Lights For Growing Micro Dwarf Tomatoes Indoors
Recently, Micro Dwarf tomatoes have risen in popularity. More growers are including them in their repertoire. What’s awesome about the entire process, is that they can easily be grown indoor and out. Indoor growing may require special lighting. So what is the best lights for growing micro dwarf tomatoes indoors? The truth is, this can successfully be done with various lighting types. In this article I will cover the three that have worked best for me. The three sources that will be covered are T5 HO, T5, and T8.
T5 High Output (HO) Lights.
I have used several lighting sources for growing my micro dwarf and dwarf tomatoes indoors. But the one I have settled on is T5 HO(high output). What I like about these is that I am able to grow the plans through all of the various stages without changing colors. Starting from seedlings and all the way to harvest, this is the only spectrum that I use. The end results have always been fantastic with these lights. I have even found that the tomatoes produced are even more flavorful than the ones grown in direct sunlight.
We use the 4 feet panels and always place them about 9-12 inches above plants, even as seedlings. I raise the lights as the plants grow. I experimented with not changing out lights to another color and that worked excellent. So for my crop I just use white light all the way through.
T5 HO can be found in various Kelvin temperatures. I use the highest, which are 6500 Kelvins. But they can be purchased in 3000K, 3500K and 4100K. The measurement of Lumens refer to the brightness of the lights. My lights are 5000 Lumens. That’s very bright and really pretty too! They are also 54 Watts each are also 54 Watts.
T5 Lights
No, these are not the same as T5 HO, even though frequently they are both referred to as T5. Be careful not to mix them up when you purchase. So what’s the difference? T5 HO lamps deliver more lumens (brightness) than the T5 lamps. I have also successfully used T5 lights to grow tomatoes indoors. The bulbs of both lighting types have good life expectancy and are usually reasonably priced. Although T5 are not as bright as T5 HOs, they are still excellent. Just a quick note: With these, I also do not change light color when growing out my micro dwarf tomatoes indoors. I use all white lights from seedlings to harvest.
T8 Lights
T8 lights are also effective as indoor growing lights. On many occasions, I have used them to grow, not only micro dwarfs, but all tomatoes indoors. The bulbs are larger than T5 and emit less heat, but they still do a great job. They are also not as bright, though. Cost-wise, they are cheaper, too! Some say that T5 lights are more visually appealing. That may be true, but I am all about growing effectiveness. These get the job done! So the visual aspect is not as important.
Value For Money T5 Lights
Both T5 and T5 HO bulbs have a life expectancy of 30,000 to 35,000 hours. Thats about 1,200-1,400 days. So your lights should last about 4-5 years running them about 12 hours per day. Fixtures for these are also more expensive than their T8 partners, but they are still great value for money? Using a light timer can also help you maximize the life of your bulbs and health of your plants. Please visit our Micro Dwarf tomato category. Feel free to browse our varieties, all of which we have successfully grown under lights. Hope this helps if you are seeking the best lights for growing micro dwarf tomatoes indoors.
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