Maxing out 4 plants per 1000W DE

[Greensleeves420]

Could some please link to an example of a 4 plant per light setup. I want to learn how to optimize pruning, pot size choice and transplant timing, veg timing ect.

Im aiming for 2.5 months in veg room. Transplant to final pots (size?)
Then 2 week veg in flower room before flipping to 12hrs;

Im considering doing a 5x5 scrog double layer scrog. But wont have a ton of extra room to move around.

 

[Pbass]

I'm no pro but I'll put my two cents in....I think this depends on the shape and output of your light @ModernHippyDad . I have a 2x4 QB for flower that would do more like 4x4 during veg.

As far as how long they can veg...unless it's a auto, as long as you want them to get big before you decide to flip! I've always got my plants in their 5gal final home way before they go into flower myself.

The only prob I see with 5x5 scrog is watering. Depending on the layout it can be a pita to deal with runoff and accessibility. I think people that have scrog in places where they can't reach the back very well put a slanted catch floor, or make sure you have a wet/dry vac handy!

GL to your grow, lots of big pot brains around here, we'll get more opinions soon! Cheers mate, gl to your grow!

 

[Greensleeves420]

Thanks for your reply.

I still want to try to balance my veg time to my flowering time, so that once I crop out, I dont need to wait too long before flipping the next batch. But I guess this is part of the big experiment.

 

[Pbass]

So you plan on having veg and flower areas? I don't have the "perpetual" down perfectly and my timing is typically more random, but I tend to start new plants every month or so. It doesn't matter on the time disparity, as I can just scoop them up and toss any of them in the flower room at any time. I haven't got it to the point where it's a regular switch, mostly I flip my veggers to 12/12 when I chop the last batch.

Once this batch is done cooking, I'll have enough lights to run both sides of my pot condo 12/12 and 18/6 or 24, then maybe I'll get in the routine that you are shooting for. Of course genetics has a huge amount to do here...the plants below are 9 weekers on the outsides and 12 weeker in the middle...not the smartest pairing!

I had a thought on the scrog...my latest bunch in flower are on my first scrog attempt, I definitely would have put a second layer on it myself if I were to have anticipated this:

 

[Greensleeves420]

My plan was to put 4 x 7 Gal buckets under each light. But Maybe they should be bigger.

 

[bluter]

light for the size of the space, not the number of plants.
the size of your space will determine both. it will also be a determining factor in developing your own growing style and approach.

best thing is to scroll thru the grow journals, and read the threads that are growing in a similar sized space. you can then compare different grow styles and set ups, and decide what works best for you.

good luck on the journey

 

[Greensleeves420]

I already know my plant # per light and space per light.
Room is 6' wide but I will be going for apx 5'x5' per GAVITA 1000w DE.
I want to know how big the pots should be and how long it will take to veg these clones to fill that space.

 

[Greenlizard]

If you are vegging clones under 1000 watts in a 5x5 space you should be able to cut down on your estimated veg time. It shouldn't take that long. I would say 7 gallon buckets would be big enough for final. Anyone can outgrow the biggest pot they can find if they veg too long.

 

[bluter]

this may help

last soil grow was 7 gal rectangular buckets.
planned veg time was 6 wks, depending on the individual plant and the flower room, went as long as 8.
each plant had a footprint approx 2 x 2, allowing room between. they weren't really packed in, and were allowed to grow untopped with minimal training.
plants were rotated thru both rooms as a perpetual. multiple strains, both indica and sativa.

you can do shorter period, with 3 - 5 gal. the scrog is dependent on simply how long it takes to fill.
would still look at approx 6 wks. but it's a total ballpark.

 

[bluter]

double post.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Got one. Started as quadline in 10 gal pots in tubs elevated from bottoms. Now it's a scrog, and I'll add another net for the buds.

I drain waste with wet vac. Water with hose and aquarium pump in reservoir. DE 1000W MH 6500K and I'll switch to 3000K HPS 2 weeks into bloom. My first try at a horizontal grow. I may finish with 10000K MH? Frame is 4'X4'. The Cookies plant, top left, is 2 weeks younger than the rest. The first Cookies got eaten by hoppers when I started them outdoors.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Bare-bub vertical in center of grow space, good high-capacity exhaust fan directly above, vents around perimeter of space at floor level of walls, fans blowing at plants (for usual reasons), plants surrounding bulb. 15- to 25- gallon DWC setups (one per plant) recommended.

Are you locked in to using a single 1Kw bub? The above setup might yield significantly higher with two 600-watt bulbs; by that, I mean more of an increase than the additional 200 watts of electrical usage would imply on paper (e.g., 4 pounds instead of 3½ pounds). Adding another plant or two might also help in regards to efficiency.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Im a huge fan of using multiple lights. Id rather have 2x 500W lights than 1x 1KW light. Different angles and all, gets all that light in there.

 

[bluter]

+1 on both of the above.

your light also has a 4 x 6 rectangular footprint at 36" above the canopy, based on a quick google.
5 x 5 is probably ok but may not be optimal.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Im a huge fan of using multiple lights. Id rather have 2x 500W lights than 1x 1KW light. Different angles and all, gets all that light in there.

Would you use two lamps of the same color? I've got a double lamp reflector where I run two 400w lamps. Normal 6000K 400w MH bulbs are too big to run 2, but I can run one HPS 400w and one MH 400w. I found some 10000K 400w MH lamps cheap, and since they are shorter than the 6000K MH lamps I can run one 6000K and one 10000K MH, and that's what I used until I switched to the DE 1000w MH @ 6500K. I run the DE 1000w @ 1150w when ambient temps are cool, and cut back in the hot afternoons.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

+1 on both of the above.

your light also has a 4 x 6 rectangular footprint at 36" above the canopy, based on a quick google.
5 x 5 is probably ok but may not be optimal.

I thought about 5X5 with mine, but with 4X4 I can reach all locations.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Would you use two lamps of the same color? I've got a double lamp reflector where I run two 400w lamps. Normal 6000K 400w MH bulbs are too big to run 2, but I can run one HPS 400w and one MH 400w. I found some 10000K 400w MH lamps cheap, and since they are shorter than the 6000K MH lamps I can run one 6000K and one 10000K MH, and that's what I used until I switched to the DE 1000w MH @ 6500K. I run the DE 1000w @ 1150w when ambient temps are cool, and cut back in the hot afternoons.

I only use LEDs now, but I would vary as much as I can for the light spectrum that matters (blue and red I believe). It wouldnt hurt with HPS/MH lights. Id actually prefer that during both veg and flower, one of each at least and from different angles. Its been a while since Ive used MH or HPS lights though...