# General Questions with T5 light set up and growing.



## Papaholic (May 19, 2010)

Greetings Members.
I hope this is the correct spot to post my questions.
I am looking to finally purchase a T5 fluorescent light set up ( 4 ft long with 8 tubes). I understand that these are a great alternative. So my questions are as follows:
1) Are there quality differences between brands and which would be considered the top choices?
2) What in the world is a ballast for lights and does that come separately?

3) For Paphs, how far apart should I grow the plants from the light source if I have 8 four foot T5 bulbs? And, Do I need to use all 8??

4) What brand and kind of lights do other members here use ( all sorts of spectrum options I see available sometimes references with kalvin temperatures)?

5) Finally, once plants start to spike under lights how close can they come to the light before they are affected or damaged from heat?
I have a lot of parvi's and multiflorals and was wondering how other members handled larger plants under artificial lights.

I want to thank my fellow forum members in advance for your patients in addressing all these questions I have here; I know it's a lot but I'm a neophyte concerning matters of artificial light.
If anyone has additional thoughts or information I did not ask or mention please feel free to add any extra comments. I'm sure there may be others looking to jump into lights so hopefully the answers here will be helpful to others as well.
Regards,
Papaholic


----------



## NYEric (May 19, 2010)

Sorry, I still have no artificial lighting!


----------



## luvsorchids (May 19, 2010)

I grow under T5 4 ft 4-bulb fixtures, so can provide a little input about what I do. Of course there are others who probably do things differently.

1. Are there quality differences between brands and which would be considered the top choices?

Supposedly, but in practical terms I personally am not sure how significant the difference would be. One of my fixtures I don't know the brand name. The other is a Sun Blaze, which is toward the low end of price point. I find that both work just fine.
2. What in the world is a ballast for lights and does that come separately?

The ballast is the fixture and can be purchased separately or with the bulbs. I purchased both of mine with the bulbs.

3. For Paphs, how far apart should I grow the plants from the light source if I have 8 four foot T5 bulbs? And, Do I need to use all 8??

In general I keep the lights within 12 inches or so from plant leaves. Higher light plants are closer. I have a Catt within 4-5 inches from the leaves. I find some problem with heat/scortching of leaves when they get too close. I also have some Phals that have not appreaciated the higher light. Most of the Paphs seem to do just fine. I don't have multiflorals, so can't speak to that. If you have all 8 bulbs, then I would use them. I can't speak to using 8 because I have 4-bulb fixtures.
4. What brand and kind of lights do other members here use ( all sorts of spectrum options I see available sometimes references with kalvin temperatures)?

The ones I am currently using are AgroMax. I use 2 each (alternated) of the grow spectrum and the bloom spectrum bulbs in each fixture. I'm not sure off the top of my head what the spectrum is. Someone else may be more knowledgeable about that part of it. 

5. Once plants start to spike under lights how close can they come to the light before they are affected or damaged from heat?
I have a lot of parvi's and multiflorals and was wondering how other members handled larger plants under artificial lights.

Speaking from experience, do not let spikes, leaves, etc. get too close to the bulbs. What I've noticed is that closer than 4-5 inches is too close. Large plants and spikes can be a real challenge and you do what you can to accomidate the spikes. Often I move plants toward the edges of the growing area to stake the spikes so that the grow out away from the lights. The drawback of this is you can get really weird flower presentation, but that tends to occur with lights in general.

Susan


----------



## SlipperFan (May 19, 2010)

I've had the ballasts in a couple of my fixtures replaced. It was cheaper than buying whole new fixtures, and made a big difference in how bright the lights were. As the ballasts were dying, the bulbs got dimmer. Replacing the bulbs with new ones did not help.

When the spikes get to be a few inches (2 or 3) is when I remove the plant and place it on a stand near a window. But I have T8 and T12, not T5. That could make a difference.


----------



## Lanmark (May 19, 2010)

The ballast is inside the fixture. If the ballast goes bad, replace it rather than replacing the entire fixture as Dot said above. It will indeed save you a load of money! Her advice is sound.

I don't think you need to buy the top of the line brand name fixture for T5 lighting, but I do believe if you buy the cheapest you will probably get what you pay for and it won't last for long. A good set of electronics on the inside will make your tubes last longer too.

You can use a combination of Agromax Grow and Agromax Bloom tubes and probably get really quite decent results. I'm a fanatic and tend to prefer better brands of tubes. A lot of tubes are marketed for marijuana growers but I think they provide far more in the red end of the spectrum than the average orchid grower needs. For an 8 tube fixture I would choose a combination of something like six GE Starcoat 6500K tubes (or 5 plus one ATI Aquablue Special) and 2 Giesemann Aqua Flora. This will cover the spectrum and give you pretty everything you need.

You will be surprised at first just how much light T5 tubes put out. Watch your plants very carefully to avoid burning them. The recommendation of 12 inches distance given above by luvsorchids will be a good starting point and be prepared to make adjustments up or down from there. An 8 tube 4ft T5 fixture will put out a noticeable amount of heat so be sure to take that into consideration as well.

Good luck!


----------



## Ray (May 20, 2010)

A lot of good advice here.

As a Hydrofarm distributor, I had the opportunity to tap into their experiential database, and they sell a number of different types of T5 fixtures, but the overall biggest seller is a 4 x 4' bulb "Commercial" fixture.

I asked about bulbs, and again, the biggest seller is a 6400-6500K bulb, which is the closest to full daylight spectrum. Pot growers tend to add lower K lamps (more red) for bud formation, but they are "forcing" a plant that will be sacrificed anyway.


----------

