How Many Cola's Per Sq Ft Do You Have?

[rmoltis]

All this mainlining training I've been doing lately trying to maximize my space with tops.

Got me wondering,
What is the ideal number of tops per square foot. My definition of top is an almost even canopy where every top is squeezed between each other. Not a big round bush with 100 tops all stuffed inside and out.

You would also imagine all these tops fitting within a square box the sq footage of your grow area. Imagine walls/boundaries. Yet you could grow upwards within that footprint.

I'm talking real main cola's!

I've noticed if the count gets too high light penetration will be low beneath the canopy.

Then there is the idea that some strains leaves may be huge and require more distance between cola's.

If too dense mold or p.m. could be an issue for some. That is if airflow was low and humidity high (my airflow is good an humidity is low. Also I have an intake filter).

As it sits now I have 4 mainlined females with 4 tops each in a 2x2 space (4sq ft). That puts me at 4 tops per square foot 16 total. And its comfortable.

I've been wondering lately if I could push it higher. I'm worried my space is a jungle already lol. Here is most recent photo yesterday of the chaos.

I have clones in my lower chamber now. Two with 4 tops and the third with only 2. I am training them for the flowering chamber when this run is done in 6 more weeks. I'm gonna decide if I want more or less this next round. I could have 2 with 8 tops and the 3rd with 4. That would put me at 20 tops/5per square foot. Or I could grow 1 monster with 16 tops. The configurations are endless.


Anyone have any experience or opinions?

 

[Two.Bears]

All this mainlining training I've been doing lately trying to maximize my space with tops.

Got me wondering,
What is the ideal number of tops per square foot. My definition of top is an almost even canopy where every top is squeezed between each other. Not a big round bush with 100 tops all stuffed inside and out.

You would also imagine all these tops fitting within a square box the sq footage of your grow area. Imagine walls/boundaries. Yet you could grow upwards within that footprint.

I'm talking real main cola's!

I've noticed if the count gets too high light penetration will be low beneath the canopy.

Then there is the idea that some strains leaves may be huge and require more distance between cola's.

If too dense mold or p.m. could be an issue for some. That is if airflow was low and humidity high (my airflow is good an humidity is low. Also I have an intake filter).

As it sits now I have 4 mainlined females with 4 tops each in a 2x2 space (4sq ft). That puts me at 4 tops per square foot 16 total. And its comfortable.

I've been wondering lately if I could push it higher. I'm worried my space is a jungle already lol. Here is most recent photo yesterday of the chaos.
View attachment 625588
View attachment 625589

I have clones in my lower chamber now. Two with 4 tops and the third with only 2. I am training them for the flowering chamber when this run is done in 6 more weeks. I'm gonna decide if I want more or less this next round. I could have 2 with 8 tops and the 3rd with 4. That would put me at 20 tops/5per square foot. Or I could grow 1 monster with 16 tops. The configurations are endless.


Anyone have any experience or opinions?

When u grow next spring i intend to shoot for three toppngs (8 tops).

 

[rmoltis]

When u grow next spring i intend to shoot for three toppngs (8 tops).

This thread is about how many cola's per square ft are most ideal...

Not how many total you want.

My goal in this thread is to establish an idealistic maximum tops per square ft.

We have;

plants per square ft
Lumens per cubic ft
Exhaust flow per cubic ft
Grams per watt

So what about cola's per square ft.
C'mon guys let's get this thread going.
This should be a relevant growing variable to be considered. To help maximize your environment.

Whether you want the minimum amount of tops for Best Light penetration coupled with highest quality buds.

Or the maximum number of tops for a higher yield with slightly lower quality buds from lack of light penetration

 

[GrimDawn]

I grow 4 plants in a 3x3 tent under a 400w and usually go for 16 tops per plant or ~7 tops per SqFt.
It's packed as hell but works great and I never had any issues.
I don't know if it's the "sweet spot" but, I don't have any empty spots so at least I know light isn't being wasted.

