T5 Fluorescent fixtures

[Fjeff]

Can you grow start to finish with a fluorescent fixture. I am able to get some fixtures. I assume I would have to change the bulbs. There are 6 tubes at 50 watt a tube. That 300 watts, solid.

[3Berries]

You can get LED replacements for the T5s. Amazon has 4' LEDs in multipack buying options.

[Gingerbeard]

Seed to weed under t5's is a thing. Also known as fluorescent lights. People have been using them for years.

[Fjeff]

we just changed over all of our fixtures at work so i have access to them. just was seeing if would be worth the grab. i see you can get grow tubes on the cheap.

[Gingerbeard]

I would recommend you not use used fluorescent lights, especially from a work environment because of use. That is, how old are they and how much light are they still putting out.

[Going2fast]

You can use them but they are not very efficient and the tubes will have to be changed out yearly as the spectrum burns out rather quickly. And the gawd awful low hum.

[Gingerbeard]

Is it the bulb or ballast that start to hum when they start going? The humming is no more than a fresh fixture in your kitchen.

[Franklin]

Back in 95 all I grew under were t5s, I only wanted personal use and it was so much cooler and good for small grows than anything else at the time. Can definitely do it.

[hairyman]

I have been using CFL's for all my grows and they work fine. I always get yields that I am happy with. You will get more buds with better lights but I don't need a ton of weed so the economical way works great. CFL's are hard to find now so I'll have to switch, but fluorescents do work for the entire grow. I might bite the bullet and get a small LED setup.

[Fjeff]

I have a led, just have access to all these lights. Sounds like I will grab a few just in case I expand. It will be a cheap start up.

[3Berries]

If you can convert them to LED that are straight 120v wired then it's a good deal. If you keep the fluorescent ballast then it's not as good as deal.

[Blowdout2269]

I'm pretty sure that there are decent LED replacements for all those fluorescent tubes these days. I just switched into some for my kitchen T8's. I like the light much better.

[dilvish]

Ultimately if you can afford it, buy a decent grow light. The tubes will need to be replaced after the first couple of grows anyway. CFL's can work but they could make your grows problematic unless all the other grow conditions are optimized. Nothing worse than having a grow that won't produce buds. Any consistent light will suffice for growing most plants including cannabis but it's whether they produce decent buds is key.

[WolfMansBrother]

If you do switch to LED bulbs - using the old fixture, make sure the new LED bulbs are also compatible with the old fixture's ballast. Some bulbs let you bypassed the ballast. Not matching bulbs to the proper ballast can kill the bulb life significantly - occasionally it's a potential fire hazard.