Are these the best to use for Vegging? And if so would 250 watts be enough for about 4 plants?

Hank.

Remember, the only thing you can't have too much of is light.

No matter how much light you're wired for, you'll never match the output of the sun. One important consideration, which will take practice to master, is getting rid of the heat that artificial lighting produces. This requires the study and application of airflow technologies. The question to ask yourself is "Can I keep the room cool?" Keep in mind that for each 1000 watts of HID lighting your ambient room temperature will rise by 10-15 degrees.

A typical 4'x4' garden should house no more than 20 plants, with adjustments made in respect to bucket size (larger buckets mean fewer plants and vice-versa). For lighting I suggest 1200-2000 watts, using 600 and 1000 watt HID's, depending on your surrounding climate and your level of expertise with respect to air-flow technology. Ultimately it's best to use Halide during vegetative; saving the sodium until flowering will promote rapid budset, leading to shorter internodal spacing. Flowering is best done with a blend of Sodium and halide at a ratio of 2-1.

Putting all of this information into perspective is not simple without vision. Some people are better than others with respect to visualizing future events, but one thing's for sure -- everyone can benefit from experience.

Hope that helps.

Probably a more direct answer to the question is yes, 250hps can accommodate 4 plants if they are within no more than a 3' x 3' area. I have vegged/flowered with hps and it was fine for both.

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Cool. You guys have been much help.

Hank.