New grower question on yield

[spongiereggae]

Hi all.

I've just started growing and had a question about yields. I'm growing for a group of friends and myself who are old and in the way and no longer have easy access to commercial bud. As the only person with the space and the right living situation (i.e., no kids or disapproving spouses) the task fell to me, which is okay since I've always wanted to try growing. I'm almost finished with my first grow, which I've done kind of half-assed, just to get my feet wet. I grew 8 plants from seed (just seeds from a couple of random bags of decent commercial) using fluorescent grow lights and while it's not producing as much bud as I'd like, I'm overall pleased but ready to step it up a notch.

What I'd like to be able to do is be able to provide the total needs for myself and my friends, which works out to about 2 lbs per harvest if I stagger my crops so that I can harvest every two months or so. I've read about people getting 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per plant, which is what I'd like to aim for as I'd like to keep each crop to 8 plants if possible for space reasons. But I've also read about those who get an ounce or less per plant, which is what I estimate I'll get from my current crop.

So, my questions are, is getting yields of 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per plant feasible in an indoor garden, and if so, do I absolutely need to step up to hps or mh to do it, or could I get by with more (perhaps higher output) fluorescents? Most of what I've read leaves me with the impression that using hps is necessary, but then I've seen reports of people who use them getting about the same amount of yield that I currently get with fluorescents.

Thanks for reading, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

[9240GrnMachine]

i believe, if you want to get those types of numbers... you must go hps! ive tried with T5s, but cant come close to the numbers of a 1000 hps! you also must have the space to grow bigger plants.. and understand how to support them... physically and nutrient wise... learning how to trim is going to be important and how you train the plant... if you take that all into consideration and have all the variables correct.. you should get more then that..

 

[spongiereggae]

Thanks GrnMachine. I kind of figured that I couldn't get great yields from fluorescents, but wasn't sure if hps would be worth the cost and venting issues. I'll start boning up on nutrients, trimming, etc. Would a 1000w hps be sufficient for 8 plants?

Thanks again for your response!

 

[hazydreams]

+1 for a light switch. For 8 plants your going to need at least 1000w HPS to pull those types of numbers and you might still fall a little short due to plant spacing. if your looking for those number i have one word for you, HYDRO.

I have seen seasoned growers with WAY WAY WAY more experience then i have pull similar numbers to what your talking about in soil. But I personally have never even dreamed of touching those numbers with dirt. With the same training and same veg time, In my experience ive seen 2-2.5oz per plant in FFOF. Hydro yeilds me 5oz per plant easy, more if im training them hard, pruning shade leaves and basically working at it and not being a lazy stoner.

Plants will also dictate this. there are low yeilding plants and Heavy yeilding ones. My particular plant in this scenario falls in the middle leaning slightly on the heavier side. so jsut know that what you pic to grow will determine your yeild as much or more so as the lights and enviroment you are putting the plant in.


hope this helps.

Hazydreams

 

[jm420]

You will need some sort of hps to hit those numbers.The biggest factor is your enviorment and growing experiance.Heat is the biggest factor with using HPS ,so ventilation is a must.Search SOG SCROG ,LST.Growing trees indoor is tough 1 1000 dosnt give much canapy penatration beyond 2 feet.Everything below is basically popcorn without side lighting.Search Blunt 69's thread 'somthing every newb should know'.and start from there .Its full of great info to get started pulling some weight

 

[Zendo]

better genetics+more light (hps)= more

A single 1000 or 2x600 would be ideal. You'll never hit your 'ideal' numbers with those flouro's.

 

[spongiereggae]

Thanks all for your help. Luckily, I already have excellent ventilation in my grow space, though I can't say it will be sufficient for hps lights until I try it. I hadn't considered going hydro yet, thought maybe I should get a crop or two under my belt first, but this whole thing is a learning experience so I may just jump right in. I'm leaning to 2x600 since cost isn't too much of an issue when you have a dozen or so people pitching in. Perhaps I can repurpose my fluoros as side lighting? I'll also check the threads mentioned by jm420--sounds like good stuff.

The seeds I'm using came from some large, dense, and fairly potent buds, so hopefully if I can get everything else right they'll produce well.

Thanks again for everyone's help--you all rock.

 

[9240GrnMachine]

how big of a space do you have?? i will get at a minimum.. 1lb per 1000... hydro or soiless... if its hydro,, i would run your 8 plants under 2 1000 on a 3x6 or 4x8 tray... but again,, do you have the space??

