Are you fed up with placing your seedlings at that place where they can get sufficient sunlight? Or want to boost up your indoor gardening process? Then best T5 grow lights are the best solution for your gardening setbacks. But it’s not enough to place bulbs over your plants. For proper indoor gardening, you might also need T8 or T12 lights so that you can get optimum results.
Why Grow With Fluorescent T5 Grow Lights?
Fluorescent grow lights are a great way to save money while keeping temperatures low in your grow room. They’re super-efficient and don’t generate much heat at all.
Plus, they are typically low profile, so you can place them closer to your plants and stretch the space in your grow room even further!
Due to the lower light intensity, these fixtures put out, they aren’t usually great for taking a flowering plant from seed to harvest.
They just won’t produce dense, resinous flowers that other technology will. If this is what you need your grow light to do, we recommend you check out the following lighting technologies:
LED grow lights
CMH grow lights
MH/HPS grow lights
However, there are a few instances where a T5 fluorescent grow light is the best fixture for your grow room. Here are a few reasons you should grow with one.
Use For Cloning or Starting Seeds (propagation)
Because these lights put out a lower intensity, they are great for starting seeds or taking clones from a mother plant. These young plants don’t need bright, red light shining on them when they’re focusing on producing their first set of leaves!
However, they do need some lighting. And a T5 fixture provides the perfect intensity for them. Better yet, it does it at low temperatures, so you won’t burn the delicate little plants at an already stressful time in their life.
You can save money on electricity by putting the LED away for a month or two and simply using a T5 fixture.
Use As Supplemental Lighting To Your Existing Fixtures
Another reason you may be in the market for the best fluorescent grow lights is that they make great additions to an existing lighting regimen.
If you grow large, bushy plants, they won’t get much light on the sides of them when growing indoors — because your lights are hung overhead, and remain stagnant throughout the day. This isn’t an issue when growing outdoors, because the sun hits your plants at different angles as it moves.
You can hang these fluorescent fixtures along the sides of your plants, using them as supplemental side lighting.
Or, if you have ultra red light from your HPS bulbs, you can optimize your spectrum with different light colours by adding in fluorescents.
AgroBrite T5 2FT 4 Tube Fixture w/bulbs (was EnviroGro)
Features:
The grow light by Agrobrite is the newest kind of T5 fixture, which ensures high flexibility, high lumen output, and great performance. The grow light uses premium grade aluminium with highly-efficient T5 tubes that assure twice the amount of power compared to the regular grow lights. You can hang the fixture in 3 ways- horizontal, overhead, and vertical to cover maximum grow area. The high-intensity light gives out very little heat, making it ideal for indoor growth. The 6400K colour spectrum is somewhat similar to the natural sunlight/daylight, so your indoor plants grow as healthy as the outdoor ones.
Grow Crew HO T5 4’, 4 Bulb Fixture w/ Bulbs White
Features:
The T5 system has been designed for multiple growing environments, and it allows you to choose multiple configurations to meet the design of your garden. The grow light is daisy-chainable, and at least 3 fixtures can be connected to one single outlet. You can hang the grow light in 3 ways-horizontal, vertical, and overhead. You are ensured long-term cost savings with the T5 tubes. Although smaller in size, still gives out more light than the fluorescent bulbs. The lamps are highly efficient and require very little maintenance. The powder Coating Steel Housing: The housing adds to the durability of the grow light and allows it to withstand shock and damages. It also helps the fixture withstand friction. The grow light gives out 6400K colour temperatures which are similar to the daylight temperature. So, the indoor plants grow as healthy as the outdoor plants.
What Features Are Important in T5 Grow Lights?
Now you know why T5 grow lights can be a great choice. But how do you pick the right product? Here are some key buying considerations.
1. Fixture Size
Obviously, the diameter for all T5 grow lights is identical. But did you know that the fixtures themselves come in different dimensions?
Check to see how long a fixture is and whether it will be the right fit for your space. Also, pay attention to how many bulbs it can hold.
2. Durability of Components
As with any other technology you can purchase, there may be differences in the quality of the materials and components used in different T5 light bulbs and fixtures.
You want the product you purchase to last as long as possible without the need to replace it, so make sure you are getting something durable with a solid warranty.
3. Lumens
Different bulbs produce different lumens. Choose bulbs that generate the lumens you need for the types of plants you are growing and the space you need to cover.
4. Energy Efficiency
In general, you should be in pretty good shape with regard to energy efficiency when you purchase T5 grow lights. But some products may be more energy-efficient than others. So, be sure to compare wattage and lumens to see which products are giving you the highest output with respect to the power they are consuming.
5. Color Temperature
By default, you will notice that the majority of T5 grow lights are 6500K, which is the same colour as daylight. But there are other T5 grow light bulbs and options. You can find T5 grow bulbs that feature a range of warm and cool colour temperatures for different applications.
6. Reflectors
Check to see what shape of reflector comes with the grow light fixture you are thinking about purchasing. A gull-wing shaped reflector may be ideal for high light placement, while a rectangular shape may be more suitable for low placement.
7. Control Features
Do you want to be able to set the bulbs in your fixture to individual levels of brightness? See if you can choose different settings for each of the bulbs or if they all have to be on the same set together.
8. Cords, Plugs, Etc.
One consideration that can be easy to overlook is the type of cord and plug that comes with a system.
Because these are relatively low wattage systems, you do not need to worry about heavy-duty cords. But it is usually worth double-checking the plug type since a lot of electrical products nowadays ship from overseas.
It can also be incredibly helpful to have the capability to daisy-chain grow lights together safely.
Conclusion
Fluorescent lighting will remain popular among hobbyists and small-scale hydroponics growers until the costs of high-quality LED grow lights come down, but for those with more ambitious goals for their hydroponic operation, it makes sense to make the initial investment in LED grow lights