+REP for HELP ! how far do i keep my 400w light away from the plants?

You want to keep a 400W usually about anywhere from 12-18'' provided you have proper cooling I'd say start off at 18'' away then gradually down to 12''. I just setup my 600W HPS today and transplanted my 4 week old plants into 3 gallon nursery pots. I am keeping the light 24'' away right now for a few days then I will move it down to 18'' and probably won't need to go lower then that.

As for watering all depends with 5 gallon buckets you will not need to water very often, as the saying goes a inch or two dry on the surface down then water. You will also be able to tell when they need it if you pick up your bucket and feel how heavy it is pick it up again in a few days see how much lighter it is and you can kinda estimate if you need a watering. Best of luck!

 

How much space are you keeping them in, how many are there, and is it enclosed?

Depending on your answers, 1-3 feet. Any closer and you could end up in shock.

 

I run my air cooled 400 about 4 inches from the top....

Am I too close? heat is not an issue it is very well cooled (2-3 degrees above room)

 

Its simple really you get it as close as you can without causing heat issues grab a thermonitor put at height of plant make sure it doesnt go about like 85 tops 80 would be better. Noone can really answer this specifically because everyones conditions are different. If its air cooled you can get it real close if not i suggest 16-24 inches. If you have lots of fans or a carbon filter that will lower temps as well. I usually dont check the temp anymore i just do the hand test, if you put ur hand at plant level and feel heat its too close, goodluck.

 

I have an aircooled 600w HPS. On my first grow I put the clones into pots and about 12 inches from the light. It stunted them. My second grow I put the light 2 feet over them, moved it down a few inches each day. After it got to 12 inches away I just left it there. Just before I chopped them down, some were as close as 4-6 inches away and growign like, well, weeds!!
So, I think you need to transition them. If you are buying clones, remember that they are probably coming out of T5's or CFL's.
Goodluck!

 

this is what I had always heard, but then I got to thinking about the focal area of the hood. If you investigate that, then you can optimize your footprint.

 

You know if you took the time to post this message then you should have the time to READ some info.This question has been asked and answered a million times.Put your hand under the light,comfortable?Then your plants will be too.

 

1 million and 1.

This site has huge traffic flow, if you're gonna let each question that could have been answered in the faq's bother you then, well, you need a smoke break.

 

Doc, u r one cool dude.
I hate when ppl r assholes for no reason.

 

i agree, just seems easier sometimes to post a question, go do something for a little while, even answer other ppls ?s . then check back in an hour or so and see if some one answered. the total time used only to ask the question, is many times faster than reading thru a huge FAQ or searching thru dozens of google sites. rep 4 u and the guy below!

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum:

There are stickies for a reason. To share important and basic info that is asked for over and over. It cuts down on server load and rehashing the same thing over and over. Maybe as you are reading thru that huge FAQ you learn a lot more than you thought you would. I actually read just about every sticky and FAQ on this site, Rollitup, Greenmans, ICMag, and a host of others over a few weeks to learn as much as possible.

Situational questions and the like are always welcomed, but you should put in a little research time to see if it has been answered already. But I'm not gonna get in a twist over it either.

 

I would suggest you get a couple of CFLs and start your plants off with those. Plants are very sensitive at that stage and having to keep your light further than one foot away will definitely cause some stretching. You can avoid this by getting some 6500k CFLs and placing them only couple inches away from the seedlings. No heat, no stretch, no stress... After a week you can start up your MH.

Just my two cents.