How long do CFL's take?

I'm about a month into growing with my CFL's. I have four plants and 5 120W equivalent lights. 1 over each plant and 1 in the middle. I'm not worried, my plants are definately coming along, but they aren't as big as I expected them to be by now. I'm just curious from people with more experience how long you usually grow your plants from seeds before you start flowering. OR how big your plants get before you start flowering.

you can start flowering whenever you want...just remember that when you flower the plants grow about another 12-24 inches. so if you have the space...you can veg until theyre 2ft tall and then flower them in a bigger chamber IF you have the space.

It's okay to start flowering your plant at any time, but giving a plant or seedling 12/12 light before it starts to show distinctive pre-flowers (pistols-female, nuts/balls-male) is said to be stressful on the plant. To my knowledge the only downside to stressing a plant is possible stunted growth and you're more likely to get a male.

I recommend getting a timer and putting your plants on a 18/6 light cycle if they aren't already. This will give the pre-flowers time to fully develop and you'll very easily be able to weed out the males. If you've been vegging for month then your plant can definitely be put into any like cycle you choose. Like discombober said, space is your biggest concern.