400w HPS grow low yeilds.. advice?

[Megamanx]

I have a 400w combo MH/HPS setup going. I've grown about 4-6 crops, started with DWC, then moved to soil and coco and now i'm back to DWC. My grow space is 18" x 32" x 5'. Temps and humidity are almost always perfect (mid summer it gets a bit hot and humid sometimes but rarely). I use AN nutes sensi A&B grow/bloom along with big bud, piranha, tarantula, sensizyme, carbo load, overdrive, organic B-1, and the bud flavor one (forget what its called). I don't really care that much about what brand nutes i'm using and I think when I run out of the sensi I'm going to try out the Botanicare organic hydro bloom stuff (cheap and its organic so why not)

But anyways..

Everytime i grow out a plant I get around 1 oz to 2oz (2oz being generous). All my plants always grow nice and healthy and never really had any problems other than the odd nute deficiency (wasnt sure how soon to give the clone nutes) or a minor (and I mean minor) nute burn once.

My last grow was a Greenhouse seeds Trainwreck and that gave me my highest yeild of 2oz (maybe a bit under). It grew really nice and had nice nugs and got to about 1.5 ft tall. I vegged it for 2 weeks under the 400w MH then switched to 12/12.

Now, that was my best run so far.

This time around I have a Barneys farm Acapulco Gold going and it's shaping up to be a really nice plant. I vegged it for about 2 weeks and it's now in week 3 of flowering and the stretching has subsided. The node intervals are fairly close together on the top colas (I top all my plants) and its in full bloom.

But...

As I'm looking at this plant I can see now that it too will probably only give me around 1.5 - 2oz and that's not going to cut it anymore. What I would really like to know is how can I either increase my yeild on my plants (I see people getting like a 1/4 lbs or so from 1 plant DWC under a 400w) or get the most bang for my buck.

I'm thinking about changing my system again to accomodate more plants once this plant comes down but not 100% yet it might be too risky/ too much investment since I already have a functioning system that grows healthy potent though somewhat low yeild plants. The system I was planning on changing to would be a drip system setup on an 18" x 39" table with 4- 6 plant sites in that brown/red expanded clay stuff with the cutting in a big rockwool cube(8" i think?) on top. Basically just have the nute res drip on my plants all day long and have it aerated. With this style it would obviously be a SOG type system with clones being vegged about 1 week. Not sure if I would want to make it perpetual or not.

So anyways to sum it up, my plants are always healthy but yeild low. Need to find a way to increase yeild somehow..

Thoughts..?

 

[Haps]

How long since you had a new bulb? Yield drops off after 6 months, big time with mh, less loss with hps, but it still effects yield.

 

[localman]

so your wanting to yeild more with ONE PLANT? am i hearing your correctly your only growing one plant.. if thats the case all you need to do is submit a pic.. so we can see if your bending and topping.. thats the first step.. if your wanting to use more plants.. I like 4 under a 400 I yeild about 5oz off 4 plants reg cycle.. its all in the environment man.. is your HOOD COOLED? is the bulb NEW?> if not get a new bulb and air cool that hood and lay it flat smack on the budsites.. my reflector sits 1-2in from my canopy.. ok ok il shut up.. thats my 2cents

 

[Megamanx]

Yaa I'll get a pic up, I'm on top of all that stuff though; I record on my light boxes the use. My current HPS has about 3 months on it, my hood is cooled (ghetto rig but it works properly) and my tops are like 1 - 2 inches from the cooltube. I always stay on top of pH, but never measure ppm or EC (don't have issues with nute burn either though). The reason I only have one plant is because realistically to fit 2 20L buckets under there (2 plants) there wouldn't be enough room for both to grow correctly. I tried doing multiple plants and they were cramped.

 

[localman]

dude you dont need a 20L pot lol gees

I use a 4liter pot to get great results..

I have grown TREES from a 4 liter pot like 4oz trees from a 4x4 rockwool cube.. your root mass can be small if you monitor PPM with a 20 dollar meter..

 

[Megamanx]

Ok here are the pictures from 2 different angles and one if of one of the tops (they all basically look like that..)

 

[TurboFish]

your veg time is too low. your plant can only produce so much with only 2 weeks veg under the 400watt bulb. veg for 4 weeks, don't be impatient.

 

[Megamanx]

If I vegged for 4 weeks don't you think it would outgrow the area? it's already 2' tall and i have maybe another foot to raise the light and thats it (bucket takes up lots of head room)

 

[fredcdobbs]

if only one plant i'd veg for 60 days....i used a 400 for a couple yrs til i lucked out and found a 1000 watt sun system(bulb and all) for $35 at a restore place...my yields were always shit with a 400..2,3,or 4 ounces with 5 or 10 plants...didnt matter how many plants..UNTIL I GOT THAT 1000 WATTER AND I SAID OH SHIT..lol....light was so bright (compared to 400)that it scared me...now i get 15 or 16 oz every grow from 4 plants...i veg for 60 days

 

[Megamanx]

dude you dont need a 20L pot lol gees

I use a 4liter pot to get great results..

