If you’re trying to grow many plants you’re going to need a lot of light and warmth for them. A single bulb usually won’t help much. However, a T5 grow light is big and long enough to help supply enough heat and light for your plants. Keep reading to learn more about how T5 grow lights can help you and about some of the top models for sale that you should consider using.
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Product Name |
Weight |
Dimensions |
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30 lbs. |
22.4 x 3 x 47 inches |
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33 lbs. |
5 x 27 x 50 inches |
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10 lbs. |
12 x 4 x 46 inches |
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12 lbs. |
3 x 13.5 x 23 inches |
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9 lbs. |
26.3 x 26 x 19 inches |
The models listed above are some of the top T5 grow lights on the market. Below are product reviews of them which will help you find the one that will be best to use on your plants.
Top T5 Grow Light Reviews
Hydro Crunch
This white coated and lightweight 4ft. long this T5 grow light can hold up to 8 bulbs. Each of these bulbs runs on 54W. Altogether it will supply 432W. This model comes with 6400K growth stage bulbs which will not only help your plants sprout and grow, but help them to flower as well. The light beam angle of this product is 120 degrees. This product can be used with 2700K-6400K lamps and will run for 50,000 hours. It has a 95% aluminum reflector and has a daisy chain feature so you can easily connect similar models together. You can hang this T5 grow light horizontally or vertically and plug it in with its 8 ft. cord. This model has 2 power switches you can use. Each switch controls 4 lamps. Be aware though that this model doesn’t work with GFCI outlets so you’ll need to be extra careful when using it.
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Hydro Planet
This grow light is created with a sleek white design and powder-coated housing. It measures 4 ft. long and can hold 8 lamps. Each of these lamps works as fluorescent HO bulbs and will give a 6500K HO glow. It has a Plug and Play Ballast built into it to encourage flowering in your plants as well as to prevent overheating in the lamps. It has a 95% aluminum reflector which will help to make sure each of your plants is covered with light. This model features a daisy chain outlet and dual switches which you can use to control different lamps. It comes with a 15 ft. power cord that will make it much easier for you to hang it in various areas.
If you’re looking for a smaller option for hydroponics, this model is ideal. This product has an aluminum body to help keep it cool and also has a 95% German Hammer-tone reflector. It measures 4 ft. long and is built with 4 lamps. The lamps are made with HO fluorescent bulbs that use 6500K to help brighten up your growing area. This product has a daisy chain feature so you can connect up to 5 other models to it with its outlet.
This model also comes with 2 switches. One switch will control the inner 2 lights while the other will control the outer 2 lights. The lights also use a ballast so you won’t have to worry about investing in one yourself. Its 15 ft. power cord will help make it easier for you to plug it into an outlet. Also, because it is ideal for hydroponics, it can be used in wet situations safely. You can hang this T5 grow light both horizontally and vertically.
Agrobite FLT24
This 2 ft. long 4 tube fluorescent light is perfect to use in a small space. Its 4 6400K T5 tubes can emit up to 8,000 lumens to keep your plants warm. Built into these lights is a ballast to help prevent overheating from occurring. This product is made with a powder-coated and steel housing and features a faceted aluminum interior to help with the lighting. You can hang this grow light overhead, horizontally, or vertically. It has a power cord that measures 8 ft. long.
Apollo Purple Reign
If you have many plants that you need to cover with a T5 grow light, this model is one you should definitely check out. It measures 2 ft. long and uses 2 bulbs that run at 24W and 6400K. It has adjustable MAX lumens so you can easily emit the amount that you prefer on your plants. These light are also energy-efficient so they won’t overheat and increase your electric bill. While it is a little big, it is easy to assemble and use.
What is a T5 Grow Light?
A T5 grow light is a special light that is perfect for growing cannabis. This is because they work well with plants that are meant to be trimmed and short. They also are ideal to keep closer to your plants unlike other light types which could end up burning the leaves if you do so.
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The Pros and Cons of a T5 Grow Light
The Pros
T5 grow lights are extremely helpful with growing plants indoors. Besides being ideal to use indoors, they also have many other benefits. One is that they are much less expensive compared to other grow light options. This makes T5 grow lights good for beginners to use or for those who don’t want to invest in an expensive light system.
These grow lights are also much cooler compared to other grow lights due to them being energy-efficient. You won’t have to worry about them overheating or burning your plants. Also, due to their energy-efficiency they help to save money on your electric bill.
The Cons
While T5 grow lights have many benefits you should be aware of some things about them. One is that you need to make sure your T5 grow light has a red light. This red light will help with the flowering stages of your plants. Some of the T5 grow light models don’t have this color light so it’s important that you check to see if your model does. Otherwise, your plants might not bloom well.
