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Grow lights...

Where is the best place to get some decent T8 or T12 grow lights ? I can't seem to find any locally. Any reccomended brands ?

Thanks,
-Johnny
 
With T12s, just go ahead and buy the cheapest fixtures you come across. I buy a few whenever I see them on sale. A basic two-tube, four-foot shoplight is less than $10 around here on sale. More commonly I come across ones for $20 or $30, but they usually feature things I don't need, like built-in switches or low-temperature ballasts.
If you're able to make an investment, http://www.contractorlighting.com/ has awesome deals on T5 fixtures.
~Joe
 
Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm, The Farm Store, any hardware shop sells shoplight fixtures. Like Seed, I just grab the cheapest fixtures with minimal features. Sometimes they are as low as $7.99 for a basic twin tube 40W/T12 and a 6ft cord. I don't care about pull chains since I won't be turning the lights on and off, the timer will be doing that.
 
It's the bulbs I'm looking for. Fixtures are easy to find.
 
Ah - so far as bulbs go, you don't need anything special. I just use a mix of cool and warm whites with my T12s. Like fixtures, I just buy whatever brand is on sale in cases. Some people like expensive "grow light" bulbs, but I've never found them to be noticeably better than generic ones.
~Joe
 
I get bulbs in the same places I get my fixtures. Some people use 1/1 cool white + warm white generic tubes or get the specialist GE Chroma 50 "Sunshine" bulbs (pricier).

I just buy the 2 packs of generic 6500K Daylight spectrum tubes (same price as 2 packs of generic cool whites or warm whites). My plants and I are both happy with this arrangement. I like the crisp blue/white light of these tubes and the plants seem to color up nicely under them.
 
i use t8's using the cheapest fixtures and bulbs i can find.....hasnt failed me yet in 6 years....
 
That's pretty much what I've been using. It's been working out ok I guess. I'd like to try some of the GE grow lights or something similar and I just can't find a local retailer. None of the major hardware stores carry anything over a 24" of anything even remotely close and when I ask if they can order 48's for me, I just just get a dumb look and a lame excuse.
 
with T8's ive not found the various grow lights to be a significant improvement over the cheap bulk T8's.....defiantly not enough to deal with the the drastically increased price.....if you really want an improvement i would suggest going to T5's or squeeze more T8's above the plants.....
 
  • #10
The T5's have proven to be just as to find around here for some reason.
 
  • #11
than set up your racks and modify your fixtures to get more bulbs above the plants.....4 bulbs beats 2, 6 beats 4.....you will see MUCH better results doing this over switching to high priced grow lights that give marginally better results
 
  • #12
I completely agree with rattler. dont waste money on "special bulbs" when you could use that money for an extra fixture and bulk bulbs.

of course after a certain amount of T8's the "intensity" of the light wont increase... but that only happens once you've got so many lights that at no point within your grow space does the light "drop off".

after that happens the only thing you can do to get more results is upgrade the lights to T5's or some other relative system...

-Chris
 
  • #13
than set up your racks and modify your fixtures to get more bulbs above the plants.....4 bulbs beats 2, 6 beats 4.....you will see MUCH better results doing this over switching to high priced grow lights that give marginally better results

There's already 6 bulbs above each rack. Has anyone ever tried using UVA/UVB lighting for reptiles ? Hmmmm...... I feel an experiment coming on...
 
  • #14
what are you trying to grow that needs more than 6 T8's?
 
  • #15
I just notice major color differences in some of the plants which tells me that they're lacking something. For instance my Cephalotus and several sundews that should be red stay green under these lights.
 
  • #16
I have my cephalotus under 4 cfl's at about a distance of around 9'' and their completely red. keep in mind that not all forms are going to be solid red no matter the lighting.

6 bulbs should be enough, unless their like 3 feet away from the plants that is.
 
  • #17
The pitchers that were on the plants when I got them were red, all the new growth since I've had them is green.
 
  • #18
how long have you had the ceph? did you have to repot when you recieved it? how close to the lights is it? and what is the light cycle?

my ceph was a somewhat slow starter as well, as the pitchers mature ( especially from juvenile to mature ) they tend to pick up more color.

pictures are also worth a 1000 words :D
 
  • #19
I've had them since September, they are dormant right now and will be repotted and placed in a greenhouse in the spring. Also how do you post pics on this site, nothing seems to work ?!?!?
 
  • #20
i dont think Cephs go dormant.....i thought like mexican Pings they had a winter and summer growth phase but they dont go dormant.....ive never had one go dormant.....
 
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