I know there is not an exact time, but my closet is three feet tall. How tall do you think the plants should be when I send them on their merry way?

what kinda lights are u using? the stronger the lights the more the stretching.
dont forget to save some space for the pots or buckets theyr gonna be in.
you know they stretch during flowering up to 4x the size, so judge by those factors.

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Thanks man. I'm just using 2 High Power Cf's. This is just a low budget experiment for now. My plants are about 8 inches (4 weeks) right now so I guess I need to start flowering!

4 weeks would be a pretty good time especially with CFL's. I can imagine how nice they look, and if they look anything like mine then the canopy will be too thick if you let them get any more mature. Hopefully u get at least 2 more of those CFL's so that each plant will have 2
great job man

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Im in a similar situation regarding the space problem. when i want to make it start flowering do i just change up the light schedule? And does it really matter how long theyve been growing or does it just go by size?

Yes, just change the light schedule to initiate flowering. You can flower at any time, but it is recommended that you wait until your plants have alternating nodes and/or preflowers, since flowering too early puts the plant into a stressed state, which increases the chances of hermies.

For people who have limited height, especially those using CFLs, I recommend LST or Scrog, to get maximum yield whilst still keeping your plants short.

Just change cycle to 12 on 12 off and they'll flower. The bigger they are before you turn to 12 12 the more bud you'll get. But the size you grow to in veg depends on various factors such as height available, lights used cfl/hps/mh. Good luck

Alright im gettin a clone though so how long should i keep it in the humidity dome untill i put it under light? And if its flowering and its getting to tall cant i like bend it over a little and tie it to the flower pot? Its my first grow so im just tryin to do it right in limited space

If the clone is already properly rooted, you may not need to put it under a dome at all. And yes, bending and tieing is fine, and is actually a good thing. The more bud sites you can get closer to the light, the better your yield will be.

well im gettin the clone as soon as it gets dipped in rooting powder and put in soil so i have to use the dome. How long bro??