Another yield thread....

[dank.frank]

Okay...preparing for the outdoor season, and wanting to do things at a level I have never done before...as far as proper planning and preparation of the ground. As with any outdoor crop, part of the point is to grow big bushes that give to you in abundance. To really hit my goals this year, I need to plan accordingly.

Genetics:

1. Chem D x NL
2. Golden Cindy
3. BKGK

****edit****

4. Arcata Trainwreck

All of these will finish early enough for my climate zone...and should give me a good variety of different things to tie me over for a bit.

Now my goal is really to have each plant, ideally, yield a full pound. Now this is really kinda unlikely for me, but I suppose I want my setup work done in a manner that would allow for such growth/production to be possible.

So with the concept of 1# per plant...what size hole would be needed to really ensure the plant has adequate room to mature and produce??? From my limited understanding, the tap root plants prefer a deeper hole vs. a wider hole...so really, what is the standard here?

Thanks in advance!!



dank.Frank

 

[Trev]

im starting my seedlings here in the next week or two. I expect to have them outside mid May, fingers crossed... i expect some 1lb'ers...

veg inside so they are larger from the start or things, stonger, and more likely to survive as well..


i recal hearing something like 3 x 3' on the hole? but there are multiple factors to take into consideration..? ie: ground is hard, you might have to do a shallow hole, and "mound" the dirt on top..


im high, just talkin sh#t.

 

[dank.frank]

Well, I just really need to focus now on how much medium I am going to use to grow these plants in.

Okay...let's try this...I know that a hole that is 1 cubic foot....12"x12"x12"....is roughly 7 gal. of medium to fill. So to increase that depth by another 6", would mean I am effectively increasing the volume by half...so that would mean roughly 10+ gallons of medium.

Not always right, but I would think 10+g of soil would be enough to carry a plant through the season....

I DON'T KNOW though if the tap root would even grow that deep, so it may not make sense to dig that deep....

Okay...experts, where are you?



dank.Frank

 

[The Seeker]

I wonder about this too. I'm assuming it goes pretty deep for a large plant but who knows.

If I was a worm I'd find out real quick.

 

[john cutter]

I think you could get OPOP easily. Put them out early enough and theyll get big enough. Id want a bigger hole than you are taking about. It takes more work, but your helping to ensure a bigger harvest. Tons of perlite too, make sure that soil is loose so the rootmass can get huge and grow a huge plant.

Id do 2x2 holes

 

[dank.frank]

Talking to people seems like 10g outdoors will give me CLOSE to the 1# mark, and may be entirely possible....I want it to have the option to grow as large as it desires...to be prepared to allow it to hit that 1# per plant mark. It doesn't seem that 10g is quite enough...

To increase the hole to 2x2 would mean another 10g of medium, which would for sure be plenty to achieve the goal. I know this will sound a bit odd....but I actually DO NOT want to end up with massive plants giving me each 3#. I honestly wouldn't know what to do with that much...I also suspect it would be a bit of a safety hazard to let them get overly large....




dank.Frank

 

[The Seeker]

....but I actually DO NOT want to end up with massive plants giving me each 3#. I honestly wouldn't know what to do with that much...
dank.Frank

Yeah you do. Don't lie. You'd figure out what to do with it.

 

[dank.frank]

No, really....part of being able to grow outdoors safely means understanding the limitations of the location....

Many extremely large plants would be too noticeable late season....this isn't to say I would be upset by getting more...lol...


dank.Frank

 

[nomaad]

I'd say to be on the safe side, you want 30 gallon containers. Don't skimp. I am hoping to do 1+ pounders in my black box. They will go out on May 14th and be transplanted from 7 gallon pots into 65 gallon smart pots. I will give them two weeks to establish themselves in the smart pots (possibly with greenhouse fabric and some heat to minimize shock if the temps are still low like in 09)... by June1 I will be pulling tarp. Everything in there will be 8 or 9 week strains. Each row of 3 plants will have a SCROG.

I pulled half+ pounders in there last year. transplanted rootbound from 2 and 3 gallon pots, didn't manage for them to establish in the smartpots pre-veg, so they never really took advantage of the root space they had available...

I have all these factors in mind this time, lots more experience and a carefully orchestrated pre-season underway... i think OPOP on August 1st is an entirely reasonable goal. With the root mass potential in a 65, i feel like 2lbs is entirely plausible with proper veg time. Since you're talking about going the fuill season with em, I feel like 30gals of root space would guaranty you the pound.

I would suggest keeping your plant spacing as wide as possible so you can train ever outward instead of letting them turn into vertical monsters. also, I'd do the holes to a depth of about 18 inches...

 

[dank.frank]

Yeah....I am starting to figure a few things out about the general concept of OD....lol... it is amazing to me how much difference in concept and application there is between OD and indoor....whole new facet to immerse myself in!!

