so i'm new to the whole grow thing but ive been reading up a lot on the matter and ive decided to go cfl on my bagseed because im cheap. I have one plant and its on 24/0 right now with nearly 100 actual watts shining on it with great ventilation temp and humid control and all that jazz. in all these grow guides i cant find anywhere that really gives a good description of when i should start the 18/6 veg cycle. This is probably stupid but if anyone could help me out that would be great.
24/7 and 18/6 both accomplish the same purpose, which is to make the plant grow and create vegetation. 24/7 does this faster but many folks choose 18/6 to help with daytime temp issues and to save some $$ on electricity. You can switch out from 24/7 to 18/6 anytime you want. When the plant is approximately 1/2 the size you want it to finish out at you switch it to 12/12 lighting.
^What Duckhead said, plus there are folks on both sides of the fence who feel that their preferred veg lighting schedule (24/0 or 18/6) is actually better for the plant or for its yield. This is a debate not likely to be settled anytime soon. Definitely true that 18/6 can help you manage heat better if that is a challenge.
I prefer 24/0 because it is easier than setting up another light timer and therefore less maintenance. Peace