1st grow, suggestions welcome

This is the start of my growing career! I got a seed out of some bangin kush and decided it was finally time to support my habit. I've started off just growing in my closet with a last minute cardboard box, 2 40 watt bright white cfl's, and miracle grow. I plan on purchasing a grow tent within the next week to get that out of the way. Please give me suggestions. I'm on a tight budget and probably won't be able to have a tent, good lighting, intake exhaust, and carbon filter for a few weeks but so far so good. I also plan on cloning because i'm not so sure about buying seeds online (is it even worth the money if you can just clone?) -- anyway, please post for suggestions. Here is a picture of the plant after a week and a half.

If you really can get the equipment within a few weeks she should be just fine with what you have. Keep the light close to the top almost touching the plant. Also if you have any flat white paint, paint the interior of the box and make sure you have a small fan to circulate and ventilate. Yes it is cheaper to clone but, do you really want to smoke the same bud all the time? There are many good, safe, and reliable seed banks out there. I am not advertising them but I use the single seed center. They have thousands of different strains and genetics that you can buy 1 seed at a time. Plus you get freebies as well. I am able to justify the cost by remembering that I will yield about 2-3 ounces per seed and if I where to buy that from a dealer it would cost probably about $700.00 or so. Plus I can always clone the strains I like. Variety is the spice of life.

Your seedling looks great. Just remeber it is a weed and wants to grow. Don't over complicate it, nothing harms or kills more plants than 'loving them to death'. Also please remember MG soil has time released nutes. You will not need to add any until much later in the cycle. One last piece of advice...read and study and watch how to videos until your eyes bleed and than do it some more. Good luck!

+rep for taking the plunge

I was in your same situation a year ago when I first started. I had a seedling going in a cardboard box and was getting around to getting a better set up and all but I didn't and it ended with the death of my seedling. it's not the best growing area, cardboard absorbs the light and the heat which does nothing good for the plants. try and get some flat white paint on the cardboard or go to home depot or a growing store to find mylar to cut up and put in the box. If you have a wood box, dresser, or nightstand; wood works great. keep some ventilation in your box and stick to strict light schedules. ( these are all things I struggled with when I first started.) all of these small things can eventually stress the plant and cause it to die or be tough to bring back. also it's easy to overwater. good luck!

Do the best u can with what u have to use. space, Lighting, fans, ventilation, tempture control, humidity, are all things to think about. you must control the enviorment before you can control the plant.

+1 with everyone else. Make sure your fluoros are daylight spectrum, and lay off the MG, it has a bad rep for burning up babies. This one looks a bit small for nutes anyways, you should give it about 2 weeks of growth before feeding to avoid stressing the plant. Also, don't over water. Wait until the topsoil is dry before watering again. But overall, keep up the good work!!

I grew two NL autos under similar conditions all the way...first grow, tight budget. They survived, stayed healthy, the yield was pretty tiny but the quality has been great, lovely smoke but the yield has obviously made me strive to improve things! You'll see more ways to improve your basic set up almost day by day...good size pots, lights, reflection and nutes, little tweaks that needn't cost a fortune to see you through a decent first grow..at least until you have money to spend.
Definitely what the good folk have written before this...get that baby basking in close up light! Good luck Budbuddy, hope your first grow is a winner

thank you to all for these posts. i have lifted the plant about 4 inches away from the light. i will lay off the nutes for awhile as well. my light schedule is about 6.5 hours off and 17.5 hours on. i'm considering buying a grow tent next week but not too sure about what to do with the lights. the tent will be pretty big as well so i am definitely considering buying seeds so thanks on that info.

also, my stem is about three inches before the cotyledon leaves even start. i've read the post about rooting them deeper in soil and just wondering what all of you think about that since i have moved it closer to the light.

update coming soon. curious about what is definitely necessary for the upcoming grow tent. i have an idea on the light just not sure about fan and filter. keep the ideas coming, you've all been a big help

here is the update. pic taken tonight. looking healthy, two leaves curled slightly. not sure why so i decided not to water soil for a little and see what happens.