Many indoor growers don’t realize the benefits of running T5 grow lights. T5 grow lights have some advantages over metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS) grow light systems. T5 grow lights produce remarkable results in the vegetative stages of growth compared to HID systems, and cost less to do so! T5 grow lights operate on much less energy compared to HID grow lights, and produce much less heat as well. This helps keeps temperatures favorable for growth, and also allows the grower to keep the light very close to the plants so they absorb as much light as possible.
Most indoor growers who use T5 grow lights use them for the vegetative stage of growth, as well as cloning. Since much less light energy is needed during these phases of growth, low cost, low maintenance T5 grow lights are an excellent option. T5 grow lights will produce enough light to keep plants in these growth cycles flourishing. HID grow lights and T5 grow lights are difficult to compare because it’s not a simple apples to apples comparison since they are such different lighting systems, although, the outputs can be compared. Most 4 foot T5 grow lights are 54 watts, and the most popular fixture is the 4 foot 4 light fixture. This adds up to about 220 watts to light a 2 foot by 4 foot area. By comparison, most growers would use at least a 400 watt Metal Halide grow light to light the same area. Already the grower is using more electricity, and when you factor in the amount of energy lost in producing heat, not light, the output of the Metal Halide light is diminished compared to the T5 grow lights.
While T5 grow lights are a great option for vegetative and cloning growth stages in plants, they are not the best option for the flowering/fruiting growth stage because they are not capable of producing the amount of light energy needed by plants in these growth stages. For the flowering growth stage, HID lighting systems are recommended because they can produce the amount of light needed.
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