 

[GrowGod]

I'm too high for math right now:D. I go for 8 plants per 4x4 tray, and then 6-8 main branch "colas" per plant. 48-64 total tops per tray.
My target weight of 2 lb.s per light will need to produce 18.6-14 grams per cola depending on the figure above.

 

[Savage Henry]

Like anything else I believe strain has a lot to do with it. A cookie or blue magoo or anything with compact tops vs. a strain that'll do soda-bottle size colas. Can't have those monsters too close to each other where's the smaller ones can get crammed together a bit more. Also have to factor in how big the fan leafs are, I suppose.

All that said. I try to fit a cola per [email protected]" square in the trellis.

 

[hashsmoke420]

What Savage Henry said. Although I do believe, from experience that about 2 - 4 fat-ass colas contained not to touch each other per square feet is okay. As for smaller ones even more. However I could never achieve this with topping simply, it requires precise positioning and some other control mechanisms at play.
Keep in mind that light penetration is also vital, for the top count of colas per square feet we should be looking to get light from more spots than just the top of the grow (tent, room, box whatever) environment.
The grow I'm talking about above was made in 6x6 using CFL tubes in the walls and some hanging in between + a 600 W CMH. Needless to say the result was cranking.

 

[sixstring]

I like 12 colas per sq ft ,anything less is a fail to me lmao.
6 to 8 per is ok also :)

 

[rmoltis]

This run (3rd) I had 6.75 cola's per sq ft. Which seemed reasonable. 2 plants had 8 cola's, 1 had 7, and one had 4. They all looked similar in yield.

Which leads me to believe 8 cola's per sq ft is a reasonable minimum.

Please excuse the clumped together cola's on the lower left. I removed pipe cleaner restraints for last night before harvest to make things easier. And those things were spring loaded right to the center lol.

Final harvest

Now it's time to try for more cola's.
But this round instead of many cola's on 4 plants.
I'm gonna try to Maximize 1 plant in a 10 gallon pot. I'll still shoot for as many or more cola's than last time.

If it is less cola's I'm hoping the fruits will be much bigger. We will see i am dreaming big this round. Here is the plant that's training for the Olympics.

It already has 19 tops.
And once it's transplanted into the main flower chamber 10 gallon pot. It should continue stretching sideways. While the extending branches put off new shoots in the core.

I'm very excited about it.

How's that for a thread bump!

 

[rmoltis]

Following up with my original post.
Here were the 4 topped ladies at the end of flower (2nd round)

 

[mancdank]

All this mainlining training I've been doing lately trying to maximize my space with tops.

Got me wondering,
What is the ideal number of tops per square foot. My definition of top is an almost even canopy where every top is squeezed between each other. Not a big round bush with 100 tops all stuffed inside and out.

You would also imagine all these tops fitting within a square box the sq footage of your grow area. Imagine walls/boundaries. Yet you could grow upwards within that footprint.

I'm talking real main cola's!

I've noticed if the count gets too high light penetration will be low beneath the canopy.

Then there is the idea that some strains leaves may be huge and require more distance between cola's.

If too dense mold or p.m. could be an issue for some. That is if airflow was low and humidity high (my airflow is good an humidity is low. Also I have an intake filter).

As it sits now I have 4 mainlined females with 4 tops each in a 2x2 space (4sq ft). That puts me at 4 tops per square foot 16 total. And its comfortable.

I've been wondering lately if I could push it higher. I'm worried my space is a jungle already lol. Here is most recent photo yesterday of the chaos.
View attachment 625588
View attachment 625589

I have clones in my lower chamber now. Two with 4 tops and the third with only 2. I am training them for the flowering chamber when this run is done in 6 more weeks. I'm gonna decide if I want more or less this next round. I could have 2 with 8 tops and the 3rd with 4. That would put me at 20 tops/5per square foot. Or I could grow 1 monster with 16 tops. The configurations are endless.


