Closet grow ideas under 400watt mh/hps + Advanced Nutes

Hey everyone, just trying to get some last minute advice before I start a grow under the following conditions:
- Approx. 5x5 closet growing area
- 400watt mh (veg) and hps (flower) with an HTG Supply switchable remote ballast and a basic four sided horizontal reflector (anyone that has purchased equipment such as this from HTG please chime in)
- Advanced Nutes Grow, Bloom, and Micro (is micro necessary?)
- Advanced Nutes Big Bud, Bud Candy, Voodoo Juice, Overdrive, Final Phase, Bud Blood, and possibly a bud sweetener such as Botanicare's Sweet series or GH's FloraNectar (please let me know any advice you may have on what will or will not be needed/effective)
- Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil
- 4 feminized seeds: 1 Barney's Farm LSD, 1 Big Buddha Chiesel, 1 DNA Genetics Kushberry, and 1 Dinafem California Hash Plant (already have the seeds...BIG UPS TO ATTITUDE!!!)
- 4 black 5 gallon buckets
- either panda film or mylar to cover all walls and floor with

Well this is what I'm thinking for now and I will probably be going to purchase all/most of this stuff in the next few days. Obviously I need people like you guys to help me out as this is my first real grow even though I have been reading up like crazy so ANY help or recommendations will be extremely appreciated. I realize I'm racking up quite a budget with this so if anyone has ways I can keep it low that would be very helpful as well. THANKS!

Also just a few more general questions:
1. I've looked at the calculators on forums but if anyone could give me a quick calculation from experience of what electricity costs might go up by under these settings (4 plants, 1 400watt light and ballast, basic fan) that would be great (i realize this isn't really a question lol)
2. How much fan power is too much fan power?
3. I know all about AN feeding chart and have read very much about this but it seems it is very environment specific: Can anyone recommend a weekly feeding schedule for my situation (and I don't mean numbers I'm talking three times a week, twice a week, etc...I have never really found anything specifically on this..or please link me to a page regarding this) (ahaha this isnt really a question either)
4. To all experienced growers out there what water should I use (tap, tap that I let sit for 24hrs, reverse-osmosis, purified, etc)?
5. Should I put my newly planted seeds (when they are that) under my 400watt mh or something else to start off?

Once again, anything that anyone on this great website is willing to offer as information to help me through the process will be greatly appreciated. I know that I asked a lot in this one post but there is a lot I obviously could use help with . OH, and I almost forgot to mention I will certainly be starting a grow log as soon as the process starts. StAyHigH my dudes

Electric cost will be about 10-15 dollars, high estimate.

They shouldn't be whipping around all crazy, just a nice good flow.

I fucked up some plants this week because of my nutes, I have just about the same set up you have(soon to have). My best advice would be to make sure you're ph is balanced otherwise your shit will die.

Tap water that sits or RO water, either will work, just again make sure you check your ph after you nute your water, and if you're just giving it plain water, make sure the ph checks out ok on it too.

A lot of new growers used miriacle grow, which has nutes it it, so it keeps it alive long enough to get a harvest. Then we get a little more serious and buy stuff like ocean forrest. That ocean forrest is just a medium to grow in, has basically no nutes, and is ph neutral. You MUST keep the soil ph correct 6.8-7.2 or you'll have the problems i'm currently having.

Which btw, I think I've stopped the problem, but here's a good example of a mature female, ready to flower,.... and LOok! she's starving like a bloated belly kid from a 3rd world country.

Electric cost will be about 10-15 dollars, high estimate.

They shouldn't be whipping around all crazy, just a nice good flow.

I fucked up some plants this week because of my nutes, I have just about the same set up you have(soon to have). My best advice would be to make sure you're ph is balanced otherwise your shit will die.

Tap water that sits or RO water, either will work, just again make sure you check your ph after you nute your water, and if you're just giving it plain water, make sure the ph checks out ok on it too.

A lot of new growers used miriacle grow, which has nutes it it, so it keeps it alive long enough to get a harvest. Then we get a little more serious and buy stuff like ocean forrest. That ocean forrest is just a medium to grow in, has basically no nutes, and is ph neutral. You MUST keep the soil ph correct 6.8-7.2 or you'll have the problems i'm currently having.

Punk said:

You MUST keep the soil ph correct 6.8-7.2 or you'll have the problems i'm currently having.

Click to expand...

First of all thanks a lot for the response I'm kind of disappointed that I'm not getting a whole lot of help on all this from others but thank you. I am aware that 6.8-7.2 is around what I should keep the ph around (as I will be using GH Ph up and Ph down) but how should I test the soil to figure that out. This question just came to mind (probly a very newbish question) because I obviously know how to test my water and water mixed with nutes (or any other liquid), but how do you test the Ph of the soil...is that where a PPM meter would come into play?? Thanks a lot man for the help!