A 400w doesn't really put a great deal of lumen. It's a bulb I think should be reserved for smaller grows with a few plants. 600w and 1000k put off sooooo much more light, the comparison is unreal. For 30 plants to all get sufficient light to properly photosynthesize you're going to need more than 400w. I wouldn't put more than 10 plants under a 400w and that's really pushing it. The light penetration/spread isn't really that large. Other than your choice of lamp your plan sounds perfect. I'm glad my grow could be inspiring. I have another grow going if you want to check it out.
hmm, ok, well this advice actually works out quite well for my first run. i've got 10 reg seeds, and am hoping to have somewhere around a 60:40 female-male ratio; leaving me with 10 plants.
now, as you all can probably tell i love to think about the future, haha (its my incentive to succeed). let's say the next run involves a closet with the following:
-2x 600w
-upgraded vent. system to match my light upgrade (suggestions MORE than welcome) - remember i'm
stealth~[9'x2'x7' closet]
-fully automated co2 (
http://www.controlwizardproducts.com/proddetail.php?prod=CO352 --
http://www.greners.com/i/fans-ventilation-filters/equipment/co2-burners/minigen-co2-generator.html)
-perfectly sealed closet (suggestions for this welcome, but i betchu all i get that shit sealed perfectly regardless. watch or teach, haha.)
alright we got 1200 watts now we're talkin'. time to ask the same question again:
what do y'all think is an optimal amount of plants per 600w when growing SOG style??
i really love the concept of SOG. experience may stray me away from SOG but as of now that is the way i'm interested in growing.
..time will tell
edit: i'm kinda drunk so excuse this if necesssary, lol. would it even be feasible to consider 2x 1000watts in my small little closet space? if i'm buying more ballasts and bulbs and maybe even different reflectors/fans etc. then i want as much light as i can get obviously lol.
can my little closet handle 2k watts? i'm ready to listen to your opinions.