Anyone have any experience or opinions?

In soil and pots I used to put 16 x 7.5 ltr pots in 4 rows of 4 and top once so each plant had 4 main colas so I guess that's 64 colas under a 600w light or per 1.2sqm was real nice now I'm in hydro/coco plant numbers have been cut to a quarter with the same 2 week max veg any more than this I would lose a crop per year hope this helps Bro

 

[rmoltis]

This round I got a few multi cola gals pushing the boundaries.

Here is #3 in my micro tent 24"W×18"L×24"T (3sq ft/6cu ft)

Hard to see but she has 44 cola's all standing tall. She is in week 4 flower

44 cola's ÷3 sq ft= 14.66 cola's per sq ft.
She is just barely managing to not outgrow the space in flower. Just took vigilance and daily training.

 

[rmoltis]

Here is my clone of the beast (#2).
She has 40 tops I could count but I'm sure I missed a few lol.

She lives in a 4 cu ft chamber with 4 sq ft of space 2'x2'x1' .

So 40 cola's ÷ 4 sq ft= 10 cola's per sq ft.

 

[rmoltis]

My main representation of stuffing multiple cola's into a small space. I did some defoliation of the core right b4 these pics today.

The Beast (#2)

She is growing in a 2x2x5 chamber.
4 sq ft/20 cu ft. And she has 56 cola's.
The 3 accent plants have a few tops growing in but I'm counting them as single cola each. Add those 3 accent plants you got 59 cola's total.

So 59 cola's ÷ 4 sq ft= 14.75 cola's per sq ft. She is gonna be a huge yielder. She is in her 3rd week of flower.

 

[One drop]

In my 3x3 Ive managed to get 18 colas on the larger 20lt pots and 20 on each of the 7 lt pots but I've set them up on 2 levels I've still got a little room to move with plenty of air moving round and fresh air always available.

 

[superweed420]

So how many inches apart would you recommend the tops to be ??

 

[rmoltis]

So how many inches apart would you recommend the tops to be ??

This thread is kind of new still.
I make sure to do an update on every round I do and what the results were.

So far the beast up above^ a few posts. Is the most cola's I've stuffed into a space so far.

I don't have an exact distance per top from each other

Some strains have giant fan leaves and need space.

While other strains have little fan leafs and need less space.

It also depends if you are a mass defoliator in flower or not.

Whether you scrog a flat top canopy with no lower branch length needing no light penetration.

Or whether you create 50 even cola's that form a flat canopy but need light penetration to fill out the lower branches.

Whether your ventilation is good or bad through the plants etc.

There is no 1 ideal answer.
But I will say that this round of 14-15 tops per sq ft in my 2x2 space looks very promising.

My main representation of stuffing multiple cola's into a small space. I did some defoliation of the core right b4 these pics today.

The Beast (#2)
View attachment 663469
View attachment 663470
View attachment 663471
View attachment 663472

She is growing in a 2x2x5 chamber.
4 sq ft/20 cu ft. And she has 56 cola's.
The 3 accent plants have a few tops growing in but I'm counting them as single cola each. Add those 3 accent plants you got 59 cola's total.

So 59 cola's ÷ 4 sq ft= 14.75 cola's per sq ft. She is gonna be a huge yielder. She is in her 3rd week of flower.

Here is an update on the beast for this thread. There are 59 tops minimum in there. She is 2 days away from the start of week 5 flower.

 

[907debow1234]

Following this great post.

 

[visajoe1]

View attachment 625775
18.6-14 grams per cola ....

This is my goal in my mainline setup. How many nodes do you grow out after your final top before flipping?

 

[rmoltis]

Man the beast, beast clone, #3 And the accent plants when they are still so young.

I'll enjoy posting their final looks as soon as they reach the end of flower

Hey @mandalaman , @incogneato
How many colas per sq ft you got :)