Lighting/fan schedule for 7 day old sprouts

what is the best way to light and fan 7 day old sprouts? i have a 400 watt hps and a standard box fan with low medium and high rates. Any advice or tips will help. Thanks

Keep the sprouts off to the side so they don't burn under the direct light, you can use an 18 or 24hr light period if you want both will promote vegetative growth. Keep the fan on low and near the sprouts, I like my plants to be swaying a little in the wind, this will help strengthen the stem. Other than that, keep your room temp between 70-80 degrees and slowly move the sprouts under full light, over the course of a few days/week

Hi, good question. Let us break this into two parts, the lighting (part A) and ventilation (Part B)
Part A. Lighting
Young plants of any kind do not generally require much light in order to initially propagate them. I would strongly recommend keeping the light very far away from the plants, at least until they have developed there first set of three leaves. However other roles do take place in this decision. For instance; what kind of fixture are you using, is there a pane of glass between the light and the plants, and what is the average temperature of your area? All these specifics are very helpful if specific answers is what you are looking for. Plants this age can go anywhere from 18-20 hours a day with the light on, and 6-4 hours a day off.
Part B. Ventilation
Unfortunately there is no right answer. Basically, if it's too hot turn it up, or if it's too cold turn it down. A good rule of thumb however is that you want to be able to move your entire grow rooms volume of air (which you can find by LxWxH) at least once every 2 minutes, although that is fairly low. But after keeping that in mind, just turn the fan up if the temps are higher than 85, or turn it down if they are lower than 78.

thank you both for your quick and helpful responses. jjwalker717, I have my light in a cooling tube and the room is probably in the 75-80 range at all times.

I would use CFL's for new borns, or some T5's. 400w is alot for those little sprouts, start with something smaller then work your way up. Or if you dont want, just keep the light 2-3 feet away from them.

I also prefer to start with 24 hours light, then each week take 1-2 hours off till you get to 18. Then when your ready to flower, switch to 12/12.

thank you kush714, i have my light at about 3 feet away from them at the moment to be safe. Is there a specific reason you like the extra lighting compared to the 18/6 schedule? the benefits?

When growing plants, the lighting schedule is one thing that can be altered greatly. While Kush is perfectly correct that 24 hour lighting is great, it can promote stress on the plants. Plants do need time to rest, this is when they break down some of the sugars stored throughout the day. Although it can be unlikely, stress can result in stunted growth, or even causing a hermaphrodite. While Plants may grow faster with more light, you don't want to completely get rid of the dark. The world of botany is an amazing thing. Plants don't even necessarily need a 24 hour cycle–I have read in some cases where people used a 36 hour cycle with amazing results! Try growing in different areas using small cfls, and see which works better for you, Thats the only way that REALLY matters

jjwalker, would you recommend having the fan on or off while the light is off?

I personally go 16 hours so my lights are never on during peak usage time, off from 10am - 6pm. It saves me about $10 a month in electricity. I'm just at the borderline of going over my allotment and they rape you after that point. My fan turns off shortly after my lights, I do kick it on during the hotter days.

I find it also help regulate the temperature as well, because the light is never on during the hottest part of the day. And keeps the room warm at night.

You should always keep your fan on. Stomata on the underside of the leaves will still open during night hours. This will cause the transfer of water from the plant into the environment. Too much humidity in your room can cause your plants to go haywire. It can also be attractive to bugs, and cause mold. Keeping your fan on will ensure the transfer of this humidity out of your grow room. And definitely do as Shadeslay does. His idea of keeping them off during peak usage hours is brilliant +rep. I have never even thought about that!

Okay, thanks for the advice jjwalker. And yes, thank you shadeslay I will definantly do that.

How far should I keep the 400 watt hps from 10 day old sprouts?