Yield, lighting, and a cat question

[repoocbd]

First off I have been growing for over a year now and have had several succesful grows so I am not a complete newb anymore. My last harvest was of 3 plants I cloned and grew in hydroponic hempy buckets under 9 CFL's to a height of about 3 feet. My yield was much lower than I expected however. The plants were flowering like crazy and the buds were covered in trichs and let me tell you the stuff is damn good, but I got maybe 2 oz's out of the 3 plants and that wont even come close to lasting me and my partner until next harvest which is 7 weeks away still. So I need to figure out how to increase my yield to nearly double that.

Now as I said I am using hempy buckets and they are filled with coco coir and I water them every other day with a general hydroponics brand nutrient mix. They are under 9 soft white CFL's and placed in a corner that has flat white poster board covering the walls to help keep as much light in the corner as possible. Not sure if it is important to know but I clone them under 3 daylight CFL's in a self enclosed cabinet.

Now for the questions.

1. Based on the information I have given what's the best way to increase my yield?

2. Does anyone know much about the halogen floor lights you can get at a hardware store for $10? I had one for my garage years ago and they are bright as all hell but I don't know if those lights are in the right spectrum also they get pretty hot. But if they work I can find a way aroun the heat I am sure. And before you mention it no, I can't afford to buy regular HID grow lights.

3. Last how do I get my cat to stop eating the leaves on my plants? It started last harvest when he came up to the plant I was trimming branches from and started chewing on, then biting off pieces of the fan leaves. Now sure this was amusing and cute at harvest when it was going to be cut down anyhow, but now he is doing it to the plants I just pulled out of the cabinet and placed in the flowering corner. He does quite a bit of damage to the lower fan leaves and I hate to have to just cut him off from the room entirely, he is my little buddy after all. Any suggestions?

P.S. sorry about the long post, but thank you to all those with the patience to read it and respond.

 

[Kcar]

3. Grow some catnip to wean him off the weed

2. No. Halogen lights don't work very well and are very hot. How about a 70-150 hps?
You can get one of those at HD or Lowes.

1. You need more useable light, and let them Veg longer.

Good Luck!

 

[arcticsun]

Seems many things you can do m8, first of all id go to work on your flowering "corner". I realize things cost money so ill not tell you to buy a tent.

Make sure that thing is 100% light proof! Any leaks can slow the flowering process and ultimately lead to lower yields. Next id consider getting a 70-150 hps as kcar said and also the ventilation is important imo for good yields.

I guess id also look into the different boosters and flower enhancers out there. Its an ugly notion I know, but it pays off to invest alittle in equipment aslong as one dont go overboard. Its easy to overspend also. If neither of these are an option for you then maybe going with a different strain may help, you didnt say what you were running. But maybe one of the new autoflowers would be the thing for you. They are not as sensitive to the light, and they finish quicker.

The catstory is cute lol, cant help you there im afraid

peacenpot -arcticsun

 

[repoocbd]

Well I looked into the HPS lights and I realy can not afford 100-150 dollars for new lights right now. I may be able to afford the building materials to build a 4 foot by 3 foot closet out of that corner and have it totally closed off from light at night. Right now it is virtually pitch black at night, but I have a mini fridge back there I need to get too, and my bathroom is just down the hall so if I turn on that light there is a small amount of light that creeps back to the plants. Plus if I built a wall l would be able to keep all the light from the CFL's in as well. So since that will cost me like $50 I will try that first. As far as catnip, where do I get the seeds

 

[TexasToker]

Get bigger CFLs, and use supplemental Floro tubes

Halogen lights will burn the crap out of the plants. In order for it to be not too hot you would have to have it way up and then you lose what potential it has in the footprint lumens.

Shoot the cat...j/k. Keep the rascal away by putting plastic plates or something around the plants that makes it noisy, uncomfortable for the cat to walk on.

* You could modify mouse traps with paddles that just pop when triggered to scare the crap out of the cat.

 

[superultramega]

you yielded two ounces?

sell a 1/4 and buy a new light. You'll thank me later for taking this advice.

 

[guest396]

3. rent your cat out to a commercial grower, as an "experienced" trimmer. up to 50 and hour. after eating that much weed he'll be over it. take the cash from said cats work and:

2. skip halogen, but get:

1. rocking air cooled system.

nah sell half your bud and invest in the FUTURE. see number 1 above.

