Cheap T8 fluorescent bulbs for first two week period. (Autoflower)

[DukeMP]

Greetings growers from Latvia !

I'm waiting 32 autoflower seeds. It will be my first autoflower grow. First two weeks I want to grow inside, after that outdoor. I need some advice about lamps for vegetative stage. I have two cheap options in my local stores:

1. Osram LUMILUX T8 fluorescent lamp G13 58W ( Light colour: 6500 K, Light output 5000 lm, Product dimensions 1500 x 26 mm L x W ) for 2.48 euro a unit.
2. Radium LUMIN T8 58W 865 G13 ( Light colour: 6500 K, Light output 5000 lm, Product dimensions 1500 x 26 mm L x W ) for 2.49 euro a unit.

I'm planning to seed those strains in 0.5 litre (18oz) plastic beer cups.

My questions:

1. Can I use one of these lamps for vegging ? Which one you would choose ?
2. How much bulbs you would suggest to use ?
3. How long time or how high the plant you would grow before transplanting and moving outdoor ?
4. How close you would keep lamps from seedlings ?
5. From what I read in this forum, 20-4 light hours would be good ?

Sorry for my English. Good luck to everybody in this new outdoor season. Have a great yields brothers !

 

[420Forever]

Greetings growers from Latvia !

I'm waiting 32 autoflower seeds. It will be my first autoflower grow. First two weeks I want to grow inside, after that outdoor. I need some advice about lamps for vegetative stage. I have two cheap options in my local stores:

1. Osram LUMILUX T8 fluorescent lamp G13 58W ( Light colour: 6500 K, Light output 5000 lm, Product dimensions 1500 x 26 mm L x W ) for 2.48 euro a unit.
2. Radium LUMIN T8 58W 865 G13 ( Light colour: 6500 K, Light output 5000 lm, Product dimensions 1500 x 26 mm L x W ) for 2.49 euro a unit.

I'm planning to seed those strains in 0.5 litre (18oz) plastic beer cups.
View attachment 1179660
My questions:

1. Can I use one of these lamps for vegging ? Which one you would choose ?
2. How much bulbs you would suggest to use ?
3. How long time or how high the plant you would grow before transplanting and moving outdoor ?
4. How close you would keep lamps from seedlings ?
5. From what I read in this forum, 20-4 light hours would be good ?

Sorry for my English. Good luck to everybody in this new outdoor season. Have a great yields brothers !

heya @DukeMP and to afn! i moved ur thread into new growerz q&a for better expozure/feedback i checked out thoze radium bulbz & if they're 5000 lum, u should only need like three of em, one over each row of cupz...and seein as how the bulbz are frosted, u'd be able to get em pretty close to ur plantz...jus make sure u've got a strong enuff ballast for the xtra power they draw jus me own 2 ctz & otherz will chime in, so hang tuff & anything else u need, jus give a holler

ppp &

 

[automan2]

T8 s were my first grow lights. Actually used cheap 4ft from walmart in a closet...no clue about light specs. They were cheap but did the job. Got me started years ago and lit a fire for growing.

 

[Little Brother]

I started with this. Ordered fixture on amazon and filled it with 7 roughly ten-watt bulbs ranging from 3500 to 5000k. I don't know about using it on multiple plants but it did okay on one.
Other guy, I think olden, had an interesting setup. I'll post a pic of it.

 

[Little Brother]

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/poor-mans-grow-light.71968/

Olderfart and Olden's light setup and link to the thread.

 

[DukeMP]

Hello brothers and sisters !
Sorry for my late response. I was too busy in work. Thank you all for insparing me to start use fluorescent bulbs. I bought 4 Radium bulbs and 2 ballasts 58w for two bulbs each. Used this manual how to connect everything together. At start worked all 4 bulbs, now working only 2, probably one ballast died. But this was very cheap project. Probably because everybody buys nowdays LED bulbs only and sellers want to clear stock. Bulbs 1.5 euro and ballasts 7 euro each, t8 sockets 0.30 euro. Wires I took from work and I had a piece of plywood. I will start New Growers Grow Journal, please all are welcome. Link will add later.

Here final work:

 

[DukeMP]

My New Growers Grow Journal here !!!