FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

boarderlib wrote:Also it seems that at least for me everything T5 related has to be ordered online.

I've seen very good deals at hydroponics stores when they're on sale , but the norm is bad deals. Sometimes you can find them on craigslist too.

xr280xr wrote:

boarderlib wrote:Also it seems that at least for me everything T5 related has to be ordered online.

I've seen very good deals at hydroponics stores when they're on sale , but the norm is bad deals. Sometimes you can find them on craigslist too.

A hydroponics store online is where I ordered my T5 from. Now that you mention it, there is one hydro store I went into. I was looking for pots, so I didn't pay much attention to the lighting. I'm sure there carry T5 lighting supplies too. Darn it.

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My energy bill is just fine - I'm not running 4' incandescents, lol. Red spectrum light is great for plants as their pigments absorb a broader range than blue spectrum light, although the peaks where blue light is absorbed well are higher in energy. It's a question of quality vs. quantity.

The only spectrum of light that is wasted energy is yellow and green. Even if I were running 3000K 4 foot incandescents (which I wouldn't because incandescents are energy gobblers and my grow room would be a suana) having only a tad bit more green in my spectrum than a 6500K produces wouldn't be terrible because I'd get so much red light.

I guess my point is that as long as you are running a practical light it all evens out and worrying too much about what Kelvin your bulb is shouldn't keep you from using lights.

Ok here is the setup I settled on since I wasn't able to find a T5 setup and the hydroponics store closes at 4:30 (how do they make money)?

T8 Shop light from lowes (utilitech brand or something) $14
6400kv GE bulbs X2 $10
Programable outlet timer $10

Here are a few pictures, nothing fancy took me about 5 minutes to set up, I realize that the plants probably need to be a inch or so closer to the bulbs?

Also, I had read from a blog to put plastic bags over leaf pullings to keep humidity up until they show new growth but wondering if this is really needed?

Yes you definitely want to have pullings bagged. It will keep the leaf alive much longer. You probably wouldn't get a strike without a bag unless you had another way to keep humidity up.

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Branmuffin wrote: T8 Shop light from lowes (utilitech brand or something) $14
6400kv GE bulbs X2 $10
Programable outlet timer $10

You did well!

Branmuffin wrote: I realize that the plants probably need to be a inch or so closer to the bulbs?

You could, but they're definitely close enough to give them plenty of light already. I've grown healthy VFTs with that setup (2700 lumen bulbs) at 10" with a 14 hr photo period.

Branmuffin wrote: Also, I had read from a blog to put plastic bags over leaf pullings to keep humidity up until they show new growth but wondering if this is really needed?

Ya, they'll help prevent the tissue from dehydrating before it can start growing. With sphagnum moss, you can seal them off and pretty much never add water. With peat moss, you might want to keep it loose like the ones on the right, or add a couple small vent holes if it's sealed pretty tightly like the one on the left to try to prevent mold. I haven't tried pullings much with peat moss. Either way you might see some mold, but as long as it stays on already dead materials and isn't rampant it's ok.