 

[bendoslendo]

Yeah, light is key. I wouldn't use the soft whites for flowering, something closer to red end of the spectrum is better for flowering. You can also increase light by increasing reflectivity. Use white/black polly for the walls you're building.

Definitely look into getting an HPS bulb after you wall off your area. CFLs are good for clones and seedling, but not flowering.

 

[fatigues]

I would agree that the problem here is light. You need more of it to increase your yield.

I have no idea where you live and I appreciate that this advice is highly "region dependent", but I suggest you look to Craigslist. In my area, $100-$150 would buy you a used 1000 watt mag ballast, used HPS bulb and a cheap ass reflector on Craigslist. You can often find 400watt deals for less than $100.

Might not be possible where you live - but surely worth taking a look?

In the alternative, an investment of about $125 would buy you 220watts of PL-L lights, with reflectors. That is enough light to harvest one oz per month. I am not sure if that is enough to meet your requirements - but it is also worth considering.

 

[aasin527]

my cat was doing the same thing. i had to keep him out of my room after a while.

 

[Bumble Buddy]

Get some cat grass (seeds or a potted plant) at a pet store, cats need some greenery in their diet.

 

[good drown]

pet stores sell a product called bitter apple, or other bitter fruits. lightly spray those low fan leaves, and let him in the room, 1-2 times of him eating those leaves and i doubt he will ever do it again. I would imagine it wouldn't harm plants if only used a few times. ingredients on Fooey Ultra Bitter spray are...water, all natural bitter principles and extractives, preservatives. it has a neutral ph. I use the stuff for my dog so he wont chew up certain parts of the house
try that first

 

[fishheadbob]

The cat. Place some pie tins or whatever you have - with maybe an inch of water in them - around your plant corner. Almost like building a mini moat. The cat won't want to get his feet wet.

 

[CaptainTrips]

The cat. Place some pie tins or whatever you have - with maybe an inch of water in them - around your plant corner. Almost like building a mini moat. The cat won't want to get his feet wet.

My cat gets in the shower with me, lol... I know its not typical, but still. Better to just keep the cat out of the grow room, if possible.

 

[superultramega]

cats can also bring in the dreaded spider mite.
My cat loves the plants too. I think he also likes the heat from the HIDs. If you think about it, a grow room is pure heaven for a cat. Warm, lots of places to lay "in the sun", and fresh leaves to eat. If you have some koi in your organic res on top of that, you're never going to get your cat out.

 

[MAZEinaHAZE]

how about T5's.....they are great for vegging....not a lot of heat given off. you can buy from Lowes Home Depot for no more then 25 - 30 bucks ??

Also, take the cat on LONG walk off a short pier...prob solved

 

[highonmt]

ugg catpiss cathair catstank...keep those demon beasts away from your grow.
HM

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

2. Does anyone know much about the halogen floor lights you can get at a hardware store for $10? I had one for my garage years ago and they are bright as all hell but I don't know if those lights are in the right spectrum also they get pretty hot. But if they work I can find a way aroun the heat I am sure. And before you mention it no, I can't afford to buy regular HID grow lights.

Dont bother with a halogen, I can say they do work but they are not what you want to use. Its a waste.

Go with flo's or CFL. etc..

I promise you will see more results with 500 watts of flo vs. 500 halogen.

 

[headfortrinity]

Get some catnip started and he won't bother with your weed again. It also repels some bugs, like fungus gnats.

 

[OMountainMix]

Two of my cats will occasionally gnaw on a leaf of a mother or clone, but I don't think it's a big deal. They never try to eat bud. The other one likes to race behind the extra tarp next to the wall of the veg room which is annoying but funny. I love my cats. One of them just started eating leaves, I think it's b/c I'm not blowing enough smoke in her face recently. She REALLY likes to get down. They do NOT go outside, so I don't have to worry about them bringing diseases in. We are VERY careful to not even let Miss Thing escape. The other two are petrified of the outdoors, they run away from the front door when we open it.

I would say it's all about the genetics and the nutrients for your yield issue. Of course light, and temperature are another issue. I know what it is to work so hard and spend good money and get very little.

I'd say you need to try a 600 watt bulb and I'd try Ebay. They are sooooooo many people who try growing and then give up and with this economy, I'd guess that people who might otherwise hang on to their used gear are probably trying to get rid of it on Ebay.

I'd also want to know what you are using for nutes and what strains.

And in the end, you have to set aside part of each harvest to invest in whatever you need to make the next one happen. That's just part of it. You can sacrifice now with the idea of really improving your over all experience in the future.

MissOMountainMix