My grow space is a wardrobe closet that measures 2ft x 2.5ft x 5ft tall. I'm running a 400w HPS. The inside of the closet is semi-glossy white melamine, so this is gonna produce a pretty intense light inside the box. Heat is being vented by an exaughst fan on top of the cabinet blowing in and another one on top blowing out. More fans can be added if needed. My question is this: Should I start my seedlings using the 400W HPS, or will it be too much for them? Should I use a flourescent for the first 2 or 3 weeks instead? I'd rather use the HPS the whole time, but I want what's best for my babies.
you should use floresents 60-90w until they are at least 7" tall . keep the floresents on 24 hr/d about 4-8" from your plants a 400w hps will fry your seedlings