1st Grow

Hi my plants are about 2inches tall. Just started. im using two 48"flourescents 40w. Im wondering when to start pinching stems to produce more colas. Also im keeping the light about 2.5 inches from the plants. Is this too close/far? Also I was wondering what readily available soil or soil mixture is good? Just potting soil from the bag at lowes?

Thanks a bunch

two and a half inches is cool for the tubes.. don't go much further than that... i like fox farms ocean forest soil.. i think that you can get it online from a hydro store like htg supply or one that you like.. sunshine promix is another goodie...
you can get one from hd or loewes, but try to find one that doesn't have any time released ferts to it... with the time release ferts, it is hard to control them and they will only be released when it is ready.. you can use miracle grow soil ok, just cut it with one cup of dolimite lime per bag.. most people who you hear horror stories from with mg just use it straight, and don't add the lime.. the lime will help buffer the ph of the mg, and you should be golden with this mixture..

When should i start to pinch stems for colas and also how long should i keep them in vegetative growth?
sunshine promix soil can be bought at homedepot?

Fox Farm Ocean Forest comes highly recommended by most growers. You may want to consider mixing any soil with about a third perlite. So, two parts soil, one part perlite. You can vary this mixture if you like. The perlite helps the soil become a better draining medium which is quite beneficial to the plant.

As for pinching stems, wait until you have at least 4 nodes (meaning 4 legitimate leaf sets). My present grow was topped after the sixth node and I have a lot of bud sites.