mother maintenance

i have a plant that I want to keep as a mother, for cuttings, ive restricted its growth by keeping it in a smallish pot. dont want it to grow any taller.

whats the minimum amount of cfl light it needs to maintain how it is?

thanks

The way I see it, you would want to have the mother in a big pot of soil, so the roots can really develop. You want her to grow vigorously, and not to suffer any stress, by trying to "restict" her growth in any way. Taking cuttings is your stated goal, and this is how you control the plants height, or width, or whatever it is that suits your situation. If you have a good ceiling then taking side cuttings is best. If you have a low ceiling, then taking the top, and side branches alternately, will form the plant into a bush. If your mother outgrows the space your in because you don't take cutting often enough, then just flower the mom, and use a cutting to make a new mom. Simple enough.

As for light, you should use a "daylight" spectrum bulb, and one suited to the space you are growing in. A 150 watt CFL should grow a momma ok, as long as you dont let her get too tall. Topping for clones is again the way to control the height, not stunting her growth.