Ya'll got me sooooo confused!

Hi, noob here and man I am soooo confused. I got me a closet, I got me dirt (well I can go get it), I got me seeds, I got me a 400 wt mh light and a husband who can rig me most any set up I want! I can spend about $100-150 to get this right. Im concerned about heat with the size of the closet and that big ol light and venting could prove to be a HUGE challenge, Im really kind fond of my house, ya know..... So now Im thinking CFL lighting. Ive gone from thinking hydro to dirt back and forth makin myself CRAZY!!! lol I could easily grow 4-6 plants in my space. Ok with CFL's can I get the bulbs I need at the local diy store? I want both spectrums of course. Now the odor issue...... what do ya do? Ive ben reading ALOT and getting more and more confused as I over think this to DEATH!! So direct me good people! Space measures approx. 5'w X 30"d X 8h Im looking for ease and efficiency. Thanks a bunch!

Start by reading everything you can on growing , Mel Frank,Jorge Cervantes, Ed Rosenthal,and our own Seemorebuds all are reliable. Check FAQ"s at top of page too. Don't be intimidated by the process, it's really fun once you get it figured out. Good luck and welcome to the RIU community.
P.S. Check out peoples journals too.

I know, I know, I posted too soon! I'm reading...... Gotta say I LOVE THIS FORUM!! Ya'll are great!

Back at ya,Lady!!

look into t5 flouro tubes over the cfls if youre going that route, they put out more lumens at equal wattage.

If you already have the 400wHM, definitely use it. I use a 400w in my closet, it's much smaller 2.5' x 2.5 'x 8'. Heat is an issue but I have a box fan at the bottom and it keeps it cool enough, I usually keep my house cool too though so i'm sure that helps.

check out these pics of a closet grow. Something similar would work for you im sure.
With this set up you can control heat and smell issues. You will need to cut two holes in your cieling, but that is a easy fix if you need to repair the holes.

There is a 6" inline fan pulling air up and into the attic. You can also split your AC from the attic and vent it into the closet. Very simple and about $25 including the inline fan.

Hope this helps.

Thanks all. No attic in this house. Modified A Frame, no central heat or air either. Its ok tho cause this was to be in addition to another thing thats growing and I thought about it some more and decided well doing it here too is well..... stupid, no need. So new light hanging in old digs and doing its thing. I'll keep ya'll posted.

well you have urself a 400 wt mh... so use that for veg... in a place that size u can get ur plants pretty tall... soo u can leave them veg under that mh for awile.... for flowering u might wanna invest in a cheap hps around 100$ a few months into grow... for now i'd pick up some decent size pots... a gallon for every foot u want the plant to grow... cheap a few bucks... then u wanna get urself a phtester.... if your ph is wrong it could cause u alot of problems( i know first hand )..... after that i'd get some decent seeds... like 20$ online for high qualitty.... get the best soil u cant find at local stores....no MG shit unless u know what ur doin... soil is cheap will run u very little....get yourself some mylar... provides reflection for all that wasted light... will run about 20$ find urself a cheap timer for ur light like 5 $ mabe cut some holes in the wall and stick a few fans in there blowing out ( for negitive pressure inside the box, smell in and heat out) keep in mind later in the grow the plants might be a bit smelly ... might wanna get a carbon filter late in the grow... there's my 2 cents... that should be enuf to get u started wol staying cheap... keep in mind your eventually gonna need to invest alittle more but consider it savings when ur pulling pounds out if u have any questions lmk

Please, check out the differences that I point out in my Journal. For a closet grower the t-5 light is better. We have some discussion about it in my journal, and I am comparing to the results folks are reporting from a 600watt hid light. One fixture, I have had as many as 20 plants under it in a flood and drain hydro. There is a link in my signature if you care to take a look. VV