I'm on my 6th grow. I've messed around with different low-budget lighting setups and have a questions. The last three grows I've been using a 150 HPS in a 2x2 area. The top colas always seem to produce well. Obviously, there isn't enough light penetration to the lower dudes, so those really don't seem to do much. I guess my question is this: Does anyone here use a 150 HPS? What has your yield been? My last grow, I tried for 4 plants. Two were much larger and the other two were smaller. When all was said and done, I only yielded appx. 2 oz of dried bud. I use Fox Farm soil/nutes and have digital pH meter for solution testing. Anyone know if it's possible to yield more than an ounce per plant (regardless of genetics)? All these plants were the same genes (strain unsure-bagseed) as I have a mother going elsewhere. I currently have one topped plant and one in LST, I like to experiment. Any recommendations?
I never used a 150 hps, but you could use some CFL's as side lighting. Are you using HPS for veg too? What are you using for reflective material,you could get some mylar.
2 oz out of 4 plants... thats so depressing I have 4 plants under 2 400w HPS bulbs and i feel inadiquate for light... I think you just need more wattage
Look at my grow, I have 5 under a 250 HPS with no side lighting. I think it all has to do with getting in there and pruning to be able to know how to branch out a plant and allow good internodal spacing. I will keep you posted on this yield as I only have 50W of HID light per plant...but supplemented with picture perfect conditions they seem to be doing as good as my girls under 400s. -JACK-
if i were in your position i wouldnt wana go buying a new light, id probably just go and get some flouro tubes and a few normal curly ones and hang them around the plants, would definitely increase yields, you could try a scrog too, seems to work pretty nicely for most people!
I would stick with the LST. That will expose much more of the plant to direct light and should boost your yields significantly.
Sounds like you probably don't have much to improve. Two oz from 150W is a pretty good haul, and you won't get much more without more light. Anything you're thinking of trying, any changes to what you're already doing would at most get you another half oz or so. Are you growing perpetually? With small harvests it's especially boosting to morale if you can spread it out and have some finishing every month. Whatever your flowering time is, see if you can rotate the plants in there, maybe keeping four plants in flower but harvesting two at a time every month and replacing them with two clones. Or harvest and replace one of them every two weeks even. This way your total harvest may be the same at the end of the year but you'll be getting one or two oz a month of personal.
Try some LST. I am using it for 2 plants right now and it allows the lower bud sites to get equal light as the top, so they all will produce large colas.
Agreed with most of the people, LST is going to increase your yield significantly, but an increase in wattage never hurts, just pick up some CFL's put them on the sides
I just took 3 and a half Oz of an AK I think yes it is due to the amount of light I say get some foil up in there or use thermal foil pro stuff (forget the offical Name for it) to bounce the light Around get a Tube and also fill the inside of that with foil and stab holes all around it then hang it off you HPS lamp so the light can bounce right down to the bottom. acting like a periscope redirecting light from above to below. sounds stupid but when you get an ounce or 2 more its worth it In my Experiance more light = bigger buds (Also use PK13/14)
more light = bigger buds is very true try and put cfls on the side or get another 150 or get more lights. also how tall are your plants?
I got 3 ounces of each of my white widows. I had them on 400 in veg and 1000 in flowering. Half way throug flowering. I used the 1000 for lighting from the top and the 400 for the sides. The secondary growth went wonkers and i was getting 10 gram nuggets from secondary growth. I had 8 plants. Oh yea, i computed average cost per plant. So for every plant you have, plan on spending about $100 to get an ideal location setup up for that number of plants. 5 plants will cost ya $500 for a setup cost. 10 plants will cost 1000. This hold tru of course, if you dont have any equipment already.
i got about 8 oz off my lavender and about 6 off my silver haze note it was grown to baout 22inches each plant before flower , and i toped one and lst both it wa also cut dow early
I suppose I should preface this by saying that my current "grow situation" doesn't exactly allow for much expansion in the way of lighting---especially HID. My "floorplan" is literally 2x2 (plus or minus a few inches)...in a tall, but small closet. Odor is the main concern...otherwise I would have already perfected this...or at least gone nuts. I do plan on doing this at a later point, but it's simply not possible now. I'm pondering getting some old horizontal CFL's back from some friends; but they're relying on those for themselves. I should also mention that I rent-an apartment-and drastic overhauls aren't really possible. At some point I'm going to do it right; if i owned a house...my operation would be sick. I also know that genetics play a HUGE role in the yield as well. Anyone ever experimented with the strain "Light of Jah"? It almost doubles the yield of big-bud. I'll think about putting some pictures on, but I'm wary of doing so. Thanks for all the input, folks.
Work on your growing technique, that is not a great yield per plant considering the wattage. my average cost is between 20-30 bucks per plant. And 100 watts per plant is the min for a decent grow.
I am overkilling 1 plant (at the moment) under a 400W I am trying to duplicate an outdoor plant i had in 98 mom & clone