Perpetual Grow Advise Please

[rumplestiltskin]

Hello!

So I want to be able to harvest every 42 days which sounds doable with the flowering time of some of the strains I've found.

What would be the best option?

I have a 4x4 space I can veg in, so I would have 1 main LED light in there putting out 450w from wall output, thus 3 in the veg stage are sharing the 450w light. I want to veg 3 at a time and flower 3 at a time.

Then I'll have 3 separate 450w from wall output lights for the flowering stage, so each separate plant gets it's own 450w light.

Is this the best way to go about it? I would be harvesting every 42 days and then putting another 3 from veg into flower and another 3 clones or seeds into veg etc.

When is the light best utilized for yield? Since the veg plants will be sharing a 450w but the flowers get a separate 450w each?

Input would be awesome, more yield the better obviously !

Of course my aim is 1g per watt.

Thanks!

 

[Pennywise]

You want big healthy plants in veg, they only need around 350-400 ppfd. In flower they need around 1000 ppfd to optimize your yield.

 

[rumplestiltskin]

Thanks, whats the best way to calculate the ppfd? I've never done this or heard of it. I'm still quite new , I had a Google but still don't quite understand! I have a device that measures lux if I can use that? Thanks!

 

[Pennywise]

I think @InTheShed uses lux, maybe he’ll give you some advice.

 

[InTheShed]

Thanks Penny! I use a lux meter (a Dr Meter 1330B ~$35 on Amazon), and you can convert lux to PPFD using various online calculators (can't link them here because they're non-sponsored lighting sites - search google for "lux to PPFD"). The only thing you will need to know is the color temp of your lights because ºK changes the calculation.

If you want to get into the "weeds" of light and growing, head over to this post where I describe how to use lux, PPFD, and the Daily Light Intergral (DLI) to find the best use of your lights. DLI will tell you how many hours you need to run your lights/day in veg, as well as whether you have enough light to provide them with what they need when only running 12 hours of light during flower.

You can also just go the basic route and stick with lux, following this page from Royal Queen Seeds:

How to Use a Lux Meter to Increase Cannabis Yields - RQS Blog

Among pH testers, loupes, and refractometers, lux meters are a useful tool cannabis growers can harness to ensure optimal plant productivity and health.

www.royalqueenseeds.com

 

[The Phantom]

@InTheShed can I PM you a link of a converter I found for lux? I think it's from an led company so I don't believe I can post it, but I wanted you to take a look and give me your opinion on it's accuracy from your experience.

 

[InTheShed]

@InTheShed can I PM you a link of a converter I found for lux? I think it's from an led company so I don't believe I can post it, but I wanted you to take a look and give me your opinion on it's accuracy from your experience.

Sure!

 

[bobrown14]

You got the light tec already covered... on the 42 day thing and perpetual.

Likely going to start to stray off of that 42 day thing. You should be flexible with you times and 42 days in that from flip to 12/12?

I only have 1 strain that I can get to finish that fast and we made the cross.

What I'm getting at is that my plants all finish at different times. There's no feast or famine its all feast...lol. I harvest 1 plant at a time usually. Keeps me off the trim table for days in a row.

Harvesting 3 the same time - you will have to dedicate time to trim those 3 plants all at the same time - that can get overwhelming even for experience trimmers.

There's that and I cant remember the last time I had a grow finish all at the same time even clones of the same plant will vary time to chop.

Flexibility is key.

My only hard rule:
Always have more veg plants than you think you can flower.