Yield Maximizing

[Bukshot911]

I am looking for any advice I can get on getting more out of my growroom. Currently I am working in tents with ebb and flow systems under 400W HID lighting. Unfortunately I am limited by the height of the room the tents are in and I have little more than 3 feet of grow space between the top of the pots and the glass on the reflector. I am afraid to put anything higher than a 400W bulb in there because I dont want my plants to go hermi. So other than more powerful lights what can I do? I am interested in SCROG but not too familure with actual growing procedure ( the day by day). Any information would be great. Please be detailed an specific.

 

[StoneyBud]

Maximizing yield in an enclosed space with an inside grow has several parts:

1. Training the plants from the start to have enough tops to take the best advantage of the size of the area. Filling the *entire* area with tops.

2. Planning the vegging to result in the harvest height to fill the vertical area of the grow area, where the plant tops are as tall as the space and lights permit.

3. Growing the same strain enough times to become familiar with the parameters of it's tolerance for nutrient strength and maxing the amount of nutrients that the strain will take.

4. Using as much light as possible and cooling the light(s) so that the plants receive as many lumens per/sq ft of canopy as possible for their entire grow.

5. Maximizing the air exchange to provide great oxygen and CO2 replacement.

6. If in soil, or hydro, making the root zone the right temperature and the above ground parts of the plant as close to 74F-76F as possible, night and day.

7. Using any additives that will increase yield and the strain will handle.

8. Keeping a *strict* timing schedule on the flowering plants with no goofs.

Well, if you do ALL of that, it will result in a maximized yield for you. Anything less than what I've listed and your harvest yield will go down from maxed.

The manner in which you reach or keep each of those variables is the important part. Is there any of that you don't know how to do? We can all help you arrive at a perfect understanding of each part. Just tell us the parts your unsure of and we'll go from there.

 

[Locked]

I am afraid to put anything higher than a 400W bulb in there because I dont want my plants to go hermi. So other than more powerful lights what can I do?

Why do you think a larger light will make your girls hermi? I hve run 1000w Of HPS in a small 2x4x5 tent before with no problems other then banging buds....
It is all about the ventilation....air cooled hood or cool tube and an Inline fan will keep temps at bay. My current flower tent is 4x4x6.5 and I run one 600w HPS in a cool tube and a 400w HPS in a standard reflector and until last week when my outdoor temps started getting hot I was able to keep temps in check with no problems...

 

[Hushpuppy]

Yu need to look at The Hemp Goddess' DIY scrog (if yu haven't already to see how to do that the right way (its really not difficult but requires knowledge and dilligence) The scrog IMO is a great way to maximize yer yeild if yu only have a few plants and a small grow area. If yu have a larger grow area and want to grow a lot of plants then I think a SOG would serve yu better. (also not difficult to do but requires some foreknowledge of pruning and/or LST.
As far as lighting goes, I always suggest using T5HO flourescent lights in combination with metal halide/HPS as they give yu the best of both worlds. However there are many variables to all that I just said that yu must consider b4 starting. My best recommendation to anyone who is starting their own grow (in earnest) is to get one of the great "how-to-Grow-books" from Ed Rosenthal or George Cervantes and there are others as well, and read all of the stickies on here as they have really good information. Even if yu are an experienced grower, read up brother/sister, it will save yu time, money, and grief.

 

[jesuse]

1 tea spoon of caster sugar to 4 gallon of water starting 4 weeks from harvest is ment to increas weight by up to 20/ peace [j]

 

[woodydude]

Stoney & the guys have given you some really good advice there Buk, all I would add is that if you go for a SCROG, try to get a bud site in each of the holes in your mesh.

I would stay away from the caster sugar! There has been research done that shows the presence of refined sugar in the root zone of MJ can prevent the plant from feeding. I cannot find the thread I read it on but a little experiment I ran a few months ago seems to bear this out.

Green mojo Buk. W

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

You need to tell us way more about your grow--how large is your tent? What kind of ventilation system do you have set up? What are you feeding your girls? What is your pH? Temps? Etc, etc.

