Help a veteran learn to grow! Any help w/ these questions would be great!!!

I'm glad to have found some fellow farmers I can collaborate with! I'm planning my second grow first indoor. My goals are to yield a pound every 2months. (I consume about a pound every 3months to help with PTSD symptoms). I wanted to do a SOG with just a 400w and maybe a couple fluorescent. I want to run two grows at the same time. (Have a lower compartment where they stay for the "night") anyways wondering how this sounds to some more experienced growers. Is a 3x3 space to big for 400w with maybe some white light on the sides. For each "grow" I wanted 16 plants. Is this plan reasonable? Can I yield a pound? Should I buy two ballasts to switch at the 12hr mark to keep from over heating? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

RLTW

A 3x3 area is way too small for 16 plants unless you don't veg at all. 400 watts is ok for that area, they say a 1000 watt is good for a 5x5. A good yield where i am from is anywhere from 1-1.5 lb per 1000 watt. Expect much much less. I think you are a little confused, you do not need two ballasts. You can buy one ballast that works with both MH and HPS bulbs. Use Mh for veg and HPS for flower. Good luck and do a lot more research.

So you want to move 32 plants every 12 hours.....? No, that's not "reasonable".

400watt is perfect for 3x3 but won't yield a pound. 4 or 5 plants.

For a pound every two months get a 600 watt on 4x4 or at least 3x4, six plants AND an additional area for prevegging clones or seedlings.

rangergrower said:

I'm glad to have found some fellow farmers I can collaborate with! I'm planning my second grow first indoor. My goals are to yield a pound every 2months. (I consume about a pound every 3months to help with PTSD symptoms). I wanted to do a SOG with just a 400w and maybe a couple fluorescent. I want to run two grows at the same time. (Have a lower compartment where they stay for the "night") anyways wondering how this sounds to some more experienced growers. Is a 3x3 space to big for 400w with maybe some white light on the sides. For each "grow" I wanted 16 plants. Is this plan reasonable? Can I yield a pound? Should I buy two ballasts to switch at the 12hr mark to keep from over heating? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

RLTW

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first are you running soil or hydro but

i dont think 3x3 is to big for a 400 watt but the 2 grows would have to be alternating harvest time to have a yield approx at every 2 months and thats given that they are all done at 8 weeks exactly which usually is not the case also an idea may b to look into clones prolly the easiest if your gonna be continuously running 2 grows so not germin seed everytime and may be a 600 or even a 1000 watt to really help you get to your goal a little eaisier than a 400 but it could be done with it

i do think you could see a pound off each harvest but i dont think u need 16 plants to get there and not sure know if you can fit 16 plants in one 3x3 tent or room though perhaps with a sog u can as i dont go that route never have and dont know enough about it to say weather you could fit 16 in there or not

i have a 4x5x6.5 and can get about 5 ( 6 if i really need to) plants to harvest in there thats with good training and canopy control ( i prefer main lines) but i on avg see about 2 to 3 oz a plant and at that can come pretty close to what your looking for

i think you will b fine with just one ballast per light but if our running 2 grows then may b a third one around in case on goes is not a bad idea. ya most important to get this as sucessfull as you can for a second grow do lots of research and keep it simple

Thx for replies. I don't this it would be unreasonable to move plants that are on trays I have someone else to help I plan on flowering at 10in and plan on using soil. I just want a plant big enough to yield a half oz. I was thinking of just building a really tall grow box the I think 10 or 11ft would be plenty. I've helped a friend do something like this it takes less then 5min to switch plants out and your not throwing them around. I just wanted to use a 400w bc last time the heat was an issue and think besides the height it would take up no space.

And keep veg time to one to two wks which I can do outside with CFL

rangergrower said:

Thx for replies. I don't this it would be unreasonable to move plants that are on trays I have someone else to help I plan on flowering at 10in and plan on using soil. I just want a plant big enough to yield a half oz. I was thinking of just building a really tall grow box the I think 10 or 11ft would be plenty. I've helped a friend do something like this it takes less then 5min to switch plants out and your not throwing them around. I just wanted to use a 400w bc last time the heat was an issue and think besides the height it would take up no space.

