The first time you grow a strain, let it get to a third of the height it can safely reach under your flowering light/s, regardless of how mature it looks. It should grow 2-3 times it's size from the day you start 12/12, generally speaking.
Bear in mind that even a powerful hps light can only penetrate about 3 feet of canopy, so letting the plants grow larger than this will result in the bottom parts of the plant producing very little bud.