Rootbound I think...

I just transplanted my plants. The roots were really compacted in the pot when i took them out. My plants were doing great until over night the tops got whimpy, the stems turned purple and some lower leaves have died. I just replanted 3 days ago and i see no change or new growth yet. Do you think my plants will be okay, and how long before i should see some change? The plants are 2.5 months and 15 inches.

when transplanting you need to water then transplant then water again. to reduce stress to the plant. also your plants should be 3ft at 2.5 months. this could be underwatering or cool temps at night thats causing the slow growth.

I also just switched to CFL's i had those ecolight grow lights that produce a ton of heat. could that have made a difference?

yea full spectrum CFLs are the one's.

When plants are pot-bound it can be very helpful to have a bucket of tepid water handy and to tease out the rootball underwater before potting on.