Here is a great link for you to read...I also learned from this one too...:-) :-)..Great info! Also look at the info "nygardener" gave me.. Very helpful! But caution.. If your garage is going to go down to the 40's, not to many hours of lights then. No more than 9..At least that is what I have been taught to do from many who grow in those cold conditions... I tried many more hours of that last year, and lost a many leaves and trees to overworking the plants while the roots were not functioning properly at cold levels.. I too am going to take my own advice this year do to very sucesssful people I am meeting, growing in colder temps too... I am only sharing based on people with good experience, and research, not my own experience. This will be a first for me with less light at cooler temps..More lights at cooler temps was a failure.. I hope you still find my time and info useful..;-) Here is a link that might be useful: lighting

I like both. T5's and T8's are a good choice for indoor growing. Depending on how many bulbs are being used (along with wattage and bulb length), either one should provide adequate lighting for most plants, especially if the fixture has good reflectors. In regards to "preference", I use t5ho (ho = high output) because I already had the bulbs & fixtures on hand (didn't have to reach into my pockets to buy and supply lighting for my plants). If I were starting from scratch, I'd probably go with t8's as my preference... a bit less expensive than t5ho's, and easier to acquire (bulbs/fixtures) locally. As to your question: "can you put a T5 into a standard shop light fixture?" - depends on what you mean by standard shop light fixture. I've noticed several "shop light fixtures" in some of the big box stores recently - T12 fixtures (T12's are starting to be phased out), T8 fixtures, and T5 fixtures. Some of those fixtures were quite nice (quality ballasts and good reflectors). The number next to the letter "T" (e.g., T5) corresponds to the diameter of the bulb; the larger the number, the larger the diameter. You want to use the correct type of bulb in the fixture it was deigned for. A T12 isn't going to work in a T5 fixture (and vise-a-versa). Also, a high output bulb (ho) will not work properly in a normal output (no) fixture. Hope this helps somewhat regarding your question.

If you are looking at the "Sunlite" T8 three-lamp system for $10 then I'd say snap it up! Six tubes on 8 square feet is perhaps more than you need, a nice system would be to wire only half to operate at the start and end of the day, with full intensity in the middle of the day. Just an idea, you can play it by ear and see how the plants are doing. Only four 32W tubes is less than ideal, especially once the plants are more than an inch or two high. I run 4x36W on about the same area and I wouldn't want any less for starting veggies or annuals. 5000K is fine, 4100K is fine, 6500K is fine. I wouldn't pay extra money for "full spectrum" for raising seeds but there's certainly no harm in using it.

I think led T8 grow tube is the best for you.Two reasons: 1.Energy saving,can save 85% than fluorescent tubes 2.Long lifespan,more than 50000hours And i suggest you use blue and red light mixed,good for plants growing. But the led T8 tube is much expensive. Hope can help you.