I think the 18" deep hole is about the perfect depth for ....INTERESTING about using the smart pots....I am assuming you are staying entirely above the ground then?

Plant spacing isn't even something I am worried about at this point and time.....but I on board for letting the things get bushier rather than taller. I think a lot of the indoor yield techniques can be applied to OD....to a degree....you can bet I'll be giving the ladies some LST during the season to help fill out....hehehe

I KNOW a 30g hole is fully capable of producing a massive TREE producing well over a #....just from the use of the search function...so I think I've concluded that 20g would really be enough to facilitate my desired outcome....



dank.Frank

 

[nomaad]

sounds like a plan. i look forward to seeing your thread develop. i think that you're 100% right about knowing your limitations for a given grow.

Its just as important for this communtity to have threads with information on how to live within these limitations as it is for threads that discuss how to yield 10+ off a single plant.

 

[THC123]

just make a hole with at least 100 liters of soil.

one frisian got me 4 pounds in such a pot.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

Hey df

I enjoy growing lber's. Sometimes its easier to grow 5 or 6 plants and get a lb or more than to grow a bunch of plants and get 2 or 3 ozs each. Taking care of 5 or 6 is much less work. Let me share some things i do, maybe you will get some ideas.

Strain: It has to be capable of producing a lb as part of its capacities. Ive never had success at coaxing a smaller stature plant to produce great amounts. The strain needs to be tough because a plant that produces a lb isnt a small, puny plant. It will blow over in the wind it care isnt taken

Soil: is critical. Get a small soil test kit. If you cant fix the soil then replace it. Often, i will plant in a spot on a rocky hillside that has very little soil. I pick out an 18"X18"x16"D hole and fill it with store bought soil. A bag costing 15 bucks will fill 2 holes and each hole can support a 1 lber. If the soil isnt the right stuff you wont be succesful.

Sun: you need 7 hrs of full sun

Water: Big plants and big buds require a great deal of water. PLENTY.

 

[nuggetshiner]

Hi df. Just wanted to let you know I'm subscribed and "Officially Lurking". I'm a registered
lurker so it's ok. Did you mention how many plants your growing? Just curious. Will be cool
to see some giant GC's. I just harvested 2 gc's in hdwc that did over six ozs each. About
48 inch plants. With veg time you should be able to do a lb plant pretty easy outside.

Hope you don't mind the pic.
Good luck. ns

 

[dank.frank]

Thanks NS....glad to see you coming through....

Well, I was thinking I'd be running 3 plots 12 of each....but it will be selected clones going out...so I'll know what to expect...

One plot will have to be a mix of something.....



dank.Frank

 

[dank.frank]

just make a hole with at least 100 liters of soil.

one frisian got me 4 pounds in such a pot.

A 100L pot is about 22.7 gallons..........so I figure a 20g hole is one point for me.

I agree that strain selection is def. key. And is in part the only reason why I listed the strains I was running...

The only plant I really have no yield expectations of is BKGK. That one, I simply just want to have a nice head stash of....


dank.Frank

 

[theJointedOne]

Dank Frank it really depends on all your conditions not just size of container. I suggest largeer than 30 gallons. I would go with 65 gallons of soil. You will get your pound mark and prob more. Im not sure when you said you "KNOW a 30 gallon container wil produce well over a pound". Actually thats not neccesarly true. If i may put my 2 cents in here i suggest doing 18-24" tall home made containers or smart pots. or if your gonna do a hole make it at least 2 and a half feet tall wide and deep. Go organic

 

[Momerath]

I do 5 x 5'' holes and make em about 2 feet deep. Starting em indoors and putting em outside in may yields me about 2-3 pounds per plant. Going by that, doing a 3 x 3'maybe 18" deep should be a perfect size for getting a pounder+
I've found for getting bushier plants, the width of the hole is more important than the depth. Depth usually equates to a tall plant, whereas if the roots can expend laterally, they make a wider bushier plant.

 

[dank.frank]

Will definitely be using full organic nutrients....entire crop will be fed with guano, cost be damned.

I will be placing them outdoors at 12-15" tall and having all been topped once already...
I say I "know" based on the research I have done using these forums. Those that have grown in 30g of soil outdoor, have gotten well above the 1# per plant mark.

Now I am fully aware that there are many other conditions that must be factored in....however, the scope of this particular conversation, is really only focusing on HOW BIG to make the hole.

It is far too easy to focus on EVERYTHING and miss the little things along the way. I'll take it one step at a time. But I am really almost convinced, 20g per plant will be sufficient to carry them through the season.


dank.Frank

 

[Big Foot]

Pot size is dependent on many things. Will proper care you could pull off a lb in a 5 gallon pot, although it would require a lot of maintenance, and you would probely have to water everyday. I have seen this work in back yard grows. If your growing in the woods, then you may want to increase the post size to a min of 30 gallons.