 

[spongiereggae]

GrnMachine--I have an 8 x 6 space, and was planning to use one side for veg stage with fluorescents and the other side for flowering. I haven't yet had time to look into the specifics of hydro but from your post I gather I may run into space issues if I go hydro and want to stagger my crops. If I can use 2 3 x 6 trays I might make it work. Can flourescents be used for veg stage with hydro? It would cut down on the heat and I already own a bunch of them.

 

[someotherguy]

high man, being old myself i can relate to your situation.

anyway, before you spend any cash, here is a thread
you might find very enlightening, lol, (pun intended).

Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

anyway, once you see the charts and all the other data,
well, it convinced me, for what that's worth, lol.

btw, here are a couple more threads you might
enjoy checking out.

PLL Club. (if you don't know, now you know)

this last one is a guy growing the kind of weight your
lookin' for, his op is bigger than your's would need to
be but you get the idea.

12 Bucket DWC - 2000w - Romulan & Bubbakush

good luck and stay safe!

peace, SOG

 

[spongiereggae]

Thanks someotherguy, I particularly like the 12 bucket dwc--this may be the way I go since I already have a bunch of 5 gal buckets. I hadn't even heard of cmh--interesting stuff that I'll be considering before purchasing lamps.

Also, jm420 mentioned a thread called "somthing every newb should know" but I have been unable to find it. Anyone know if that thread is still up? Maybe my forum skills are lacking .

 

[Justin_Credible]

<clip>I'll start boning up on nutrients, trimming, etc. Would a 1000w hps be sufficient for 8 plants?

Thanks again for your response!

spongie
It depends....I have 3k's shps and sometimes I only use 2, or even 1. Usually depending upon veg time and how large they are when they 1st go in is what determines how many plants per light. 8 under 1k? Again; depends how big from veg...are they only 8-12 inches tall and U want to flower them? 8 under one light is fine. but if they are 24-30 inches tall in veg...no; 8 is too much....more like 4 per 1k. That is unless you use the light movers, my lights are stationary. In the past I have been able to get about 3 &1/2 oz (or more) per plant from my c99 and that is with 4 under one light. I think that you aught try something easy to grow if 1st starting. If you want a QP per plant and want a two month turnaround....These are large expectations for a new grower...that is why c99 seems like the way to go, or rather try something that is crossed with it....strain is bullet proof and made me look like a hero in my friend's eyes. Aaahhhh, only if they knew.
plus....
c99 trim ='s great bubble...

before bubble



after bubble...

 

[spongiereggae]

Justin--Yeah, I know its ambitious, but it's what I want to aim for, so I want to have the right setup from the beginning. Hadn't considered light movers, but I'd probably just get more lights before I went that route.

Everyone's experience seems to be different--some say what I want is totally doable and others not. It's a goal, and they always told me back in school to aim high. Or was that the Air Force?

I have limited access to seeds and don't want to have any delivered to me (too paranoid), but what I do have are from some fairly potent and dense buds. My friends and I are all in our late forties to early fifties, and while we love kickass weed, most of us use pot medicinally at least 50 percent of the time to get us through our various aches and pains and in my case, to help with digestion issues (nothing settles my stomach like weed). Because of this, we're actually aiming for something akin to good quality commercial, which is what the seeds I have come from. The various strains of kind bud (do they still call it that?) are great, but when you're just trying to get through the day and have to deal with work situations they're too strong, not to mention that it can be obvious to others. We've all got day jobs, mortgages, etc. and many have kids, so we have a slightly different outlook from many on these forums. My current crop, which is my first and done in soil completely w/ fluorescents, could definitely be harvested now, but I keep waiting for more of the trichs to turn amber to get more of the body high because it works better for the ailments of most in the group. And we're used to it, so we're able to maintain in front of colleagues and family members.

Well, that went on longer than I planned! In any case, thanks again for your input!

 

[Phillthy]

master the basics - lighting, nutes, temp, humidity, etc.. and the yield will come. good luck!

 

[Justin_Credible]

Justin--Yeah, I know its ambitious, but it's what I want to aim for, so I want to have the right setup from the beginning. Hadn't considered light movers, but I'd probably just get more lights before I went that route.

Everyone's experience seems to be different--some say what I want is totally doable and others not. It's a goal, and they always told me back in school to aim high. Or was that the Air Force?

