I have 3 very healthy plants that i'm about to put into blooming cycle in the next week or two.
right now i'm using 2 cfls one 7500 and one a wide spectrum.
only in a 4x3x8 closet what is the strongest hps i could use?

ventilation is no problem,but dont want to burn the house down.

also when i put these into blooming should i leave atleast one of the cfls on with the hps?which one?
Thanks,Steve W

I would use 1 600w hps in a room that size for budding. I currently use a 400w in a closet smaller than yours (about 2½'x3½'x6½') and it's perfect.

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cool thanks thats what i was thinking,how is the 400 working for you?
i only have 3 for personal would a 400 do?
would you use a cfl also or just comptlely switch?

The 400 works great! 600 is better though. A 400w hps is roughly 50,000 lumens, and a 600w hps is roughly 90,000 lumens.
Yeah a 400 would cover 3 pretty nicely. 600 would be better though.
I wouldn't bother with the cfl. In order for it to be effective it has to be real close and when i say close i mean close, like within 1". Now you don't want that cfl blocking the beautiful rays from your hps do you? Your 400w hps would have more lumens to the plant at 1 - 1½' away then a cfl would have when it's pretty much touching. So i say the cfl is a waste.

__________________
Hospitals have patience... I DON'T!!!

I've seen what a 400 can do. That's why I'm buying a 600. I'm sure I'll have the same feelings about the 600 in about 6 months. It's like a drug.