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you could go with a bigger light just have good air movement and ventilation and the heat should be kept under control but if your only looking for a 1/2 zip a plant then a 400 would b fine but what do you mena 11 or 10 ft tall box for flowering or what if so then wher ewould you be veggin at

Spend 50 bucks and get a grow book.....

Or I could do research for free... And I'm gonna have two grows going on in the same box which is why it's so tall A lower compartment (figured 3/12ft would fit my mature plants when they are in the "night" stage. And the top compartment would be the "day" idk how tall this would have to be for flowering at 10in but I figure 5ft would be enough for pot/plants/light. That's why it would be so tall. I guess that's confusing some people so just plan and simple with 400w could you get a half p with sog and 14-16 plants? Seems like most say yes.

You are in luck. I have a perpetual grow operation (forget about running 2 grows at a time) which is what you need to produce 8 oz/month or 2 oz/week. To harvest 2 ounces a week I harvest 2 plants a week while averaging an oz/plant with my short fast indica hybrids. It took me 2+ years to get my grow balanced and choreographed. I think you have bit off more than you realize. I'll note what steps I had to take to reach the production goal we share.

About 80% of my harvested plants started life as clones that I rooted in my dome room. Actually just 2 closet shelves, I have 3 domes hooked up with a heating/seed mat underneath. I put a hand towel between the mats and the domes as I only want to raise the dome temperature 5-10 degrees. Experience and time has shown me that is where I get best results. I use the larger 2-inch jiffy pellets for my cloning as they allow me to take larger cuttings. My indicas show roots around day 8-10 in the dome. Remember to keep a 1/2 inch of water standing in the dome floor and keep all the vent holes closed or nearly so. You want to see condensation on the inside of the clear dome top every time you look. This is crucial. I spray the clone leaves 3-4 times a day as the clones, rootless as yet, are dependent on getting moisture through their greenery. So keep 'em soggy!

The other 20% of my plants are re-grows or seedlings. Re-growing is a good way to keep a line going without testing your cloning skills. But, as you can see, cloning expertise is essential unless you want to mortage your place to Attitude. Seriously, at $10+ per bean you had better be an expert cloner. I average 90+% success rate by making sure the clone-donor mom is at least 5 weeks old before giving up cuttings. Again lots of experience and dead cuttings taught me this.

After clones first show roots in the dome I leave them there another 2 days to increase the number and size of roots. Once they root they go into dirt in the veg room. Another closet, this one 4 x 6 feet, acts as my veg room. A 400W bulb runs on a 20/4 light schedule. This schedule is the best for my plants. I veg them for 3-5 weeks depending on type of plant. I want them to be 18-24 inches tall when they go from veg to flower and you have to know that different types, clone or re-grow or seedling, grow at varying rates. As my clones are larger to start with they are usaually around 18-24 inches after 3 weeks in dirt (vegging). Re-grows are ready to flower after 3-4 weeks re-vegging and seedlings take around 5 weeks to reach 18 inches or so.

My flower room is 8 x 8 with a 1000W HPS bulb set off-center at the ceiling. It's a good idea to be able to walk around the side of the grow to facilitate watering and pruning.

Send me a PM if you have any specific questions. BigSteve.

Welcome home brother.........

Why not try a google search on Dr Bud GreenGenes. He's doing a compact perpetual SOG (sea of green), all CFL bulbs. It might be right up your alley--small, continuous, lots of plants. so you may not have to wait for a plant to grow 3-4 feet, hoping for a solid yield and then waiting an entire grow cycle for your next plant, when you can grow lots of smaller plants, keeping the duration between harvests down. Your harvests will yield less, but more frequently.

I'm trying to dial my setup in right now, most of my plants, however, don't get beyond 24" high, but i keep a cycle of clones. I'm looking at a total of about 18 plants in various stages of veg and flower.

