First grow

going to start a grow soon, just need to get some questions out of the way
what is a contactor relay, will i need one for a 125watt flo and a 400watt hps, (these are both going into the same segment timer)

also, when should i put the plants into budding, as height could be a problem and dont want them to get too tall, how close can i hang the 400w hps to the plants?

put the plants into budding after 3-4 weeks of 24/7 light, so cut the light cycle to 12/12. If u want them to bud sooner cut it to 12/12 sooner, but remeber the more u take away from the veg stage the less yeild.

do you know if i will need a contactor relay because i dont have that much money and dont want to wait longer

i dont know what that is lol