G13: First time Grower needs advice about the setup

All,
I apologize in advance if I am posting under the wrong section. I've got two g13 clones that I have planted indoors.

First two days, I kept them outside in lobby but they weren't getting enough sun so i decided to bring them in. I did my research and realized I can give them light 18 hours of the day and have 6 hours of sleep.
that is pretty much what I've been doing.

Currently, I have not invested in computer fan , ballast or anything like that. I also need to purchase reflector. any advice on where I can find that locally, would be great.

Only thing that I've invested in good Pots with holes on bottom, Miracle grow soil, 300 Watts Bulb and that is pretty much it.

Since it is my first experiment, I wanted to keep the cost as low as possible.

I've made small house with cardboxes and have drilled small holes on cardboxes so plants can breath through it. Could this setup work for long run or will I need fan and other things?

Anyone thinks this will not work?
I've had clones for about 3 days, I definitely see healthy leaves for most parts (i know its hard to tell in crappy shots) I'll try to take some better pics.
Only thing that I'm worried about is giving too much light or would you say I can keep these lights on all day/night long (24 hrs) will that speed up the process a bit?

some pics are posted.
Thank you for your advice in advance.

Bump! Since I'm new and I don't know how frequently people browse through here, I keep refreshing my post to see if there are any replies. I'll check back later.

Greetings Champ, It appears that your plants are stretching real bad. You appear to have an incandesent light bulb in your box. It is putting out the wrong type of lite for a vegging plant. Get to a store in your area, and get 2 cool flourescent bulbs, of the bright white variety. Cool white flourescent bulbs, emmit light of the red spectrum of light which is fine for flowering. You need light of the blue spectrum for vegging. Your box looks ok, not the best, but make your holes much bigger, which would alow much more air to circulate. A fan would help. You're gonna have to spend some money to get a harvest. Proper nutrients, a pH meter, and better lighting is a must to take a cannabus plant to finish. Please see the FAQ for all of the specifics to produce buds. Good luck, and read. It will help.
Nim

I did initially went to go to get the flourocent light bulbs but i could not find the bulb bigger than 30watts that store sold. Does that mean i'll need 10bulbs to produce 300 watts?

If your climate is warm I would say yes get them outdoors and let the sun do the work for you, more than 12 hours of light would be great. Looking again at your bulb... the sun would be better. That bulb may be a 300 watter, but it's still the wrong type of light. Incandescent lights make your plants stretch.
Nim

Nimbli:Thanks for advice once again. Definitely much appreciated.
Could you please advice what kind of flourocent bulbs should i get? since the one that i saw in the store had the highest watts of 30
would 2 bulbs , each with 30 watts be sufficient for now?

When Do I use this kind of bulb? how will I know once my plants are ready and out of vegitating state?

As long as they are bright white, YES!! most definately. They are not expensive, and will do your plants justice. The little ones will LOVE your for it.
Nim

awesome home depot here I come tomorrow after work!
I wish I could go to work a bit late and set this up properly tomorrow.
I'm starting to get addicted to my plants now.. hope they come out good.

Now, when YOU want them to flower, change your light timing to 12 hours on and put the little ones in TOTAL darkness for 12 hours. This will trick the plant into thinking that it is fall and time to flower. You MUST maintain the 12 hours of TOTAL darkness. It will take the little ones about 8 weeks of this timing to reap the most buds.
Nim

Please, Please read the FAQ on growing, it will explain the cannabus plant, what it needs, and what you can do to get the most bud from them. You have the heart to do this, now just get your brain right you are doing fine, just need a little more knowledge
Nim

got it. I'll keep that in mind!
I have added you in my buddy list. hope you don't mind. from time to time, I'll be posting up pics and seeking for advice. My experience with this board has been good so far. I try to read and learn as much as I can..
Once again, Thank you for all your help.

Thank you for listening. I am proud to have been here to help you
Nim

I have also permalinked you so I'll always see when you post. Good luck and I'm here to help
Nim

I was up until 2 in the morning last night reading all the FAQ's .. I definitely understand much more about different light patterns and scale of light.
I got 6 floroucent bulbs today 23 watts each.. so not sure what that translates in actually watts.. and hooked up three of them and put the plants underneath them.

After keeping plants outside for a day : they are starting to look a bit more healthier.. I have also drilled bigger holes in the cardboard box.
Working on computer fan next.

Knowledge is the best medicine for your little ones. You'll realize they are a pretty hearty plant, and as you get better at growing them, they will pay you back in bigger harvests. You are on your way to becoming a very good grower. Keep up the excellant work.
Nim

Thank you Nim , I definitely appreciate the guidance. I'll need many more advices from you in near future so stay tuned. Plan is to get as much out of this as possible and if all goes well, plant another two little ones.

I've some visitors coming in on Friday so will have to hide them for some hours late at night. I think I can just put them to sleep then.
hate having visitors now, I feel happy with just me and them! ha

Nim: One silly question
I have read that you can keep light bulbs 1 feet away from plant. I've also read that you can keep them as close to 1 inch away if you want(which is what i've rightnow)
is this advisable? will it hurt my plant? will they get burnt or anything since i've 3 bulbs in there and all of them are pretty close to plants. I can post some pics to show you if you'd like of the setup.