This review has been offered by Vivosun Grower Cicy.
First, let me start off by saying I have a weird-sized tent. It’s a 3-foot x 5-foot and because of this, it makes it very hard to find the right light setup. I have tried everything from small quantum boards to large Cree COB LEDs, using one light or two, to try and light this space. Every setup has its strengths and weaknesses but I found that using the 4 ft, 6 lamp T5/VIVOSUN 6500K T5 HO Fluorescent Grow Light fixture addressed all the spacing issues and various growing issues I was facing.
About Fluorescent Grow Lights
Fluorescent grow lights are an economical and compact choice for indoor growing, emitting a full spectrum of light combinations that cover the wavelengths needed for all plant growth stages from seedlings to flowering, while operating at low temperatures that allow them to be positioned close to plants without risk of burning. The fluorescent tubes and fixtures are relatively inexpensive compared to LED grow lights, with prices ranging from $10-$30, making them an affordable option.
Design
I had the fixture ordered and at my doorstep in under a week and I had it unboxed and hooked up within a few minutes. The entire light measures 49.5 x 25.5 x 3.7 inches which made it great for my oddly shaped tent. Before I set up the T5, I had two lights in the space: a Spider Farmer and a Bloom Plus, which unfortunately did not cover the space evenly, so replacing them with the T5 worked beautifully. There are 2 switches that allow different amounts of light to be on at one time.
I could tell that this one was already much better as it provided more light and was evenly distributed. The spectrum that it provided also seemed to appeal to the plants a bit more than the prior “full spectrum” lights: the bluer that is produced mimicked the summer sun more, and because of this it provided the perfect light for my vegetative tent.
before
after
Benefits from Real-life Experience
The difference was night and day. Before this fixture, my plants grew slowly and just seemed to be lacking in health generally. But within a week my plants were greener and growing more dense by the day. I noticed the fixture was running a bit hotter than I expected so I put a small fan to blow air across it and now my temps rarely hit above 80. In a single tent I grew my moms, my clones, and my seedlings together, and all were happy and healthy.
Within a few weeks, I realized I had a new problem that I didn’t foresee: These plants were growing better than ever before (it seemed like they were growing inches overnight) and even when the plants were about 4 feet tall, the lower growth was just as happy as the upper parts. It went against what the common belief about growing is—that the lower growth won’t be able to get enough light to grow well.
As a perpetual grower, or someone who puts plants into flower every couple of weeks, I am always adding and removing plants; they have to be ready to go into their flowering tent as soon as one is ready to come out. This T5 light allows this process to happen at a rate that is predictable and produces healthy, resilient results. The plants grow so well that I can take as many cuttings as possible and the plants will bounce back within a few days.
And sometimes I figure I can take a day off without looking in the tent but then I look into it and see the plants have become bushes, and the bushes have become trees. Even when the plants grew too tall and hit the lights, I didn’t have any negative issues because the lights do not produce as much heat as compared to, say, LEDs. I can even leave the light level balanced across the system or I can put one side higher than the other to get a more even distribution to the smaller plants.
This light has been a real lifesaver. No longer do I have to try and find the right setup by switching lights and changing everything every few months? No longer do I have to worry that the plants aren’t getting the correct spectrum to let them grow nice and healthy?
If you have the space and don’t want to reinvent the wheel, pick one of these fixtures up: you can customize it with different spectrums of bulbs and how the number of bulbs you run at any given time so you really cannot go wrong. This light quickly became a staple in my tent and I tell everyone I know about it and how well it does.
Any time I see anyone struggling to get the vegetation results they are after I recommend this light fixture to them. I am extremely happy with how this T5 lamp has changed my growing, my only regret is that I didn’t discover it earlier!
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