Della, not all T5's or T8's are the same spectrum wise. Make sure you get Hydrofarm HydoGrow or Sylvania Grow-Lux or equilivent. Some upscale garden centers should have them; if not they can order them. Same for any big box store or good local hardware store. Or you can order them on the internet. If you go with the 48 inch tubes, you'll need about 50 inches overall; somewhere in the nieghborhood of 128-132 cm I suppose--do you have that? Oh, keep in mind to get a light fixture with a good reflecter backing ( see pics below), You'll want to get the most out of your lights. Note also the little 'S' hooks and chain setup for hanging/mounting--but you can get innovative there also.
As far as LED lights--Rick, are they even appropiate for our use with lilies? I certainly don't know enough about them yet--doubt if anybody does. For me anyway, it's a no brainer--I've got too many T5's and T8's around here to even consider a change and the problem is (a nice problem), they all work so well for me that I wouldn't want to change. But, if you're a person starting out new with lights--then it might be a different story.
Here's an 'off the wall' thought, Della--did you ever think of adding mirror tile at a 45' angle to the bottom outer edges? I can invision a reflective system that would give you good lighting at a full 180 degrees. Rick--would this be ok, or do you think it might distort the wavelengh we're after? Just a thought.