I have grown TREES from a 4 liter pot like 4oz trees from a 4x4 rockwool cube.. your root mass can be small if you monitor PPM with a 20 dollar meter..

Explain more please? This is a DWC your talking about?? If i can use a smaller bucket i will lol..

How can you maintain a small root mass and get good yeilds? And how can ppm keep your root mass small.

 

[Megamanx]

if only one plant i'd veg for 60 days....i used a 400 for a couple yrs til i lucked out and found a 1000 watt sun system(bulb and all) for $35 at a restore place...my yields were always shit with a 400..2,3,or 4 ounces with 5 or 10 plants...didnt matter how many plants..UNTIL I GOT THAT 1000 WATTER AND I SAID OH SHIT..lol....light was so bright (compared to 400)that it scared me...now i get 15 or 16 oz every grow from 4 plants...i veg for 60 days

Ya me and a buddy grew using his 1000w light, 2 plants we got 7oz off each one on a strain called jack the ripper. I don't want to go 1000w because of the electricity bill. I have another 400w ballast and bulb but not sure how i'm going to work that into that little space and keep the temps and all that good still.

 

[Megamanx]

Heres the other 2 pictures, my bad.

 

[localman]

Ok i did not see your in dwc... 20 is what i choose to use for that method too.. I have a question.. are you lowering your bulb when you start veg.. it appears to be very STRECHED idk m 2cents

 

[localman]

Tight internodal growth is neccisary for a good yeild.. just stretching her out to the bulb and flowering her will not be as good as a tight plant that would Explode .. i see a tall skinny stretched but thats just me talking again i am only trying to help my friend

if the stretching is strain dependent id switch to a INDICA and your yeilds will Flourish

 

[Megamanx]

ya trust me i hate when i see pics of peoples setup and the light is like 2 ft above their plants. I always keep the light as close as possible, I'm going to do a trainwreck agan after this grow and maybe another one of these. The train wreck gave me nice potent buds and they were actually pretty fat but was still 2oz. Not sure how it got that stretched you think its the strain?

 

[localman]

well if your keeping the light CLOSE the entire time then it must be the strain .. another way to fix your yeild with ONE plant would be introduce trellis or netting if you will Horizontal and SCROG that shit for a month then Bloom your talking 300 % increase with a stretchy bitch.. thats the way id go since you KNOW your plant ,, its u want more tops so train that Girl to a Trellis

 

[Megamanx]

should i do that now? do i still have time? also how would i do that, just weave the stems into the netting or what?

 

[localman]

now is too late Way too late..

Ok So you insert clone and start veg, after One week of veg place a 2in square netting over the top of the plant, cont to super crop and FIM your tops for two to Three weeks more of veg .. when you see new branches reaching 3-4 in weave yourself a Screen of Green like your better off reading a Shit ton on this b4 u try it.. IT WORKS . once your
Canopy is EVEN and full then start Flower
SCROG it

 

[smoke1sun]

Yeah it your only using one plant you probably need to do some sort of training. Scrog, Fim Top/ Something thats gonna give you multiple tops and a even canopy. Me I would Scrog, be patient.

Localman is got the right idea. But maybe you need to reevaluate you hole setup to maximize yield.

Good luck

 

[Serioussmoke]

Same exact setup

Same exact setup

So I am no expert completely newb. But I do have like the same exact damn setup. Literally almost to the inches... weird..
Anyhow.

If you veg for 4 weeks your plants will not outgrow the space from all the reseach I have done across the forums here.(and that was allot trying to figure out wtf to do with this tiny space.)

Check out Dapurps setup slightly bigger than ours but same ghettofied stuff everywhere else.

I am actually vegging for 5 weeks in my first and current grown. On weeks 4 right now.
I am using General hydroponics 3 part nute system. florogrow florobloom and floromicro as instructed on the bottle. no differation other than starting off smaller as to not shock the plants but just my personal preference.
Also all my buddies use it with hydro/soil/coco and rave about it. ones got a 3 ft. sour D bush.
I grow in roots organic soil in a one gallon pot for veg gonna switch to a 2gal for flower.
And I have 6 plants and am hoping to get like 2 ounces per plant. with a non air cooled hood and ghetto fied air system.


My theoretical suggestion for you would be to. Get a smaller pot idk metric unfortunately. but like a 2 gal. and Do exactly what your doing.

If you wanna try the nutes im using then that would help too. I'm just sayin one plant in that space you should be getting like 6-12 ozs man. but also Idk if this has been suggested but you should Lst shit out of those guys at three weeks. well 2 in your case.

Also if your really worried about it have you tried a strain called lowryder? here really great things for people that have no space.
Maybe we can collaborate on ideas for our tiny ass rooms lol

Sorry for my uber stoned reply. I really think I had something important to add to this but the hog has annilated my thinking skills.


Wait for it I remembered. and now I forgot dammit.

Fuck finally. What kinda bulb you got in that thing? Could just be a shitty spectrum. but judging by your posts thats probably not true you seem to be pretty up on it.

Peace before i sound like a bigger fool