you cant tell from the pics but the lights are about 2 inches away, most of the stretching took place when i first started growing them with a desk lamp and the light from a window...

im going to wait a while before i put them in bigger pots because i don't want to stress them too much, but when i do i'll be sure to bury the stem.

as far as the soil being to hot goes, i don't have the money for recommended soil + nutes. so what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.. i hope.