First off, i went to walmart last night and got a 100 equivalent watt cfl bulb (actually uses 26 watts). Is this bulb ideal for growing? Also, I have my light schedule on 18/6. how long into the growing process (in months) should i switch light schedules? And what light schedule? I dont want to leaf them too fast.
You're gonna want a few more bulbs, and a lot more if you're growing more than one. Also you can just leave the bulb on 24/0, it won't hurt. You'll want to switch to 12/12 when your plant has reached about half the height you want it to be.
Sigh... read the stickies. They are here for a reason. 26ws of light is not enough (100w equivalant means absolutely nothing, that's like Wendy's saying the baconnator is healthier than a bucket of lard.) I'm tired, so the rest of your questions... well.... start reading and don't stop till you understand the basics of indoor growing.
1 26wtt cfl will be enough to start off 1 plant with, but as it gets bigger youll need to upgrade to 3 or 4 lights per plant. i would recommend flowering when your plant is between 8" and 12" tall, or after about 1 month of vegitative growth.
"For fast vigorous growth the plants should receive a minimum of 20 watts of fluorescent light per square foot" -Ed Rosenthal I believe i read somewhere that 50 watts per square foot is ideal for flowering. Hope this helps, gl