seeds Fluorescent bulbs just for seedlings

S

ShowMeDaSauce

In the past i used Sylvania Gro-Lux wide spectrum. Lowes or HD used to carry them. Just need something for a month or so jumpstart. Is there anything better for about the same price? I already have a brand new fixture im not using.
 
I realize there are better options for full blown indoor grows but my space for starting indoors is very limited and i dont need to start a ton of plants inside really early.
 
 
I don't care about brands...I use T5 6500's in my 2' and 4'er
 
My buddy has an older T8 fixture...easier bulb to find at home depot etc, but no idea what bulbs are in it.
 
 
 
I have used t-8 and t12 shop lights with plant and aquarium bulbs and my plants grew bushy and healthy for almost 2 months  from seedling till plant out...no problems at all.
 
The home Depot says it has more lumens, how many lumens does a t5 bulb put out? I just bought a t5 4 bulb and a t8 4 bulb. I thought about trying the led bulbs for t8 but I read somewhere that plants only absorb 40 % of the light from white LEDs.
 
I also saw that there are t5 bulbs that are actually red/blue colored bulbs. But I imagine you would have to order something like that
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
So just go for the highest lumens and kelvin that will fit my fixture?...I think it is a T8.
 
These 2 looks like about the highest i can find locally
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-4-ft-T8-32-Watt-Daylight-6500K-ALTO-Linear-Fluorescent-Light-Bulb-10-Pack-451807/205477895
 
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-2-Pack-32-Watt-6500K-Daylight-Linear-Fluorescent-Tube-Light-Bulbs-Common-48-in-Actual-48-in/50328569
Click to expand...
 
 
I like the home depot price, $30 for a 10 pack vs lowes $10 for a 2 pack.
 
Lowes say T8 on the package
043168668354_07851861.jpg
 
Color spectrum is just as if not more important then lumens. I would have never believed it but I was given a Hortilux blue bulb for my MH it is a expensive full spectrum bulb I would have never bought and it produces 7000 less lumens then my old bulbs, 29k vs 36k..But in real world growth the hortilux does way better job on my veg.
 
Found the Gro-Lux Octron bulbs at Menards. They have the 6500K Day lighters too. Total will be about $20 for 4 (2 of each). I cant find the really good T8s locally. All of the higher end places only stock the T5s.
 
Mr.CtChilihead said:
Color spectrum is just as if not more important then lumens. I would have never believed it but I was given a Hortilux blue bulb for my MH it is a expensive full spectrum bulb I would have never bought and it produces 7000 less lumens then my old bulbs, 29k vs 36k..But in real world growth the hortilux does way better job on my veg.
Click to expand...
 
+1
 
 
PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) is the most important factor. A lamp could have very high lumens, but in the wrong wavelengths, whereas a lower lumen lamp with the correct spectrum would be much better for growth.
 
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Par_action_spectrum.gif/450px-Par_action_spectrum.gif
 
OK, here is what ive found. You can use a T12 in some T8 fixtures.
 
T12 4ft fixtures use 40watt per bulb and it will burn out a T8 bulb rather quickly
T8 4ft fixtures use 32watt per bulb and most will run a T12 bulb if they were made with enough room. They just wont be as bright.
 
Turns out my fixture was a T12 with a 40watt and just to be safe i did buy T12 Gro-Lux since they had 2 left in stock. Sylvania has stopped making them in T12 (i think). They still make a T8 Gro-Lux Octron tube though. Menards has them.
 
Im either gunna grab a 2 bulb T8 or 2 single bulb T8 fixtures to go with mine. I would prefer the 2 singles and mount each on the outside of the grow bulb fixture. That way i can adjust the 2 outer bulbs a little lower to provide some light from the sides too.
 
I went to Lowes and grabbed a 12 pack of those t8 bulbs, you could get two bulbs for 10 bucks or 12 for 30 bucks. So now I got 60-70 bucks into that light,
 
It is all about the level of intensity at the chlorophyll photosynthesis wavelengths. Basically, 410-460nm and 630-670nm, chlorophyll-a shows maximum absorption at 430 nm (blue light) and 662 nm (red light).  Similarly chlorophyll-b has absorption spectrum at 453 nm and 642 nm and carotinoids have an absorption band between 430 nm – 490 nm.
 
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