need advice on maximizing yield

[locdogg39]

setup: the supercloset trinity 2.0
-dimensions of the flower chamber is 72"h x 36"w x 24"d
-medium will be the superponics system that can grow up to 16 plants operating in a reservoir that can hold up to 15 gallons of nutrient based water
-lighting for flower will be a DIMMABLE 300w/450w/600w FullSpectrum HPS SuperCool Lumatek Lighting System on Adjustable Yo-Yo's
-strain will be shiva skunk (supposedly great for yield and easy to grow)

Given the limited space of the flowering chamber, what is the optimal number of plants to grow to get the largest total yield? Should I utilize each netpot and go with a jam packed closet of 16 plants going for shear quantity or should i go with say 12 or 8 or 4 allowing more room for each plant? Any advise on determining the optimal number of ladies to maximize total chamber yield would be greatly appreciated from experienced growers with similar closet sizes and what have you!

 

[PrairiePoet]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

A mature plant can suck up to a gallon of water a day during vigorous growth.

So say you have 16 plants, and they are only drinking a quart of water a day. That means a total of four gallons a day out of your 15 gallon reservoir. You will see large changes in pH, and nutrient levels.

I'm not sure I'd go over 4 plants in that. I would suggest you do some reading and looking through journals to see how others are doing it.

 

[Icemud]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

That size grow area I too would say just grow 4 monsters in there, and save the rest of the seeds for a 2nd run....

Use LST, supercropping, FIM, Topping to help maximize your yield by training the plant to grow more tops...

You can also look into a SCROG, but for that size grow area, I don't know if you would benefit..

 

[OG13]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

What does the breeder recommend for those strains, some spread, some grow tall, some are made for sog, some for scrog? Have you grown anything in this box before? Have you grown MJ before? Don't worry about maximum anything yet, start small and slow. Baby steps will save you a bunch of headache. It would suck to start all your seeds and have them all die next week. I would start w/ 3 or 4 seeds (FEM I assume). Take a clone from each when you can and flower out the seedlings. Keep the clones to become the future mother once you decide which is best.

 

[PotChimp]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

Your unit is close to the same size as my grow tent. I've been trying 6 plants at a time, but decided to go down to 4 for the same reason; too overcrowded (Icemud is right; SOG and SCROG don't seem to be very productive in small grow areas). I never weigh my grows, but it seems like the yield from 4 is the same as the yield from 6 due to the plants having the extra room and exposure to light. The key factor here is that I have been operating under less wattage than your dimmable fixture, and in a small grow area that in itself could be why. Watch your heat levels; I'm running 500 watts MH in that same tent now, and I had to add a second fan to get them down to the high end of the acceptable temp scale. I think that the HPS bulbs I'm putting in soon are cooler, but I don't know that for certain. Good luck!

 

[locdogg39]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

thank you for the feedback! Looks like the consensus is to go with 4 and try to make them monsters! @PrairiePoet, is it common for a maturing skunk strain like shiva skunk (nl5xsk#1) to suck down a gallon of water a day or is that in crazy cases of monsterous plants like 11 ft tall lol? I assumed i would be safe just changing out the reservoir once a week. @OG13, the breeders description of shiva is "stays tight and compact with large buds that have a high calyx-to-leaf ratio".....height 125cm. Does anyone have any suggestions on veg time? I understand the longer you veg the better off you are but is there a point at which there is no advantage to continue veging? What I've gathered is you want to veg to the point where the lady is about half the size you expect her to reach in flowering. So in my case if i'm expecting a mature shiva to be a little over 4ft, should i continue veging once they hit 2ft in veg? Thanks all!!

 

[OG13]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

I just wondered if the breeder gave any suggested grow "styles".....some say great for scrog etc. 4 plants in 6 sq feet are not monsters. I don't know how much that strain will stretch, most Skunk dom strains I have experienced do about 2x or more. 2 foot tall is a good place to start. Airflow, RH, speed of growth and temp will determine how much she drinks.

 

[Icemud]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

You could always run just 1 plant in a SCROG setup.... a 2' x 3' setup with scrog should get ya a good 3-8oz off each plant, and you probably could do 2 plants comfortably in there,...or even more depending on the grower.. with your grow area being very tall, you could consider doing a dual layer grow... have upper half 1 plant flowering in scrog, and below it have a veg area to get new plants ready for flower...Then your cutting your cycle down, in half..

 

[locdogg39]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

i have a seperate chamber that has two levels for veg and cloning

 

[PrairiePoet]

Re: need advise on maximizing yield

thank you for the feedback! Looks like the consensus is to go with 4 and try to make them monsters! @PrairiePoet, is it common for a maturing skunk strain like shiva skunk (nl5xsk#1) to suck down a gallon of water a day or is that in crazy cases of monsterous plants like 11 ft tall lol? I assumed i would be safe just changing out the reservoir once a week.
Thanks all!!

As OG13 said, how much water the plants suck up, depends on several things, and will be different for each person and grow. Airflow, RH, speed of growth and temp are very important in keeping the plants healthy.

For me, in the winter months, humidity is low. So in late veg and into mid flowering (when most of the stretching is occurring), I've seen four plants suck up a little over 3 gallons in 24 hours. I run a small closet with about 8 square feet, setup in SCROG, with about 5 foot overhead. No monster plants in that closet. During the summer months, with the outside air having a higher humidity, the plants use less water. After about 10 grows, I now only do 2 plants flowering.

Changing out the reservoir weekly is a good choice. Some wait longer, but I prefer making it a Sunday morning habit of working with the plants. I usually spend two to three hours changing and cleaning the res out, new nute mix, heavy training on the SCROG, fiddle, and faddle around. Through out the week, I add pH'd water to the bubbler. I like it as full of water as possible, at all times. Trying to keep the air gap as small as possible.

 

[locdogg39]

what strain do you grow and what type of yields do you typically get from your 2? Could you provide any sound advice on what nute mixes and amounts per gallon to go with during the different phases?

 

[PrairiePoet]

what strain do you grow and what type of yields do you typically get from your 2? Could you provide any sound advice on what nute mixes and amounts per gallon to go with during the different phases?

I grow sativa strains, mostly local mixes or from my seed stash.

I normally get between 4 to 6 oz's a harvest. Though I'm sure if I put more effort and money into it, I could do better. I run about 700 to 900 watts of light (hps and CFL) in the flower closet. The SCROG setup is what gives me the larger yield, as all bud sites are at the same (or near) light level. I don't get huge cola's, nor popcorn buds. I just get lots of nice buds. The whole trick for me is the SCROG training. The more time I put into it, the bigger the yields (and also less problems with humidity/mold/pest).

I was using the Fox Farms three part hydro mix, and their three part enhancement minerals. Right now I'm using the Blue Planet three mix, for the first time. Wanting to compare and see how well it does. I follow the recommended dosages from the vendor, unless there is nute burn. I use tap water and supplement with Epson Salt for calcium and magnesium.

 

[locdogg39]

thanks man!