Are my lights good enough to get my plants through the vegetative state?

I would get a 400watt ballast, a cool tube, and use a 400watt metal halide bulb while it veg's and then us a 400watt high pressure sodium bulb to flower. That's actually what i do in my 4x4 grow area and the temp isn't to bad as long as i keep a good amount of air flowing through. The highest my temp has gotten is 78F, so it should be ok.
Also, you can use all purpose plant food and it will work fine, but if you get the hang of mixing your own nutrients it will do wonders for your grow.

http://generalhydroponics.com/site/index.php/products/nutrients/flora_series/ < That's what I use and it works very well, but I'm about to change it up to Fox Farm. There is a lot of stuff out there so do some research.

I want affordable but effective.

i can dig it, i just like the bigger light cuz its easier for me to get bigger buds

They arent old enough for me to start their flowering cycle but im hoping not too much longer. Any ideas by the looks of mine how much longer till i should swithc to 12day 12night?

7-10 bulbs min for 4 plants. i had 6 palnts and 7 cfls and they did ok. but once i got my 2 80 watt per fixture t12s and added my 7 cfls to the sides they took off

oh yea, i knew the weren't ready to flower by the looks of them. I just meant the way my set up is, my plants like to veg under a 400w so the stem and stalks grow sturdy and stronger to hold more weight. In case you decide to go down that road, my light cost me $150 for everything and worth it but by the looks of things it look like they'll be ready to flower in 3 weeks give or take a week. Like everybody else said ya should get a bit more light but other than that, looking good

Cool. Thanks for the input guys, really helpful. Next step is the 400w setup.

germanbby92 said:

I want affordable but effective.
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hey man, your plants look fine for right now but them bulbs are not 100w each they are like 26w (100w incandecent equivelent)

do you plan on putting them outside this growing season (cheapest best light you can get) if so then maybe add 2 more of them same bulbs untill its time to plant outside, they dont look stretched and they look like they are growing good but will soon outgrow the lights you have, some people like to keep their CFL 1" away from plants I personally dont i think it makes the plants too short and the nodes too close together, i like branching on my plants.

anyways, 6 plants you going to want at least 400w HID or a 600w would be best, if you cant afford that then i suggest scouting a good outdoor spot and letting mother nature do what she does best.

best of luck man

RMTB

Oh yea, there is a book out there called "Growing Elite Marijuana". Whether you want to buy it or download it for free off the net, if you get it, break everything down...and i mean EVERYTHING!! It says that you can grow 7 plants or less under a 400watt light. I can't argue with matthebrute a 600watt would be so much better BUTTT i just returned mine and got a 400watt light. I had to because i only had a 4ftx4ft grow tent and it kept the temp around 90F so i had to use more electricity and run an a/c unit. That spiked my electricity bill so it was easier to grow with a 400. My point is a 600watt would be a LOT better but make sure you have the proper space or an a/c unit if you have a small tent like i do.

i have one plant under this

Pictures in order:
First- All, with new 400w (metal halide) light, in a grow tent with carbon filter ventilation. (All the same age except for the front middle left one, he is younger)
Second- The plant that is not growing. Period. He has stayed the same height for a while now even though we treated them all the same.
Third- Same plant as second picture with three others the same age (They are obviously much taller).
Fourth- This one's leaves have been curling for a while now and we cannot figure out why (He has even been replanted into a bigger pot)
Fifth- This one looks like he has had his leaves eaten by something.

Do you know what is going on and what to do to fix/help them??
Any advice is appreciated.
Any questions, just ask.