New grower trying something new (pertetual grow

[KoDak]

Im still a beginner. I have only grown in a 4x4 tent and switch it out from veg to flower. When in veg, I use the 4' 4light T5 light and in flower i use the same tent but with the 600hps light. The first time I only grew 3 plants. this past summer i did tent plants (it was kind of crowded in there but plants came out great) and this time, im doing 8 plants. Im looking into getting a 4x4 tent for flower (IM TRYING TO CREATE A PERPETUAL GROW). The guy at the hydro store said 4x4tent would be great to flower in and i should put TWO 600hps in there instead on one like i had in the 2x4 tent. Do that sound reasonable?

I'm trying to do the perpetual grow, so when I get ready to put the plants that are in veg into the new flowering tent, i want some more plants (maybe 6 this time) going back into the veg tent.

I DO NOT know how to do the clones so I ALWAYS start from seed, which means, Ill have to time this perfectly. I know i have to consider the height of the different strains and its flowering time for this to work. Does anyone do this who can share goods tips? thank you.

 

[MoNoXiDe]

I'm no pro,but from what I've read. 600 HPS covers a 4x4 tent. Also, that 4 bulb t5 isn't enough lumens for 4x4 tent. Add 1 more 4 bulb and you'll be good.

Hey guys look at me answering questions :joint: lol

 

[WeedHopper]

:yeahthat: ya need more Lumens in your Vegging tent, Min of 3000 lums PSF.A 2x4 8 tube HOT5 puts out 40,000 lumens which is good for only 8sf of floor space,,you have 16sf. So you would need two of the 2X4 8tube HOT5 systems above.
You could always go with a 1000watt if ya wanted more Lumens in your 4x4 Flower tent.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

My understanding is that the old "everything" tent was 2 x 4 and that it will be the new vegging tent. If that is correct, the 4 tube T5 will be great.

One of the things I have found in my grows is that my plants can only utilize so much light. For instance, I have a space that is 3 x 6.6. I have found that I get no better yield from 1200W (2 600W) than I do with a single 1000W. I was going to add CO2, but decided that I really couldn't afford to do it right, it is kind of a pita and....I am just into of my flowering space during lights on numerous times. I don't know if others reach this 'light threshold', but mine seems to be around 7000-7500 lumens per sq ft. The plants just do not respond any better to lumen levels above that. I would love to hear others chime in.

 

[Locked]

I have flowered in a 4x4 tent with a single 600W HPS and have flowered in the same tent with a 600W and a 400W and I will never go back to a single 600W. Wasn't enough light or coverage for me. Although a 4x4 only needs 80,000 lumens for flower, that is a minimum. So what you tend to get are minimal results. I prefer shooting for the 7500 lumens a square foot mark. 1000W's of HPS or better achieves this. Another positive is your light coverage will be way better with 2 600's.

 

[Hushpuppy]

I wouldn't put 8 plants in a 4x4 tent if I were you, unless you are using nonfemmed seeds and plan to cull the males. I never put more than 4 plants in a 4x4 but I like to grow mine to be about 2-4ft tall and bush them out a lot.

One 600whps will just do for flowering a 4x4 but a 1kwhps or 2 600whps will give great results. The hot5 4' fixtures are definitely the way to go for veg but you will need at least 12 bulbs to get the minimum light for the 4x4. So either 2 6bulb fixtures or 2 8bulb fixtures.

If you want to do a more "continual grow" then having 2 tents so that you can have plants vegging while the others are flowering eliminates veg time. But if you want to have a more "perpetual harvest" then you would only grow a few plants so that the tent isn't full. Then a few weeks later you start the next set. The purpose is to set 2-4 smaller plants in flower while 2-4 more plants are getting ready, then set them in flower about 4-5 weeks after the first set go in, then start another 2-4 plants in veg so that by the time the first set of plants come out for harvest, the vegging set can go into flower. You just keep doing this rotation over and over.

Unless you have a boatload of these particular seeds, this setup will get spendy. You will be better served to learn to clone. The process is far too easy to learn, and it will help you maintain the same genetics and physical traits with each grow. We can help you successfully get cloning down

 

[Hushpuppy]

I believe The Goddess is correct about the light threshold for the plants and the 1kis probably the best bet for a 4x4, but I like having the multiple angles of light from 2 sources as it eliminates shadowing

 

[Locked]

I am running 5 in my 4x4 now in flower and I think a 6th would have been perfect....but it all depends on your growing style. I only use 1 gallon pots so I tend to have a little more room. I have had 12 in my 4x4 but a few were in 1/2 gallon pots. I would never do that many in there again. It was madness.

