Are my lights good enough to get my plants through the vegetative state?

I have 2 100 watt cfls currently. I noticed that my friend, who is also growing seeds from the same plant as I am, his plants which are the same age are more bunched together and are shorter than mine. He gives his plants sunlight during the day and then 2 cfls like mine at night. Could that be why his are like that?

yea because of the sunlight because 2 cfls do not provide enough light hence y yours is longer it is stretching looking for light. how far away are the cfls from the top of your plant?

Id say around 5 to 6 inches away.

one inch is what it should be

Seriously? that will work better for the 2 cfls for now? They are like 4 to 5 inches tall right now and i got 6 plants. How many more lights should i get?

one inch. and they won't stretch

if i recall the rule is this 100 wat for a plant a 50 watts per plant after that so u need 400 hid or about 10 more cfls

What would be a safer method for that many Cfls because I don't think its smart to have 10 fixtures and plugs for 10 separate bulbs. Seems like a fire hazard.

you need about 2 more 26W bulbs, and you'll be fine

for 6 plants 4 bulbs not enough at all

ahhhhhh......six plants..........go HID

Yea 400 hid is what i would suggest.

i have 14 26W bulbs on two plants

yea that is enough light. but go hid 400 watt. costs some money but is way way worth it i switched from 4 lamp 4 ft badboy T5 to a 250 hid and i enjoy my hid, might upgrade to 400

my ghetto fixture. gets results though

that is a nice

How many lumens should each bulb be? Currently I have 3 bulbs, one of them is soft white the other two seem to be brighter lights. Is that going to make a difference or is it only the lumens and wattage that matter?

Well the spectrum of the cfls doesn't matter, because it would be a hazard and hassle and waste to have enough cfls for 6 plants...that is silly...lol. Unless you are talking about starting 6 seeds..then cfls can do it efficiently..If I was you I would get a 400w light...that is what I did, and it was an awesome idea!

mikmike is right..a good rule of thumb is 100 watts for every plant. although if you get a 400w light mh/hps light your plants will love you for it. if you stick to cfl's your plants wont grow to their full potential. I mean it will grow no matter most of the time but how well you grow it depends on how high it will get you. lights can get a bit pricey compared to cfl's but you wont regret it. good luck with the grow dude

Is there any specific kind of 400w bulb that i should get because i bought a 200w bulb that produced too much heat and made my plants sort of sag and fall over. They are all standing straight right now under my 3 cfls. I also acquired a all purpose plant food with 24-8-16 for the nitrogen and potassium and stuff. Would it help in the right doses?