Help needed

Jon Smith said:
Since your plants are in a green house I wouldn't use the reflector it'll block what sunlight they do get
Click to expand...
With it being overcast, the reflector will block nothing, because the light is so scattered, and if the sun does happen to come out, a T5 reflector is so thin it won't do any harm. I mean to say, it's a 3.5" (9mm) shadow, not like a big ass HID reflector. I'm trying to help maximize the light the output of the T5 and not have it meaningless for the other 29 days of 30 in a month there is no sun. 1 day (if that) of sun with a tiny shadow that will quickly move across the tops as the sun moves across the sky, is nothing compared to the added light the other 29 (or all days in the month). Please remember he said it's been overcast "for months"
roundstone said:
hi yes it is over casted we have not had clear blue sky for months
Click to expand...

Now, when you DO get your T5, roundstone, hang it so that it is 8mm to 10mm from the tops of the plants. You might need 2, but this will help. If the sun does happen to come out, raise the T5's up to the very top of the little greenhouse they're in and turn them off. Otherwise put them on a timer to come on at 4am and off at 10pm, and hang them right over your plants, so close that your hand will pass under the light and barely brush the tops of the plants and keep it that distance as they grow.

At summer solstice, count 4 weeks, 07-18-2012, and change the light's timer on that day so it comes on at 7am, and goes off at 7pm, to start preparing them to flower. It will be dependent on the sun, for the most part, but with the days starting to get shorter at the solstice, and the absence of the added light will trigger bloom.

The solstice is on 06-20-2012 this year. This will give you 2 weeks in July, all of August and all of September for the floral phase (10 weeks). Harvest whenever they are ready in October, it may be mid, to late in the month, because it really depends on when they actually start to flower.
 
jandre2k3 said:
With it being overcast, the reflector will block nothing, because the light is so scattered, and if the sun does happen to come out, a T5 reflector is so thin it won't do any harm. I mean to say, it's a 3.5" (9mm) shadow, not like a big ass HID reflector. I'm trying to help maximize the light the output of the T5 and not have it meaningless for the other 29 days of 30 in a month there is no sun. 1 day (if that) of sun with a tiny shadow that will quickly move across the tops as the sun moves across the sky, is nothing compared to the added light the other 29 (or all days in the month). Please remember he said it's been overcast "for months"
Click to expand...

And I'm just offering suggestions also
 
Jon Smith said:
And I'm just offering suggestions also
Click to expand...
I know you are, I was just explaining that in this instance, a reflector is needed more for those days of overcast clouds, than not needing because the sun might come out for a day. This was really more for roundstone's benefit, than arguing with you about it. It was just in case he was thinking, "Well, maybe I won't get the reflector".

Also, if the sun does happen to come out, there is nothing that says the lights can't be raised to the top of that mini greenhouse to take full advantage of the sun. I just wanted to give the best lighting option for current conditions. When change happens, we change, too, right? :thumb:
 
Jon Smith said:
I woul still hang the lights vertical jmho
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Like between the plants? That would encourage side branching, and lateral growth toward the light. In that small space they would touch the tubes in a matter of days and burn the H-E-Double Hockey Stix out of the leaves that touched, and quickly outgrow that little thing width-wise.
 
I dout they would grow that fast + he said he wanted some bushes and has vertually no side branches atm and a 23 w cfl doesn't get that hot or cost as much as a t5 light fixture
 
hi
thanks guys for you messages if was fun to read and very gratful for input in helping me, i have woke up today to find it is still raining here
has been like this for 6 weeks and there is still a hose pipe ban it is a joke.

anyway i will go to the garden center later and look for a bulb i do have a 11w cfl bulb which kicks out 60w? is that any good?
and the temp in the greenhouse is 22 23 would that have anything to do with streching?
thanks
 
roundstone said:
hi
thanks guys for you messages if was fun to read and very gratful for input in helping me, i have woke up today to find it is still raining here
has been like this for 6 weeks and there is still a hose pipe ban it is a joke.

anyway i will go to the garden center later and look for a bulb i do have a 11w cfl bulb which kicks out 60w? is that any good?
and the temp in the greenhouse is 22 23 would that have anything to do with streching?
thanks
Click to expand...

Nah, the range for good, healthy growth is 21-27. You're good there. The 60w Equivalent is no good. You're looking for 150 - 200w equivalent in CFL if that's the way you'd like to go. But you'll need 2 to 4 of them. A CFL 42w replaces a 150w Incandescent. 50-ish replaces 200w. And you can get those in "Flood" type if you can find them.
 
ok i hope my garden centre will sell a 200w cfl
just been looking at t5 and i can only find them in 4feet lengths???? should by a sunbed for them
 
roundstone said:
hi is this the better one
Toolstation > Lighting > Floodlights > 57W Low Energy Floodlight
Click to expand...

Whoa, that's a big lamp for a CFL! H x W x D ( including Bkt ) 160 x 285 x 145mm. And okay output, too. 3700 Lumen, too! Yeah, more along those lines, except not in "warm white." Looking for cool white right now. like this: Single Lamp CFL Reflector with 1 x 125w Blue Lamp - Fluorescent Grow Lights - Progrow Hydroponics
And this one is 125w 50cm x 46cm x 12cm for 43.50 GBP vs. 46.16 GBP for lamp and hood inc VAT. Free post in UK, looks like.

Or this one is a little less rigid for 37.95 standard post 6.95 BAY6 Euro CFL Reflector - Grow Lights | GroWell Hydroponics Again 125w The CFL Hobby Reflector is 47cm long, 40cm wide, 13cm high.

Both ship from UK.

These two you would NOT want very close to your plants. 15 to 20 cm min distance.

57w... 3700 Lumens
125w 12000 lumens

Near same price.
2.2 times more power, but 3.25 times more light.
About the same size housing and reflector.
 
hi jon just read all the info in cfl vs hid very intresting what do you use?
just had a look at my babys it seem bright in the greenhouse to me but i guess it is not if the plants are streching.
 

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