400W light too strong for seedlings?

After failing miserably with my 1st attempt growng with a 50W LED light i've got a brand new rig out.

Tent,hydroponic set-up,and a 400W light,now after speaking to a neighbour who grows he's telling me the 400W light will be too powerful for my seedlings and i should get a 250W light to start them off.

I was just wondering if anyone had went straight from germination to putting them under such a light,i was even thinking of using the 50W LED light to start them off.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I dont see a problem using the 400W light besides the heat. I'd keep the light further away from the seedlings till the grow a bit. You can also mist your plants once or twice a day to keep them cool

I second what Jamie said. The more light the better, just watch the heat . I use my 400w Metal Halide from seedling to heavy veg.

I use flouros for my seedling and vegging but I have tried with MH and it works you just have to keep the light farther away from the plant and realize that there will be some stretching. Your best bet is to get some CFL's for the first week or two and then put them under the MH and slowly lower it as the plants get older.

I've started seeds in full summer sun (just like mother nature, btw) A HPS as close as you can get it without overheating them (say12 inches) would be great. It's very energy ineficient though if your using it for a few seedlings only. I use 6500 K cfls myself in the winter.

I use air cooled 400W MH's. Never tried CFL's or Fluorescents so can't really compare.

I use my 400 watt from start to finish no problems..

Same here I use my 400w mh... start to finish no probs.

i use a 600w HPS for seedling, veg, flower

works perfectly - just mist alot, make sure they dont dry out and keep the temps fine - honest u can use 1 x hps for seedling thru to harvest = i have some lovely little monsters on the go - 1st day of flowering starts right this second 'flicks the light switch on'

there we go - 9 weeks untill harvest

View attachment 1330024Growing this baby under a 1000 watt hps!! Just keepn it low and warm . Put it in dirt Dec. 3rd.

ENGLAND123 said:

i use a 600w HPS for seedling, veg, flower

works perfectly - just mist alot, make sure they dont dry out and keep the temps fine - honest u can use 1 x hps for seedling thru to harvest = i have some lovely little monsters on the go - 1st day of flowering starts right this second 'flicks the light switch on'

there we go - 9 weeks untill harvest

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yup yup i here do use the same lighting 600 watt hps through out the whole growth.

i hear plenty of yayaya about blue light for vegging.. but the gist i get is with as many lumens as a hps can throw out it doesn't really matter so much.. i'm taking my chance with a 400w hps all the way for my first grow.

jamie497 said:

I dont see a problem using the 400W light besides the heat. I'd keep the light further away from the seedlings till the grow a bit. You can also mist your plants once or twice a day to keep them cool

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i agree with you but dont mist them as droplets can enc mold. if you havent got a cool tube, best to keep light about 4-5' away and blow a large os fan in there.

frmrboi said:

A HPS as close as you can get it without overheating them

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You would be far better off with a 6500K MH bulb than a HPS bulb, which would be around 2100K, if you can use either with your ballast. If you can't then I would suggest a MH conversion bulb. It will be more of a full spectrum bulb, more like 4500K, but it would still be much better than a HPS bulb for seedlings and vegging, it will still give a more blue light spectrum that your seedlings and then vegging plants need than a HPS bulb.

Brick Top said:

You would be far better off with a 6500K MH bulb than a HPS bulb, .

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why are you quoting me ? The question was how to use his light. Keep it up Brick Top and you'll be getting another reprimand from FDDK.

frmrboi said:

why are you quoting me ? The question was how to use his light. Keep it up Brick Top and you'll be getting another reprimand from FDDK.

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I do not understand your problem? You gave advice and I quoted your advice and improved on it, offering a comparison, using what you said as a basis to build on.

Please explain to me how in any way that would be cause for any sort of reprimand?

With the way you have been trolling me almost every opportunity you get if anyone deserves to be reprimanded it would be you. I do not know why you have a burr under your saddle over me but I would appreciate it if you stopped trolling me and if you dropped the attitude you include in everything you say to or about me.

If my correcting or improving on your advice really bothers you in the future I will only use what you said and leave out your name, but there is no reason under the sun why I am doing anything wrong quoting things you say, or anyone else says, and then improving on it or expanding on it or explaining why it is bad advice.

an abuse complaint has now been filed.

frmrboi said:

why are you quoting me ? The question was how to use his light. Keep it up Brick Top and you'll be getting another reprimand from FDDK.

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Seemd to me that he wa aggreeing with thiss statement, however a MH light is better for veg, period. Why so serious damn lighten up a lil.

u just put the pot off to the side and have the light 12-16inches away..dont put the seedlings directly under the 400w and you will be fine

frmrboi said:

an abuse complaint has now been filed.

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I don't see any abuse, and there's another +rep for Brick Top for his tactful posting.