How Many Plants Per Sq Ft

[jinxjj]

This is my first grow so i was looking for some advice on how many plants i should have per square foot. I have a 4'x3'x7' bloom and 4'x3'x7' veg area and am looking to maximize my use of space.

I have decided to try "Sea of Green" method so i will be able to have a perpetual harvest about every 2 weeks. It is my understanding that i want to pack the plants in as tight as possible and prune them so only the main shoot grows and essentially each plant will just have one massive bud instead of a bunch of smaller ones.

Is this the best way to go to get best bang for my buck? I am using soil the first time around but will probably switch to a hydro setup once i am comfortable and done a couple harvests.

I have a 400 watt G8 LED in both Veg and Flower rooms (will supplement with more light if i am disappointed with the yield from my first grow.) If i end up cramming more lights in to get a better yield, can i use two 400watts in each tent or is that overkill?

 

[ICWiener]

Go for it! Stuff as many under the light as you can. Forget about a harvest every two weeks for now. Just fill that flower room with clones and hit it.

 

[lollipopman]

I have 25 in a 4x4 with a 1k over it coco bed 2lbs easy

 

[jinxjj]

Thanks guys, was just looking for some rough ideas. I had been reading 4 per square ft but that seemed pretty crammed. Since this is my first grow, i will be starting some seeds from a bag of really good indica i got and maybe a few sativa seeds from another killer bag. My friend is also getting ready to clone all of his and is going to hook me up with some clones to get me going. I am sure its going to take me a while before i get the system down to harvest every 2 weeks or so.

Cheers

 

[ICWiener]

I would probably try to squeeze about 35 in there.

 

[jinxjj]

What size pots should i get? I will probably start them out in solo cups, how many times am i going to have to move them into bigger pots?

 

[drewski85]

you might want to consider using squared containers.what strain(s) are you going to be growing?

 

[drewski85]

3 gallon containers.I usually transplant them once when they're solid/have a good root system into flower.I don't have a lot of experience with sog though.with plants per sq ft, you would have to consider strain type/growth techniques along with container size, type, etc

 

[Dunge]

I put nine shrubs into a 4x4 foot space in three gallon pots of super soil.
The pots are big enough to service a 5 foot plant with bamboo supports.
Each pot can be pushed about throughout the grow to provide access to all.
I do wonder what the optimal number of tops per plant is.
I try to keep it between 6 & 10.
It's a sea of green, but no netting to get in the way.

If your LED draws 400 watts, it will probably get you a harvest.
If it is marketed as a 400 W equivalent and draws 200 watts, then you will need more light.

 

[ICWiener]

You don't need 3gal pots in a scrog. One transplant into one or two gallon pots will suffice. The faster the roots take over the pot, the faster the plant will start growing above the soil. What strain will you be growing?

 

[jinxjj]

I am going to use bag seed of some really nice indica i had recently and a friend of mine is going to give me some clones. (not sure what they are yet, i know he has a few diff sativa and indica's). I am trying to stick with indica as that is more geared towards the SOG method (shorter bushier plants).

I honestly am not dead set on doing SOG, i just want to be able to harvest every 2-4 weeks with whatever method i use and get the best bang for my buck space wise.

Also, my lights pull 280 actual watts (labeled as 450watt). I will probably double up and use 2 450watts if this first grow is disappointing. ()

 

[Dunge]

I hate it when LED sellers do this "light equivalence" marketing.
I have one too, and I was watching out trying to avoid it.

My point about pot size; big enough to stand alone, as this is important in that you will want to be able to move individual plants from place to place as the flowers mature and cycle to harvest.

As to density of tops: anybody have a formula for "tops per area" in a sea of green?

 

[jinxjj]

When you say "tops" do you mean the cola? I believe with SOG the goal is to have 1 giant cola per plant, with as many plants in your grow area as possible.

Agree with you on the LED advertising, it is pretty lame they claim higher output then the actual power draw, but i knew this before i bought and kept an eye on the ACTUAL power draw when deciding which light to get.

 

[Dunge]

You may be correct about "sea of green".
I may be miss-using the term in that I grow larger plants with multiple tops, but I trim them so that the canopy is not too thick.

The tops all present to top lighting, and I strive to keep them at an even height.

 

[jinxjj]

What you are doing would be closer to "SCROG" (Screen of green) minus the actual screen. The idea with SCROG is to have a few plants but grow them into monsters by guiding all the branches into the fencing to create a large bush. I think with any grow you want to try and keep the canopy even from everything i have read.

This is all from research, i have no grow experience yet so take it for what you will :)

 

[Camdawg]

You can do 2 cola SOG I think @GR33NL3AF said he had his best yields that way. Maybe ask him how many to cram in a 4x3

 

[GR33NL3AF]

4 per sq ft for single, 2 per with 2-3 main colas.

I've switched to sCROG weaving and it works just as well, 6 plants per light

 

[jinxjj]

Can you give me some pointers on SOG? How long do I want to veg for? When do I switch to flower and for how long?

Think I will try 2 colas per plant and 2 plants per square foot. I assume I want 6in pots?

 

[SonOfDaMourning]

With your space; your clone and veg period both needs to fall within your flower period to have them ready to go at harvest.
with your dimensions this should be obtainable maxing at 3gal pots with 6-8 plants doing a 9week bid in flower.
in 9weeks you can have cuts ready with 7 weeks on the clock. Even if it takes an extra week your still gonna have to top and train a couple times to obtain a maintainable height in anticipation of the 2week stretch.
dont worry about harvesting perpetually every 2-4 weeks. Ultimately your area and watt output will determine your yeild, not the amount of harvest. Shit, ill harvest one plant a day and have 60 harvests in 2 months and still pull the same weight at the end of an 8week span ya dig it!

 

[vagiboy1987]

I figure my plants like this, when shopping for containers (square at this point) I noticed the dimensions of the pots were usually 12×12×12 so 1 cuft. I always calculate my pots to that now. So if I have a 4×4 ID tent I can fit 16 plants at 5 gallon pots. Better yet if you do a Sqft garden bed built 4×8 and run 4×4 posts up the side with a 2×4 connecting them you have a light setup for above them. I have tried this and it works well but I'll make one suggestion and thats to build your bed 24" high instead of 12 because you double the depth the roots can go in the space while maintaining the sqft you like. It also makes it easier on your back. Do not use the standard sqft garden soil blend instead use sand or perlite in place of vermiculite and amend it like a super soil. Your plants will get huge and you can reuse the soil if you add compost after "washing" it.