 

[Bukshot911]

First, in response to Hamster, years ago in my very first hydro grow ever I had good hearty female plants pop flowers due to stress. The flowers appeared on the tips of the kolas where they had grown right up to the glass on the reflector. It was only a 400W light and was well ventilated. This experience lead me to believe it was the light being too close. So i guess my question to you is, how close can a properly cooled 600W or 1000W light get to a plant?

 

[Bukshot911]

ok my grow...

I have three tents. Tents 1&2 are identical and the ones I am focasing on. They are 70" tall with a 40"X40" base. I am using a sealed reflector with a can fan CAN30 combo for my venting system. The reflector, when hung as high as possible, hangs down 14". I have a 400W light in each as well as a 3'X3' ebb&flow system that stands 19" tall. As far as nutes, I am using the Flora Nova Grow/Bloom as a base then adding Dark Energy, Super Nova, and Super Charger. My PH is always kept between 5.8 and at the highest 6.5. I think that is everything.

 

[Bukshot911]

Oh yeah. I also have 1 Co2 Boost bucket per tent.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Your plants did not hermie because the light was too close. Hermies are generally the result of interrupting the dark period and/or hermie genetics (seeds from females that selfed). I can keep my air cooled 600s about 6" from the glass.

I think you are letting your pH get a little high. Recommended pH for hydro is generally between about 5.5 and 6.0. Your set up sounds pretty good. You are pushing your light some--you have under 5000 lumens per sq ft. (the recommended minimum), but not seriously. What strains have you been growing and how has your yield been?

 

[Bukshot911]

I have been getting about 1oz per plant. I'm kind of a Barneys Farm Groupie. I finished up some Acapulco Gold a little bit ago and averaged 1oz per plant. Now I am finishing up Pineapple Chunk and looking to get about 1 to 1.5 oz per plant. the difference can simply be chalked up to genetics. I'm asking for help with the next go around as it is too late for this time. Ii have been considering the Pineapple Chunk again because of the yield but I have been looking at other strains too.

 

[Bukshot911]

Should I up my lights to 600W or just give SCROG a shot?

 

[Locked]

I agree with THG....yield has a lot to do with strain choice as well. Elite "fire" strains are generally not hvy yielders but provide a superior product potency and taste wise. Other "cash crop" strains churn out the ounces per plant but usually leave you wanting something more potent or tasty. So if ya find the one that has yield, taste, potency, bag appeal, aroma you high five yourself...then take clones and pass them around to your close friends for safe keeping...because you just hit the lottery....

 

[Locked]

Should I up my lights to 600W or just give SCROG a shot?

If you are right at the bare min now lumen wise for flower then all things being equal going to a 600W will most certainly up your yield. There is a limit to "more light more better" but I wld think that wld be when you just get stupid and try 20,000 lumens a sqr foot...
Generally if you did everything the same except upped the light you will up your yield. Jmo

 

[StoneyBud]

If you are right at the bare min now lumen wise for flower then all things being equal going to a 600W will most certainly up your yield. There is a limit to "more light more better" but I wld think that wld be when you just get stupid and try 20,000 lumens a sqr foot...
Generally if you did everything the same except upped the light you will up your yield. Jmo

In addition to what HL has said, remember that when you increase the light, you increase the plant's ability to utilize the light in the equation of growth. You'll see an increase in water consumption, and the plants will tolerate a larger dose of nutrients.

HL, dude...you almost hurt me with "20,000 lumens a sqr foot"...haha MY EYES....MY EYES......!!!!!





.

 

[Bukshot911]

Ok well that all makes sense. I'm going to switch to 600W next time, at least in one tent. Now what about scrog? Am I better off going with a few plants and SCROG or just fitting as many plant as I can in the tent? The previous go around I had 9 plants in each tent and this go around only 5. The plants shed roughly the same weight per plant (1oz). So should I do 9 again and bump up to 600W or do 2-4plants and SCROG?