First grow...ever!!

Hello everybody! I'm planning my first indoor grow and I wanted to share my ideas and questions and get some feedback. So I'll get right to it.

I'm planning on growing in a box, 2x2.
I think I'll do a SCROG and only let the plants grow VERTICALLY to one foot, maybe 18 inches.
So if I used a 250 or 400watt hps, how tall would the box need to be?
How close can the hps be to the tops?
But if I used cfls start to finish, how tall would the box need to be? If I was to use cfls, I would probably use a 150watt fixture with a "y" adapter that had two additional "y" adapters plugged into that. That way I would be running 4 cfl's (23-30watts each)
How close can the cfl's be to the tops?
What's better for growing, something in the 2-3000k range or 5-6000k range?

Now, for my first grow I was going to try and keep it simple. Is there a brand of soil that will work well start to finish without having to add any nutrients? What about a mix that will get me through start to finish?

When can I determine sex, and how?

How big do my pots need to be?

Well that's all for now. Hit me with some feedback PLEASE!!

Um well i believe with HPS i keep mine above my plants a good 2-1/2 or so ft [making sure you have good ventilation so the tops dont get hot]. With Floros they can be like a foot or so becuz they dont get as hot, again ventilation is important.

As for soils theres a bunch out there, i use [becuz of low funds] a dirt cheap mixed with some better potting mix type soil, but im not the best on soil so i dont wana steer you wrong.

Sex can be determined, but only after you've started your flower cycle, males have sacs of pollen, females have white hairs [pistols].

Pot size depends on how big you wana grow, i always say a gallon for every foot of the plant at least but the more room, the happier the plant. I usually have plants im growing to about one and half feet to two in a 2gal pot

GOOD LUCK, keep us updated!

sweet. i wanted to keep them at about two feet total growth and use a 3 gallon pot.

anyone else?

you can put the lights pretty damn close to the plants, if it's not too hot for your hand, it's not to hot for the plants.
as for yield with CFL's, i don't know yet personally although i've seen some amazing results from others. i myself am using CFL's because of cost, just can't afford to throw down on an HPS.
i must say that i like the CFL's too though because you can tweak your light spectrum and my own results have been much better than with the Mercury Vapor lights i used for my first grow, which was in dirt also btw. the plants need both blue (cool) and red (warm) light throughout the life cycle with mostly blue during vegative growth and mostly red for flowering.
and have you considered, investigated, DWC rather than dirt? come by and take a look at my imaginary garden and check out some of the other DWC threads, i think you'll like what you see.

anyway, toke amongst yourselves

bozo,
peace, love, dope

after some more reading i think i'll end up doing LST instead of SCROG.

my hope is to create a sea of green where i harvest 4 clones a week, forever

bozo,
peace, love, dope