I have limited access to seeds and don't want to have any delivered to me (too paranoid), but what I do have are from some fairly potent and dense buds. My friends and I are all in our late forties to early fifties, and while we love kickass weed, most of us use pot medicinally at least 50 percent of the time to get us through our various aches and pains and in my case, to help with digestion issues (nothing settles my stomach like weed). Because of this, we're actually aiming for something akin to good quality commercial, which is what the seeds I have come from. The various strains of kind bud (do they still call it that?) are great, but when you're just trying to get through the day and have to deal with work situations they're too strong, not to mention that it can be obvious to others. We've all got day jobs, mortgages, etc. and many have kids, so we have a slightly different outlook from many on these forums. My current crop, which is my first and done in soil completely w/ fluorescents, could definitely be harvested now, but I keep waiting for more of the trichs to turn amber to get more of the body high because it works better for the ailments of most in the group. And we're used to it, so we're able to maintain in front of colleagues and family members.

Well, that went on longer than I planned! In any case, thanks again for your input!

So you are starting out with a bag seed then?? I wish you the best on getting to your goal.

master the basics - lighting, nutes, temp, humidity, etc.. and the yield will come. good luck!

 

[spongiereggae]

Yeah, bag seed, but the crop I'm getting ready to harvest now was grown from them and while it obviously hasn't been dried or weighed, I'd say I'm going to get an oz. per plant on average. And the buds I've clipped to check the trichs have smoked quite nicely, with a good quality head buzz. As I said before, I'm just waiting for more of a body buzz before I take them down. And that was done with nothing but a bunch of flourescent grow lights from home depot so I'm hoping that with the E&F system I'm setting up, hps bulbs, and better nutes (all I used in my first grow was an all-purpose formula, and not knowing any better I used it full strength) I'll get better yields.

In any case, this is all a learning experience and if nothing else I'm having fun with it. If it turns out that I need better seeds or to grow more plants at a time, I'll make adjustments.

 

[spongiereggae]

master the basics - lighting, nutes, temp, humidity, etc.. and the yield will come. good luck!

Thanks Phillthy, that's what I'm hoping for!

 

[jammie]

Hi all.

I've just started growing and had a question about yields. I'm growing for a group of friends and myself who are old and in the way and no longer have easy access to commercial bud. As the only person with the space and the right living situation (i.e., no kids or disapproving spouses) the task fell to me, which is okay since I've always wanted to try growing. I'm almost finished with my first grow, which I've done kind of half-assed, just to get my feet wet. I grew 8 plants from seed (just seeds from a couple of random bags of decent commercial) using fluorescent grow lights and while it's not producing as much bud as I'd like, I'm overall pleased but ready to step it up a notch.

What I'd like to be able to do is be able to provide the total needs for myself and my friends, which works out to about 2 lbs per harvest if I stagger my crops so that I can harvest every two months or so. I've read about people getting 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per plant, which is what I'd like to aim for as I'd like to keep each crop to 8 plants if possible for space reasons. But I've also read about those who get an ounce or less per plant, which is what I estimate I'll get from my current crop.

So, my questions are, is getting yields of 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per plant feasible in an indoor garden, and if so, do I absolutely need to step up to hps or mh to do it, or could I get by with more (perhaps higher output) fluorescents? Most of what I've read leaves me with the impression that using hps is necessary, but then I've seen reports of people who use them getting about the same amount of yield that I currently get with fluorescents.

Thanks for reading, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

hey there spongi. i was in the same spot 5 yrs ago. i'm 56 now. i started out growing seed i got on vacation in jamaica, hence my handle- jammie. Ya definately got to try the high class genetics on the seedbay/boutique sites. using good genetics, good lights and giving your plant 50watts per sq ft (don't cram 8 plants under a 600w) and you should get close to .8 to 1 gm per watt

 

[spongiereggae]

Thanks, jammi. Old stoners have to stick together, eh?

I'm a little too paranoid to order from the seed shops--I even paid cash at the hydro store to keep my name out of any records. In my work I've gotten to know quite a few retired cops (I train disabled people in various computer skills), and most of them are really good guys who couldn't care less if you smoke, but a few are jerks. One of them who had worked narc for a while told me about sitting in his undercover car across the street from a grow store taking down license plates of people visiting the shop. He then surveilled a few of the most likely looking people and made a few busts. I'm sure that's the exception rather than the rule, but I've never gotten that story out of my head.

Anyway, thanks for your help!

 

[Justin_Credible]

Yeah, bag seed, but the crop I'm getting ready to harvest now was grown from them and while it obviously hasn't been dried or weighed, I'd say I'm going to get an oz. per plant on average.<clip>.

Sorry, when I read you post and thread title I thought you meant this was your 1st time.
and yeah, we still call it "kind" bud.