What kind of lighting

New to growing, is there lights that you can use from start to finish or do you HAVE to change at different times? I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible and cheep if i can

you could use the same light for the entire grow, for expample a 400w mh/hps. However you are going to have to keep the light far away from the plant in it's early stages, then progressivly move it closer as they age.

How far is a good distance

Depends on the type and wattage of the light your using.

not u dont HAVE to, but ideally for the best grow & what the plants really need at each stage, u should. cheapest, easiest will be using CFL's which u dont have to worry about distance much, as u will keep them above ur plants at approximately a bit less then 2 inches ur entire grow.

man a rule of thumb is when you put your hand under the light where you feel good there the plant will too , if your only option is to use one light, then you should use Metal Halide, all depends on the number of plants, growroom dimensions and airflow. good CFL's can even touch the plant without burning it, but you will need about 5-10 25w-CFL's for 2' x 2' x 3' room with 5 plants SOG method

the space is 4' tall x 5' wide x 25" deep.. plan on 3 plants

JokerTattoo said:

if your only option is to use one light, then you should use Metal Halide,

Click to expand...

Actually, money aside & talking about only using one light for an entire grow, the HPS is the best choice, Not the MH, as the light u need most is in flower, & HPS is designed for flowering plants, however a lot of growers use only HPS from seed to Harvest.

A 400W CMH will work fine for that space. CMH is better than MH or HPS. A cheap Cfl for seedlings for a week or two is a good idea.
Daniels
View attachment 1481596
http://www.growlightexpress.com/pages/ceramic-metal-halide-pv-c0-2.html
http://advancedtechlighting.com/cmhfact3.htm

so what should i go with for best all around light, it doesn't need to be just 1 light, just trying to stay cheep and easy

again, ur only cheap & easy option is the cfl, as they are the only lights u dont need a ballast for, us simply plug them in & go.