Total n00b here with a sprout

I'm building a grow box as we speak. I'm wanting to use LST in dual 30 gallon Sterilite boxes with 6 26W 6500k CFL's good for 10,000 lumens.

But for now I have one of these CFL's literally 1.5 inches from my sprout. I'm a little concerned my sprout isn't growing properly. You can see my pix I attached.

On 1/7, the sprout was an upside down U stem.

On 1/8, it popped out (1st pic). The pictures show progression for 4 days. The leaves are definitely getting bigger but the stem is not growing as fast. Is this looking ok? My box should be done by tomorrow and will have much more light on this.

Any advice would be great!

The fact that the stem isn't growing too tall, means your lights are REALLY close. So close that the plant has to do no work to catch light. This is A+ good. Prevents stretching, and you'll get one hell of a compact plant!

That's good to hear. I guess I just need to be patient since I'm basically using a fake sun, huh? This is on 24 hrs a day and the sprout is very green and appears healthy. The stem is not really stretching out but instead getting a little bit fatter. It's at about 73 degrees right by the light.

I had an outdoor plant that grew tall fast but it was on a balcony for 5 months and only got about 6 hrs of sun per day. (Didn't bud, only hairs, leaves got us high a few times.) I'm a complete n00b to this indoor thing so just checking.

Update, day 5. Leaves are slowly growing, but I think growth is stunted due to the little dixie cup this is in. This is a tiny 2 oz cup. I have a 6 inch diameter, 10 inch deep pot waiting for it now, and my box is almost complete.

I will say this plant feels strong. The leaves are thick and tough, and if you poke on the tip of the leaf the whole plant moves with it. Not sure if that's a good thing. The stem is getting stronger, too, but not taller.

I wanted at least 2 or 3 plants, in case one is a male, but have been having a hell of a time trying to germinate these bag seeds. Success rate so far is 1 out of 6. Well, at least I got about 100 more seeds to try!

Well I'm off to transplant and finish my box...

Looks good. Don't judge progress by height, like kagenical said you want shortness at this point. Judge progress by new green growth.

But... actually, at this time most of the work is going into building the root system, so try to encourage that growth by watering properly (let the soil dry out almost completely before watering). Once that root system is established, and you've got a bit more green on the plant, that fucker is gonna take off and you'll have fun watching it grow.

Ok, just transplanted it into some Miracle Gro potting mix, 0.21-0.07-0.14. Has a bit of perlite already in it but I'm gonna add a top layer for reflection. I got it nice and wet, drained it off (holes in pot) and transplanted it to a moist mix. It's sitting on a saucer and I'll skip a day on watering. Anyway I noticed it had outgrown the dixie cup as the rootball was all over the place in there! I have a ton of these little cups but next time I get a sprout, day 2 it's going into a 6-incher.

Onto the box... will I need all 6 lights turned on at this phase? Can't I start with two and gradually add more and more as it gets bigger?

Day 7, still going. Got it in a 6" pot ready for veg. Leaves are still thick like a wax bush! Pretty stiff as well. They curl downward some but still stiff. I'd say this is about 1.5" across and tall overall.

Leaves are also now getting wavy/textured and resemble some pix of indicas in here. I guess time will tell? That'd be sweet if so, as I only have 3 ft of space for height in there. I can almost guarantee these seeds came from Mexico. $20 for a half oz, all day in the SW!!! Seeds suck though, I gave up on my other duds and will try a few more. I need at least 2 of these!!!

Anyway, got the grow box going on with 6 26W CFLs as mentioned. Runs 79F in temp 24 hrs. Will continue to update here!!!

Have any pics of your grow box? I'd like to see how you've got your cfls rigged in those containers.

Here's one of the inside. Fan on the top. It's a rubbermaid, and the bottom is like this but empty with some vent holes. That's dull side foil as reflector, probably could do better but I think will be fine. The plant can be adjusted up & down and is about 2 inches from all the bulbs. I wanted to do the alternating lighting instead of 4 in a row side by side. This gives me room for 2 side lamps when they become necessary. Flower bulbs will be switched to the 'big' 42w CFLs.

Plant is still growing wider and the leaves are stiff. I'd say close to 2 inches side to side now. If you put your nose to it now there's a distinct odor.

I'll check in every 3-5 days or so with updates.

I still think this is stunted. This is day 10 since it broke ground. It's about 2 inches tall and 2 inches wide. Stem is brown, looks like a real small brown twig. Soil is almost dry now. Little embryonic leaves are slowly turning yellow. I don't see any sign of another node in there. One leaf is looking mutant. Leaves are both stiff/thick but they still smell like chrolophyll. You still think this is ok?

I tried germinating more seeds, no luck. Like I said, only 1 of 6 worked last time and the rest rotted (stink) first before popping. My bag of seeds have got to be mostly duds.

Anyway, should I try to keep this going? Feels like it's time for another watering.

ok dude it probably is stunted because of its environment. its best to transplant as soon as possible, if its roots were stunted by the 2 inch cup then it will keep growing, it just might be a while before it takes off. i really dont think a 6 inch wide pot is big enough, but thats me. usually you need a gallon of soil for every foot of growth.

Well I will just keep it going and stay patient. Live & learn. I have plenty more bag seeds to try anyway, and know how to get more.