 

[WeedHopper]

Hammy,,how do you keep your plants from getting rootbound in 1 gallon pots,,do ya trim them or something?

 

[Locked]

Hammy,,how do you keep your plants from getting rootbound in 1 gallon pots,,do ya trim them or something?

My secret is I do nothing.... I assume they become root bound but it does not seem to affect their growth in any negative ways. When I harvest and pull the stumps from my one gallon pots they are most definitely root bound. The Smart Pots air prune so they just peel out of their pots.

I have come to the conclusion that being root bound is really not a big deal, at least for me and my style of growing. When I eventually harvest my current plants in one gallon plastic pots I will take pics.

 

[Hushpuppy]

Hammy uses an ancient Chinese secret that he isn't allowed to tell without getting his hamster roasted

 

[WeedHopper]

Cool,,Hammy. Cant wait to see the Pics. Thanks

 

[chazmaine420]

I've been running a 600 HPS in a 55 x 55 with 6 plants and getting over a pound per harvest. The 2 x 4 for veg seems fine for 6-10 plants depending on pot size. I would do low stress training starting in veg. And unless your using feminized seeds I would definitly learn to clone. Its not that hard and its cheap if you use starter plugs and a humidity dome.

 

[orangesunshine]

you need to clone to accomplish your goal of perpetual---there are a few great diy cloner stickies here to get you where you want to be

 

[Hushpuppy]

Man DIY bubble cloners are too easy and too reliable to NOT use them. Just ask Dr.GreenFang

 

[WeedHopper]

I have never cloned any other way then a Bubbler. Made them all myself.

 

[zem]

a 600w will cover 4x4 but will not yield what you want it to. I would either shrink it to 4x3 or get a 1kw.
after trying both methods, i chose cloning in small rockwool cubes over the bubbler because I get consistently similar cloning rates with both, and it's so much easier and less noise to just plug them and wait and easier to handle after they root. I find that other factors like health of mother plant and climate, to have much more effect on cloning rate than the cloning method

 

[KoDak]

Thank u guys. but my 2x4 tent is ONLY for VEG. That 2x4 tent has the T5 light in it. I will be purchasing a 4x4 tent to FLOWER in. I see some say 1 600hps light is enough and other say 2 will get the job done. I understand wat u are saying @HUSHPUPPY. You do four plants to get them bigger. Maybe ill do 6 next time. Ill get the extra 600hps to go in the new 4x4 tent. that sound reasonable. im after great results.

Thank you to everyone who responded and shared their opinions. i REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

Now if i do clones (which i have no idea how to do) will that speed up the process to produce plants? is it easy to learn? if its a clone, I'll be using the same strain over and over, does that affect the THC level as they're are being reused in a sense? I guess i want a continual grow and not a perpetual grow.

Ill start reading on cloning but direct help and comments will help as well. thank u again

btw, i only buy feminized seed from attitude seed bank. i only had one instance where my cataract kush plants turned hermie/males. i try to buy only females because im still a beginner.

 

[WeedHopper]

Cloning is the best way to keep a strain ya like going to me. I dont like messing with a Mother Plant. I have taken Clones from Clones many many time and seen NO DIFFERENCE what so ever in taste or Potency. The only thing that would cause clones to be different is the CARE of those clones.
Cloning is easy. I made my Bubbler and never looked back,and there are lots of DIYs on Bubblers on MP.
Hell I have seen guys stick thier clones in a glass of freaken water in a window, and thier clones did fine.Me,,I would rather give them plenty TLC in a Bubbler. I have never lost a Clone to anything but my ******* mistakes. Like letting light leaks into my Rez and not getting to them in time to stop the freaken algie. Nasty slimmy crap. LOL

Check one of Hammys Cloning Methods.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showpost.php?p=864535&postcount=1

 

[KoDak]

Cloning is the best way to keep a strain ya like going to me. I dont like messing with a Mother Plant. I have taken Clones from Clones many many time and seen NO DIFFERENCE what so ever in taste or Potency. The only thing that would cause clones to be different is the CARE of those clones.
Cloning is easy. I made my Bubbler and never looked back,and there are lots of DIYs on Bubblers on MP.
Hell I have seen guys stick thier clones in a glass of freaken water in a window, and thier clones did fine.Me,,I would rather give them plenty TLC in a Bubbler. I have never lost a Clone to anything but my ******* mistakes. Like letting light leaks into my Rez and not getting to them in time to stop the freaken algie. Nasty slimmy crap. LOL

Check one of Hammys Cloning Methods.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showpost.php?p=864535&postcount=1

im scared. lol.im gonna do my reading. im kinda working with someone. im the producer and he's the buyer. i cant really afford to mess up. im willing to try and learn tho. thank u