what kind of light is this?
 

hey! :waving

its starting to cool down again and i dont want to leave my plants outside. ive tried many methods of growing plants and lost many. so im going to have a go at lights.
but before i fork over a paycheck, i want to know how to work things. ive seen some great success and would like a go at it

heres what i have: my brother had this thing laying around and i want to see if its good enough for plants. it has two fixtures with 2 bulbs about 2.5ft in length.
i have one of those 2prong moisture/ph/light meters and i put it right above the leaves of the plants which were maybe 2 inches below the bulbs and the meter didnt even move. i thought it was broken but it work just fine and measured 1500 at my bathroom window. i know that cant be good but it has to be using SOME fc's if its light. ive read that plants dont need many if theyre always under a constant spectrum or whatever. its too early to tell now but while the temps outside rise again, the plants will have to deal with it til spring.

can you guys help me identify what this fixture is and what kind of bulb it is? idk what this whole t5 t8 etc stuff is nor what fixtures you need. thanks for the help

I had a lamp like that only 4'.
When the florescent bulbs get grey at the ends they are nearing the end of their lifespan. Go to any hardware store and they should have replacements. Also they may take your old bulbs. They contain mercury and should not go in the trash. Usually you want to go for daylight bulbs. Cool white are the cheapest; and are fine for vegetative growth only. Take a bulb with you so you can be sure the pins at the end of the bulb will fit your lamp. T5's are newer and more powerful in their output; but their pins require a different socket than your lamp has.
You can also surf on the internet for aquarium and terrarium bulbs of the same length.

thanks much!!! very straightforward. :)

however, is it good enough? or will it just help my plants stay green over winter?

You have a T12 fixture with 2 foot bulbs. It's better than nothing but a 4 foot fixture puts out more than twice the light. You want to get the highest output (lumens) bulbs with the highest K rating. I have no idea what the numbers are for a 2 foot bulb. Home Depot carries them.

thanks for clarifying that. now i have an idea of what it is. im guessing it will be alright during the winter months, however ive seen several members here with magnificent blooms under lights. ive yet to rebloom anything other than phals so i want to see how well lights work.

just curious, can you burn a plant with lights even if the light isnt hot? from what ive read, t8 is the way to go for me since theyre very common and t5 would be better if i found them. how much would you recommend for getting cattleyas and vandas to bloom?

For Catts and Vandas I don't think you can bloom them under T8's. I would go T5's for them and hope that will work. I KNOW you can bloom them under HID lights but that's a whole other ball game !!

even minicatts? i dont think im going to invest in a standard for a while due to their finicky-ness. vandas i think i can bloom if i put them outdoors. hopefully other things can bloom. im really considering a fixture of t8s. does it carry 2 bulbs on it? and how much would it cost approx.

Sorry, mini Catts are fine under T8's. I have 3 or 4. You can get 2. 4. 6 bulb fixtures. I have a couple 4 bulb fixtures but I didn't buy them. I did buy 2 bulb shop light fixtures and hooked some together or just hung them together. Unless you're cramped for space 4 bulb fixtures are much better than 2 bulb ones. If I were to get more T8 fixtures I would look at the high output ones. If too pricey I would go back to Home Depot and get the $20 2 bulb T8 shop lights and hook or hang them side by side. The $10 shop lights are more trouble than they're worth, I know, I started with them !

Before I had T5's, I bloomed a few catts and other things under T12's. I tried to get the full spectrum or gro light ones and you put them quite close over the plants. (6 inches). I grew thousands of bedding plants that way too and they were never leggy, they were wonderful.

You may not be aware that T12's are in the process of being phased out. below are two links with some info on it. So that may have some bearing on what type of lights you get.

High output (HO) T5's are said to be twice as bright as the T12's. Not sure if it's true and I a no expert.

Is it true that T12 bulbs are being discontinued and must be replaced with T8

http://nuwnotes1.nu.com/apps/clm/eventcalendar.nsf/0/6feae9ce87dcb7968525770a0074d8ea/$FILE/Lighting%20phaseout%20optimized.pdf

Looks like this 2nd URL didn't turn into a link so hopefully it works if you copy and paste it.

those links are interesting. i guess t8 is a good way to go. and these will do for the winter. what i am concerned with is the amount of time to keep it on. i dont have a timer and dont really know how much hours it has to be on. so far ive kept it on 7am to 9pm just for convenience but im not sure if thats right.