These grow lights also have a shorter life compared to other light options. T5 grow lights only run for about 20,000 hours. This might seem like a very long time, but when it comes to growing plants it isn’t. You’ll have to be aware that you might end up having to invest a little in T5 grow lights. However, as mentioned above, they are affordable options.
The other downside about T5 grow lights is that you need to have a ballast with one of these lights. While most T5 grow lights have a ballast built into them, not all of them do. A ballast will help to prevent the lights from overheating which could damage your plants. If you find that your grow light doesn’t have one of these built into it, you’ll have to invest in a separate ballast yourself.
Why a Ballast is Important to Have in a T5 Grow Light
Fluorescent lights can overheat sometimes which can burn the leaves of your plants. To help prevent this from occurring, ballasts are usually built into T5 grow lights. Ballasts are specially designed to help prevent overheating in fluorescent lights which can stop possible damage from happening to your plants. Also, because fluorescent lights sometimes flicker, ballasts can prevent them from doing so. Flickering can surprisingly impact your plant’s growth, so it’s important that a ballast is incorporated into your T5 grow light.
What’s the Best Wattage for a T5 Grow Light?
As you’ll find with many of the T5 grow lights in this article, they each have various wattage amounts. So, what’s the difference between them?
There’s actually a big difference between them which could impact how your plants grow. You usually want to look for a T5 grow light that works at 6400K.
However, you want to make sure that the wattage is also at least 2700K-3000K. This wattage range is usually where the red spectrum in the lights will be which is a crucial color when growing plants.
Overall, the wattage amounts will help to show how they will help certain growth stages with your plants. A stronger wattage will mean that it can help with all stages while a lower one usually means that it will work best with only some.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Using a T5 Grow Light
There are quite a few things to keep in mind before using a T5 grow light. Here is more about what you should look for and consider before investing in one of these lights.
The Power Cord
The power cord is extremely important to look at when searching for a T5 grow light. You’ll be hanging this light up which means you need to make sure the power cord’s length is long enough to easily reach a nearby outlet. If not, it could make it very difficult for you to use your T5 grow light. Extension cords can help, but they could make it more difficult for you to reach your plants. They also might overheat a little which could cause some problems with your grow light.
Check the Hanging Height
One of the most difficult aspects about grow lights is their hanging length. How high should it be? Should it be closer or farther away from my plants? The hanging height depends on how strong your T5 grow light is. If the light has a very high wattage you want to make sure it is hanging much higher from where your plants are to prevent them from burning. If the wattage is on the lower side, you probably want to keep it a little closer to your plants so they stay warm. As your plants grow you’ll eventually have to adjust the hanging height so they aren’t growing into the light.
Check the Weight
T5 grow lights can be a little heavy so you always want to check how much they weigh before you hang their structure over your plants. Most of these grow lights weigh on average about 15 lbs. but there are many models that weigh much more (and less) than this amount. Be sure to check the weight and make sure that the structure you are hanging it from is able to handle it.
Look at the Bulb Type
It’s important to look at the bulb type of a T5 grow light. The bulb type will show how high a wattage it will have. You usually want a strong wattage which will help to keep your plants warm. However, a strong wattage also means more energy is needed. This could lead to a higher electric bill for you. Be sure to look at the bulb type to make sure that it won’t be running too high or you might end up paying quite a bit with your electric bill.
Check for a Red Light in the Bulbs
A red light helps with the flowering in plants. If your bulbs don’t have a red light spectrum in them, your plants might be alive but they won’t flower. A red light is vital to have in order to have a plentiful harvest.
Make Sure You Have Replacement Bulbs
Eventually, your T5 grow lights will burn out. When this happens, you want to make sure you have a replacement bulb on hand. This will allow you to immediately replace the burned out light so the warmth of the grow light doesn’t diminish.
Look for Accessories
T5 grow lights can be used with many useful accessories. Two accessories you should consider using with your grow light are rope hangers and timers. Rope hangers will help to keep your T5 grow light secure while it is hanging and make sure it doesn’t accidentally slip and fall on your plants. A timer can help to make sure that the grow lights are on and off at a certain time so they don’t shine too much on your plants. It can also help to tell you when you need to water your plants.
Conclusion
Growing plants can be easy thanks to T5 grow lights. These lights are specially designed to help with all stages of your plant’s growth. While these lights are energy-efficient and affordable you do need to keep a close eye on some certain aspects of them, like making sure they have a ballast. All of the models in this article are some of the best on the market and are ones you should definitely consider using for your plants.
