Hello folks,

I hope to have a set up ready to go by the week of May 12th, but I have a few pressing concerns and I have come in search of wisdom.

I am planning on purchasing a 400 watt HPS ballast from a local electrical distributor next week. I have a buddy who's an electrician to do the hardwiring for me, but I will be without a reflector so I'm assuming I will have to vertically position the bulb over or between the plants. This will be a simple closet grow and an experiment above all else. The estimate on the ballast is $105.70 (no bulb, not assembled, no reflector, not sure if it comes with a socket for the light yet). I will be lining the walls with mylar to increase reflectivity and I may well purchase a reflector a month or so down the road. I know one of the golden rules is to never skimp out on proper lighting, but I'm confident I can set up an efficient, small scale grow room. I am willing, however, to change my mind if arguments arise.

For a closet with approximate dimensions 2.5 x 6 x 6 (l x w x h in feet), would 5 gallon pots be excessive? Considering I will be working with Silver Haze hybrids, I'm not sure yet whether I want to give them the root system to stretch too much, but I could always tie down or prune if necessary. I plan on attempting to fit 4 plants in the space if at all possible.

Finally, will I need to purchase a power inverter to safely power my ballast or do they make heavy duty surge protectors? I will be keeping an eye out for these items when I return to the electrical distributor this next week as well.

I will take photographs of the closet over the weekend to give you all a visual model. I might have read every grow book for indoor cultivation I could get my hands on, but application is the true test of knowledge and I'd like to hear from the pros. Thanks for the help and take it easy!

-Hazeus
Hazeus Reviewed by Hazeus on . Advice on first indoor grow Hello folks, I hope to have a set up ready to go by the week of May 12th, but I have a few pressing concerns and I have come in search of wisdom. I am planning on purchasing a 400 watt HPS ballast from a local electrical distributor next week. I have a buddy who's an electrician to do the hardwiring for me, but I will be without a reflector so I'm assuming I will have to vertically position the bulb over or between the plants. This will be a simple closet grow and an experiment Rating: 5