MH 400W Light usage (24/0 to 18/6)

Hi Everybody,

Is it OK to run a Metal Halide (400W) for 24 hours constantly right after transplanting the seedlings into a larger pot for about two weeks (enough to let the plants grow for a while and get used to the new environment) and then change the light to 18/6? The light heats up the room so much.
What do you suggest?


Thanks

i put mine to 18/6 as soon as they have 3 nodes

How do you control the heat and what average temp do you keep them at?

you control heat with your fan and ventalation. i keep my room with light on at 75 to 80 and peaks at 84. lights of as cool as i can get it, about 17 . this low temp at night pulls the purple pheno out if it has one. ckeck my indoor jounal i just harvested crop of chemo. 7 ounces dry from 8 plants under 3 feet tall with a 430 watt hps.

Great setup you have. Unfortunately, all I have is the bathroom ventilation and a fan. my temp goes up to 86 degrees. plants look OK, but I'm gonna change the lighting from 24/0 to 18/6 in a few days. I'm using 5 gallon pots, how often should I water them?

Thanks again for your help

my converted dresser just has a bathroom fan on it right now but only flouro`s for light.
18/6 will lower you temps. there is no set watering schedule. some people do the finger in the soil test but i dont find it accurate enough for me. i feel the weight of the pots when i first put the plants in them and take note of it. then i water enough to get a bit of run off. then i feel the weight again, and note it. now for the first time in new pots i like to let them dry up till they just start to wilt again then water again. now how ever many days it took to get to that point i just hit it a day before it wilts from there on in. accurate wtaering is important to maintain proper ph in the soil and not build up salts.
remember as the plant grows it mat drink more. when mine went into flower my 2 gallon pots took 3 to 4 cups per watering then jumped to 5 to 6 cups but not quite as often.

Hi bonz,
I was able to lower the temperature by lowering the whole house temp.
I've another question for you.
I found out that I have to water my plants every three days. But how much should I water them? I'm using 5 gallon pots. How do you know how much to water?
I water them about 1 quart (1 liter) and the drained water is about 1/2 quart (500 mil liter).
Is that good enough? too much or too little?
Thanks

i just explained it above your post^^^^
if the plant looks happy then it`s fine. you want the leaves to be reaching for the light, thats happy

But does is matter how much water is drained from the holes?

if yiou get to much then i would think the soil is old and compcted, replace or root bound.
how old are they, what for soil

the soil is new (fox farm ocean forest mixed with light warrior).

as long as they look happy then continue. cant say with no pic`s