I have 6 total 42 watt CFL's. I have one seed germinating in the soil, inside a grow box. How many CFL's should I put on her once she is sprouted? Then when should I put the rest of the lighting on her? How many nodes or sets of leafs should I have when applying the rest of the light? Edit: The seed I am using is an Autoflower.
One about 4-5 inches away should be plenty for the first week, then add an extra light or two every couple of days. Watch for wilting/burn and remove a light or put more distance between the light and the plant if you see anything like that.
I would have 1 bulb set about 4" away for the first week. Then have 3 throughout the second week. And then add the rest
You can't really go much farther away than that anyways. Add as advised above. I would also reserve 2 of the CFLs to use as side lighting. Florescents don't really penetrate very far and adding side lights will help keep her from stretching.
I'm using two of the CFL's for the top of the plant and then 4 CFL's on the side, 2 on each side. When should I start putting the CFL's closer to the plant? I know at seedling stage it's better to keep them at about 4" but I know I can get them closer as the plant gets bigger, I just don't know when to start doing so.
2-4" is fine generally, but be careful they don't come in to contact. For a 3 week old plant it will be a scorched leaf, but for a seedling of just days old, it could kill it. And they grow very fast
Be careful about being too eager to make your plant grow! They survive a lot better with time and space, than when they get bullied and cajoled. Think of it like this: when your seedling has grown to be 2 inches tall, it will already be 2 inches from your CFLs all by itself! That's when it is almost time to raise your lights even higher. Rather than waiting for the time when you can move the lights closer to the plant, let the plant come up to the lights.