I currently have 3 plants, 1 of which has sprouted and has started to grow about 2 inches from the soil, and the other two have no yet breeched the surface. As far as lighting is concerned, I currently have four 23w CFL - Daylight - 6500k for the 3 pots, hovered roughly 8 inches - 1 foot above the pot. So, My question is.. Do I need more bulbs or should I get 42w Cfls? On a side note, I also have 23w - Soft White - 2700k for when its time to flower some time from now. Anything seem out of place?
I'd say more like 2cm to 4cm. (3/4 of an inch to 3/2 of an inch). CFL bulbs in the 20w range can and must be placed as close to the plant as possible. Early on in life you can run it at 2 inches, but later on in veg I suggest keeping the bulb about 1 inch away.
Alright awesome, I am going to look into some higher wattage CFLs. I did some tests to see how hot it was and it has yet to burn my hand and they have been running all day. I will be lowering the lights to the pot fairly shortly and if all goes well I should be well on my way to growing.