are kept short/small enough through growth control methods).
In general, I recommend changing to stronger grow lights like LEDs or HPS grow lights for the flowering stage because they will usually give you double or more yields/watt of electricity. Unless you keep your plants very small, they will need more light to produce buds than a fluorescent light can usually produce. If you're in a dire situation where your plants have grown too big and you can't afford to get a different type of light, you can supplement your fluorescent tubes with additional light, for example you could supplement their light with a few CFL(compact fluorescent light) bulbs wherever you notice any "shadowy" areas. This is only a minor fix – the real fix is to grow very short plants or upgrade to a bigger light for the flowering stage.
Setting Up the T5 Lighting System
Now that you have selected the right fixture and bulbs, it is time to set up your grow lights. The first thing you need to think about when setting up T5 grow lights is the height, or how high above plant canopies you are mounting your fixtures. Although T5 lights are famous for emitting very little heat, this doesn’t mean you can put the bulbs an inch above plant canopies, as this distance will still damage the plants.
The best height for a T5 grow light is about 6-8 in. above the plants, but you should increase that gap to 12 in. if your plants don’t like heat or they are in the seedling growth stage. If the T5 fixtures are at this height, the light from the bulbs will be intense enough and bright enough for plants, but the heat won’t be able to damage your plants. Some plants need less-intense light, so just monitor your plants and see what works for your indoor garden set-up.
If your indoor garden is supposed to mimic a plant’s natural (outdoor) environment, then the grow light is the sun from which everything grows- only you have control over what type of light and how much of it your plant receives. That's partially why growers say more light=better yields. But does that mean you should get more lights and hang them as close to your plants as possible without touching them? Of course not. It means making sure they receive enough energy to grow quickly without overpowering them. But to assure that your plants are getting exactly what they need- no more, no less- you’ll want to check the type of light you’re giving your plants: L.E.D., H.I.D., or T5 Fluorescent lighting. Some lights offer more heat energy, and others offer better spectrums, and each needs to be hung in a different distance from your canopy: LED grow lights, for example, need to be hung farther away from your plants than HPS/MH grow lights to avoid bleaching the canopy of your grow room from strong spectrums. On the other hand,T5 Fluorescent lights need to be hung closer to plants than HID’s in order to have an effect on them because the energy coming from T5's isn’t strong enough to get plants growing when hung from a distance of more than 12".
T5 Grow Lights & Other Fluorescent Tubes
A few years ago, growers usually only used fluorescent tube lighting as a supplemental light for cannabis plants, or for young seedlings and clones only.
In recent years, we've seen the creation of new high-light-output versions of fluorescent grow lights which can actually be used through the entire vegetative stage.
Some growers even use fluroescent grow lights such as the T5 successfully to flower their plants (if the plants are kept short/small enough through growth control methods).
In general, I recommend changing to stronger grow lights like LEDs or HPS grow lights for the flowering stage because they will usually give you double or more yields/watt of electricity. Unless you keep your plants very small, they will need more light to produce buds than a fluorescent light can usually produce. If you're in a dire situation where your plants have grown too big and you can't afford to get a different type of light, you can supplement your fluorescent tubes with additional light, for example you could supplement their light with a few CFL(compact fluorescent light) bulbs wherever you notice any "shadowy" areas. This is only a minor fix – the real fix is to grow very short plants or upgrade to a bigger light for the flowering stage.
Setting Up the T5 Lighting System
Now that you have selected the right fixture and bulbs, it is time to set up your grow lights. The first thing you need to think about when setting up T5 grow lights is the height, or how high above plant canopies you are mounting your fixtures. Although T5 lights are famous for emitting very little heat, this doesn’t mean you can put the bulbs an inch above plant canopies, as this distance will still damage the plants.
The best height for a T5 grow light is about 6-8 in. above the plants, but you should increase that gap to 12 in. if your plants don’t like heat or they are in the seedling growth stage. If the T5 fixtures are at this height, the light from the bulbs will be intense enough and bright enough for plants, but the heat won’t be able to damage your plants. Some plants need less-intense light, so just monitor your plants and see what works for your indoor garden set-up.
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