Top 3 Best T5 Grow Lights of 2022

When it comes to growing seedling and some vegetables like lettuces, microgreens, T5 grow lights seem to be the best. HPS bulbs are expensive, hot and contain much space while you have to pay extra money for the future research of LED lamps.

There are a lot of T5 manufacturers and resellers on the market. So it’s a hard decision to make for choosing the best T5 grow lights. However, after doing hours of in-depth research, and discussion with some experienced growers, here are our top choices.

What are T5 Grow Lights?

T5 grow lights are a type of fluorescent bulbs that produce artificial lighting to stimulate the growth of plants grown indoors or any place where there is insufficient light. “T” stands for “tubular” and “5” for “5/8 inch” tube diameter.

There are other fluorescent tubes as well, including the T8s, T12s. But T5s are the most popular and efficient among the three.

T5 grow lights have been used to grow seedlings, green vegs indoors for decades.

Why use T5 Grow Lights?

If you just start with indoor or hydroponic growing, the first significant factor you must take into account is how to provide your plants with enough lights.

You may have known that plants cannot survive without lightning. So can artificial lights replace the sunlight when it comes to growing indoors?

The answer is yes.

In fact, there are a lot of choices, including CFLs, T5s, T8s, T12s lights, HIDS (HPS and MHS), and later CMH, and LED lights.

However, for seedlings, leafy vegs like lettuces, spinaches, T5 are among the top choices not only because of its light intensity, and spectrum color wavelengths, which are suitable for these plants, but because they are cost-effective as well.

If you use CFLs, T8s, T12s for your grow setup, you may save yourself a couple of dollars for several years running. But you’ll never have as green and fast-growing plants as you do with T5s light because T5s give more light intensity to plants than the three types above.

Most HIDs, LEDs are not cost-effective for growing veg plants, and seedlings and are much more expensive to purchase. This explains why lots of commercial growers and hobbyists still favor T5 bulbs.

ECO Farm T5 24W Fluorescent Grow Light

Features:

This ECO Farm t5 Grow Light comes with (4) 24W T5 High Output LED Tubes and is designed for horticultural use. This fixture mimics natural sunlight conditions and is ideal for all stages of plant growth. Save over 60% on your lighting and HVAC bills compared to traditional fluorescent lamps. Red and deep red wavelengths increase the rate of photosynthesis and accelerate plant growth through the Emerson effect. With an extra-long 30,000-hour lifespan, this grow light is perfect for beginner or professional growers. ECO Farm T5 fluorescent lamps can be daisy-chained to matching fixtures for virtually unlimited expansion. Mount the light in any indoor location using the wire rack provided.

AgroBrite T5 2FT 4 Tube Fixture w/bulbs (was EnviroGro)

Features:

Agrobrite’s T5 grow lights can ensure high flexibility, high lumen output and outstanding performance. Grow lights use high-quality aluminum and high-efficiency T5 tubes, which can ensure twice the power compared to ordinary grow lights. You can hang the fixtures 3 ways — horizontal, overhead and vertical to cover the largest growing area. High-intensity light emits very little heat, making it ideal for indoor growing. The 6400K color spectrum is somewhat similar to natural sunlight/sunlight, so your indoor plants will grow as healthy as your outdoor plants.

Grow Crew HO T5 4’, 4 Bulb Fixture w/ Bulbs White

Features:

This 4 foot 4 light high output T5 light fixture comes with the bulb spectrum of your choice so you can tailor the light your plants get to your exact needs. The housing is powder-coated to withstand humidity without rusting or corrosion. Two switches on the side control whether you want four lights or eight lights on at the same time. The Grow Crew Fluorescent T5 Luminaire is ideal for those looking for a compact, low-heat, high-efficiency lamp. You can fully customize your unit by choosing a combination of red (3000k) or blue (6500k) bulbs. Each bulb draws 54 watts for a total light output of 216 watts.

Things you should know before shopping for T5 grow lights

There are some crucial factors you need to know to maximize your buying decision.

Sizing
The thickness of the T5 bulb is standardized to 5/8’’, but the length can vary. Two typical tube lengths are two and four feet.

The more tubes with greater length, the bigger your fixture will be.

Rule of thumb: Get the largest size your indoor garden can comfortably accommodate.

Why?

Most modern fixtures allow you to turn on/off separate bulbs. This feature will enable you to adapt the grow lights for the best light efficacy and save electricity consumption as well. So with a large-size fixture, you can customize the light output for different plants. In contrast, you’ll never be able to do that if you get a small fixture right from the start.

Also, a larger and more powerful fixture also helps you to back up in case you extend your growing spaces in the future.

Bulb Temperatures
T5 grow lights have two bulb temperatures. Each has its function in assisting plants through all stages of growth.

6,500K bulbs are practical for microgreens, seedlings, and plants in the harvest. These are the most popular T5 Kevin bulb type.
3000K bulbs help plants to flower and give fruit
Those who just want to use T5s for seed starting and growing vegs can be satisfied with using only 6,500K bulbs. If you’re going to grow fruiting plants, you can combine whiteish bulbs (6500k) and some yellowish bulbs (3000K) to provide more spectrum wavelengths for plants to maximize their growth.

The reflector design
The reflectors do increase the focus your T5 lights, which helps improve the efficiency of your lights.

There are two common reflector styles:

Rectangular reflector: You can place the reflector closer to the plants for better coverage
Gullwing style: This is ideal if you need to place your grow lights higher. This design allows you to redirect light back into the grow room if it’s seeping out
Ability to control the bulbs separately
Look for a T5 fixture that has this extra feature. You can control the lamps independently by dimming or switching off some while others stay on.

This feature is beneficial because not only it helps you save energy by turning off some wasted bulbs, but it also gives you the ability to light planted areas. And best of all, it’s handy when you grow different types of plants which you can customize the light intensity to fit.

Conclusion

With so many high-quality products available, it can be a difficult task to choose one.

Many of the other T5 grow lights reviewed are optimal at what they do, but many are limited to specific use cases, such as germination and cloning, or vegetative and flowering phases.

Depending on your needs, one of these T5 grows lights may fit your situation perfectly.

If you’re ready to save money and increase the efficiency of your grow room, the time is now to make the switch to the best T5 grow light available.

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