Ok - Heres the update.

Got 6 2.5 Gallon pots, filled the bottom with about an inch of gravel to help with drainage, then got some extra soil (which thankfully to the advise of stinky) which was very light and fluffy. Got the pots filled with a little less than 2 gallons of dirt (loosely packed) this was defiantly a (hopefully the) problem, as the roots were actually formed into a root ball which I broke while transplanting so they could start growing out again.

When I looked at the spacing with the new larger pots, I didnt think that my florescent setup would be strong enough (4 T-5 bulbs, about 100 watts total) so I switched over the HPS and will just run it 24/7 for a month or till 2 feet tall.

Here are my new set of questions:

My HPS set up is 600 Watts, will this be enough for vegetative growth for the 6 plants? Keep in mind, I only plan on flowering 2 of them fully.

How far should I keep the HPS light from the tops of the plants? I have read a lot of things on the internet but much prefer the expertise I am finding here.

Previously I had been watering the plants till I saw water come out of the cup bottoms. How much water is good for these now? (please answer in per day or week measurements)

Any other advise that you would recommend?