how close is too close

[stully]

I just purchased an HPS 400 watt system. I I have a small seedling, that I have been giving fluro for the first week and a half of its life I want crazy buds, but I don't want to burn the seedling up. My understanding is the light should be 18-24 inches from the top of the plant. But due to the fact that this is a new light for the plant, i don't want to introduce an extra 47K lumens(not to mention the heat)very aggresively. My plan is to p

ut the light about 4 foot from the seedling and slowly as the plant gets stronger I will move closer. Or should I just go for it and bathe the plant in light??
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[Newbud]

Hello there, i've only just started using a CFL for mother and young plants,i have used 600w hps before that with very good success.

I would say you do right to be cautious with young plants and i move mine down from around three foot to two foot slowly over the course of a week then from there on if i can get it lower with temps i will.
Usually ran about a foot away with a fan blowing accross there tops with open hoods but just got air cooled hoods so will be going as close as i can from here on

 

[crizzo357]

Yea I have a 400w air cooled hood that I put my seedlings underneath it right away within the 1st week, I just kept the light way up and lowered it like Newbud did over time.

Criz

 

[thedonofchronic]

when i do it i germ under the 400 hps with plastic bags
over them to hold in humidity. then when the seedling sprouts i take it off.
around 3-4ft away even is fine you can always lower it later. they dont need much at first. imo

 

[Newbud]

The simplest way i had it set up was when moma was under hps.
I did my cloning in a propergator/ dome in same room under same hps.
Now moma's pot is a little under a foot tall, then she around a ft tall usually cos i keep her little nows, then there the distance to the bulb, again about a ft.
Clones done on floor in dome at around 3ft from light.
Once they rooted and in there own smaller pots there around 2.5 ft from light and then its either onto a bench or just into the bigger pots, easy peazy.

No need to move nuthin

Gota love stoner logic

 

[hanfhead]

Hold your hand palm down at the canopy level and move your light down until you can feel it then back up an inch for normal growing plants. Your seedling will honestly do better under the cfl for the first few weeks. Until you can put it under the hps without risk of drying it out, I would keep it under a fluorescent.