Once you get used to cloning, (and research it well), you'll be able to dial in your grow fairly well. It'll take time, i'm at about 6 months old now, and i'm still fucking up all kinds of ways (mostly with my soil). But truth be told (at least in my experience, thus far), cloning isn't hard, it just requires a bit of patience and learning your plant(s).

I'd KILL for 3x3 space. i have 2lx2wx7h, and in it i'm running my clones (as @bigsteve mentioned), my flowering and veg chambers.

The Key Takeaways i've learned thus far in flowering is the dangers of light pollution. I had a thunderbud plant come up with a strawberry cough and a sage/sour. and because i have only one door to the entire cab, the light pollution affected, and hermie'd my thunderbud. So in whatever space you build, I would suggest keeping light segmentation in mind.

Also, your soil/growing medium. Think about how you want to deal with this. Soil is easier in some respects, hydro in others. do a little reading on the merits of each, and then settle with something that works for you.

Lastly, Light choice. I think, with the space, you might be able to get away with just using CFL's. But if you're looking for high yields, you might want to consider a 150 or 300 HPS (at least that's what i've read. i'm still in the CFL game, i love it, and my electrical bills are low as hell--I have about 345 watts worth of total lighting in all three chambers--all 23 watt cfls), though cfl's may work. I'm no expert here, but if you're looking at cost factors, my lighting system cost me 50 bucks: wires, sockets and wood to tie them down to. while my bulbs, well, they're 4 bucks per 4 pack at a big lots or home depot, 100w equivalent.

I hope this helps a bit. I'm still new, but i know how overwhelming the starting up process can feel.

Best wishes, and not just for your grow!

You require a pound every three months, so are aiming to grow a pound every two months. What's the reason for growing more than you need?

tip top toker said:

You require a pound every three months, so are aiming to grow a pound every two months. What's the reason for growing more than you need?

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Mmmmm, I could venture a guess

tip top toker said:

You require a pound every three months, so are aiming to grow a pound every two months. What's the reason for growing more than you need?

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To share maybe?......

It's a genuine question. At this point the user seems to be out of his depth, so why not make things as easy as possible by just aiming for what he needs to yield instead of an additional 50%. Just seems to be adding unnecessary pressure at this point in the growing curve.

I can't speak for the OP, but I'm on my first grow and the reason I'm aiming for more weight than I need per harvest is because my lack of experience. If you were to give me a grow room that had consistently yielded a lb off a 1k light every two months when under the care of an experienced gardener, it would probably yeild less when I took over due to stupid mistakes and such. Until I can prove to myself what I can do I think I've got a better chance of reaching my actual goal if I aim higher. i don't know about you but I'm a lot more likely to complain about not enough bud than about too much.

You're also a lot more likely to complain about having less bud than you needed because you tried to cram as many plants in as you could thinking more plants = more yield. If you're new to growing, or even just a new growing style, it makes a lot more sense just to learn how things work, than going straight for a set yield. I have read too many, far too many, threads of less than qualified growers jumping straight in with a yield in mind, as opposed to taking it a step at a time, and seeing huge failures because they were biting off more than they could chew all in the name of a set yield.

The majority of us have all the time in the world to grow. I'd much rather spend a grow getting an idea of what to do and what is feasible instead of just jumping straight in first time around and as a result having no real understanding of why things went wrong. even experienced indoor growers often find themselves with sub-standard yields because they put those 2 plants too many into their tent and didn't correctly compensate.

rangergrower said:

I'm glad to have found some fellow farmers I can collaborate with! I'm planning my second grow first indoor. My goals are to yield a pound every 2months. (I consume about a pound every 3months to help with PTSD symptoms). I wanted to do a SOG with just a 400w and maybe a couple fluorescent. I want to run two grows at the same time. (Have a lower compartment where they stay for the "night") anyways wondering how this sounds to some more experienced growers. Is a 3x3 space to big for 400w with maybe some white light on the sides. For each "grow" I wanted 16 plants. Is this plan reasonable? Can I yield a pound? Should I buy two ballasts to switch at the 12hr mark to keep from over heating? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

RLTW

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Bam here you go!

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/how-grow-marijuana/81264-how-grow-marijuana-everything-you-need-know.html