Starting grow in suitcase

I have 4 germinated seeds that i just planted and i have had them in small pots under the 2 fluro lights that i have. There is enough room for there to be about 18 inches from the floor to the tip of the lights.
1. Should i have the lights on the pot before the seed sprout and break the surface?
2.Since with at least 4 inches of dirt and an inch or 2 in between the plant and the light, my plant can only be a foot tall and idk whether plants actually grow a lot during flowering or not. At what height do i want to start flowering?
3. Will the 2 13w (60w replacing) bulbs be good enough for the flowering stage? How much do u think i could get from that? How much more would i get from a metal halide lamp?
Would i even be able to use a metal halide lamp in a small space?

I really appreciate any help on this.

To be honest this is one of the more off-the-wall mini grow ideas i've seen. People grow in similarly small spaces, but is a suitcase stable enough to grow in? I'm not sure that I would try to mount a light fixture to one, definitely not a HID. I have no idea how you would ventilate it without damaging the suitcase.
I hate to discourage creativity, but I see some issues with growing inside a piece of luggage. can you build a small box out of wood or can you get a cooler maybe? the suitcase just doesn't seem good.

burninjay said:

To be honest this is one of the more off-the-wall mini grow ideas i've seen. People grow in similarly small spaces, but is a suitcase stable enough to grow in? I'm not sure that I would try to mount a light fixture to one, definitely not a HID. I have no idea how you would ventilate it without damaging the suitcase.
I hate to discourage creativity, but I see some issues with growing inside a piece of luggage. can you build a small box out of wood or can you get a cooler maybe? the suitcase just doesn't seem good.

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I completely know what you mean. I did set up the lights and i would say that its completely stable. Its only gonna stay in one spot in my closet where two walls are close enough for the suitcase to fit perfectly, so its actually more stable than it seems.
And ya, i dont think i was ever gonna use the HID. just wonderin
Its in a suitcase so that it is completely hidden. I can open it everyday for some ventilation, but id like to keep it closed so that light doesn't get in or out. The fluros arent going to heat it up too much right?

OK, i'll assume stability is not an issue.

1. Plant's don't use light until they have leaves. They know which direction is up, when they pop out, start lighting them.

2. Weed keeps growing until it's just about done flowering. you will need to use some form of manipulation to keep it short. LST, topping, scrog, or something like this.

3. 2 26w(100w replacement) bulbs can produce some smoke, not very much tho. If you can figure out a way to ventilate it, maybe you could get 3-4 of them in there. check out the CFL forum to get an idea of how much herb you can expect to get with only 2 of those bulbs.