Soil and light cycles

im using miracle grow organic soil for my first plant, im wondering if thats ok. and i also am curious about the light cycles on how mcuh time to give it light and darkness.

also, how close should my cfl's be to the plants? i have 2 plants and 2 lights

thanks

any advice?

leave your lites on 24/7 or 18 on/6 off for vegging. then you go to 12/12 for flowering. so for now it's 24 on/ 0 off or 18/6. keep your lights as close as you can, do the hand test. put your hand on top of plant, move light so it's warm but not too hot for your hand. this is optimum distance for lights. get a fan to strengthen stems for good growth. leave fan on 24/7. darkness must be damn near absolute! no light leaks!

2 plants and 2 lites? not enough, you need about 3-7000 lumens per square foot or about 50-75w per plant, get about 3-4 more cfl's

ok, do you have any pics of an example set up?