Just finished 1st harvest...ready to start next but have questions

[Buckcannon]

I just finished my first harvest....if I was to grade myself...I would give myself an F.

I did bad.
Good news and only good news is none of the plants died(but the day I harvested most of the branches were on the ground and the plant look super depressed)

It was my first time ever growing, so the plants went through a LOT of stress, starting from fighting armies and armies of spidermites, getting over-fed then under-fed and also a bad case of root rot because I used super soil but only used 3 gallon pots and never changed soil out once during cycle. Oh and I could never control the temperature or humidity.

I grew Bubba Kush and Pineapple Express...and I got an average of 1.21 ounces per plant
And they were under 4000w the whole time they were in grow mode.



However thanks to this cycle I learned a lot, this time around I willl not do soil anymore and instead do cubes with the flood and drain system. The next 2 strains I am growing is Skywalker and Fire OG

As for questions:
1)How do I get more yeild? I know its all about light, but what else factors into this? Like I said I got 4000w of light. That is plenty right? So how else can I get more yeild? Is it possible to get 3.5 ounces per plant?
2)While in veg, how much light should I hit them with? 1, 2, 3 or 4 thousand watts? Does light matter during veg state?
3)How long do Skywalker OG and Fire OG flower for?
4)Any tips on growing these 2 strains?
5)How do I get my nuggs nice and dense? Mine came out very fluffy and not dense at all.


Thank you all

 

[paulycali]

1) Topping, LST and Supercropping and yes you can get 3.5 ounces per plant. Also the bigger the roots the bigger the fruits. Use beneficials bacterias to innoculate the root system
2) Depends on how many plants you can fit in a 4x4 area comfortably. As much as they need really. There a such thing as overkill for sure. I veg under 600's MH bulbs and flower under 1000's HPS bulbs.
3) 9-10 weeks
4) Top early, and low stress train then. Tie them bitches down. They also have a decent stretch so the height of your plant at the beginning of flowering will triple in height by the end of flowering. Sometimes more.
5) Proper humidity especially "around 40% humidity" and of course higher temps. Don't go over 80 degrees unless using Co2. Co2 helps make big dense buds

HOPE THAT HELPS :)

 

[Buckcannon]

1) Topping, LST and Supercropping and yes you can get 3.5 ounces per plant. Also the bigger the roots the bigger the fruits. Use beneficials bacterias to innoculate the root system

HOPE THAT HELPS :)

It really did, but can you get more in depth and detail about #1 please?

 

[Buckcannon]

Oh and when do I start using Co2? I did not use it once during my first cycle but I am going to buy a system with a controller. what week should I start using it

 

[paulycali]

It really did, but can you get more in depth and detail about #1 please?

1) How many plants are under each light?
2) Also what's the specs of the room?
3) How far are the lights from the canopy?

 

[paulycali]

Oh and when do I start using Co2? I did not use it once during my first cycle but I am going to buy a system with a controller. what week should I start using it

Start using Co2 once you start flowering. 1000ppm's the whole way through is sufficient enough. You can use more if you feel the need. For ex. start at 1000ppm's and finish at 1500ppm's. Co2 bottles and controllers/monitors are a piece of cake. Worthy for sure

 

[Buckcannon]

1) How many plants are under each light?
2) Also what's the specs of the room?
3) How far are the lights from the canopy?

1)Total of 90 plants, 25 plants under light #1, 25 plants under light #2, 25 plants under light# 3, and 15 plants under light #4. Each light is 1000w
2)Its 2 rooms, each room is a total of 2000w. The room is about 20x20 each room
3)well right now their far because their in veg still, probably a good 4-5 feet but when in grow their about 2 feet away from light



and thanks for the c02 reply

 

[shawnskush]

20x20 with with 2 1000 watts? seriously?

 

[catdaddy]

tbh, i think you should go back and stick to the basics. this time try to start with a soilless medium and work your way from there.

as far as yield goes, there are too many variables to take in that you're not even aware of to really see the kind of yield that you desire atvm. if anything, you should try to focus on the plants health (part of the basics) more than anything else; can't get the big yields from unhealthy plants.

whatever you decide to do, best of luck, and looking forward to seeing your progress in the near future.

 

[paulycali]

1)Total of 90 plants, 25 plants under light #1, 25 plants under light #2, 25 plants under light# 3, and 15 plants under light #4. Each light is 1000w
2)Its 2 rooms, each room is a total of 2000w. The room is about 20x20 each room
3)well right now their far because their in veg still, probably a good 4-5 feet but when in grow their about 2 feet away from light



and thanks for the c02 reply

That's a big room to only have 2000w's in. I have a 10x10 room with 4 1000w's. So step it up for sure. Each light covers an appx. 4x4 area maybe 5x5 if your lucky. Lights at most stages if not all should be 2 ft away the canopy. Closer is okay farther away is just hurting your yield. More light more buds

Do you have a veg room? Lights 4-5 ft away in veg can cause plants to stretch for the lights making them yield less when put into flower. You want tight node spacing all the way through. Lower those lights for sure

You got alot to figure out and make right. Will take some time and dedication for sure. Good luck :)

 

[Buckcannon]

That's a big room to only have 2000w's in. I have a 10x10 room with 4 1000w's. So step it up for sure. Each light covers an appx. 4x4 area maybe 5x5 if your lucky. Lights at most stages if not all should be 2 ft away the canopy. Closer is okay farther away is just hurting your yield. More light more buds

Do you have a veg room? Lights 4-5 ft away in veg can cause plants to stretch for the lights making them yield less when put into flower. You want tight node spacing all the way through. Lower those lights for sure

You got alot to figure out and make right. Will take some time and dedication for sure. Good luck :)

Yeah thank you.

I guess I have to put my lights closer together.

Right now their in veg and I lowered the light to a foot and a half above.


Question is, since I am going to run the flood and drain system, how big of trays should I get to comfortably fit 90 plants?(and I understand that I might need more than 1 tray)

 

[sky high]

Pictures will help folks steer you in the right direction.

but 90 plants under 4K?? How long are you vegging? How tall are your plants at finish?

IMO....switching to cubes will only complicate your problem. What you really need to do is to step back and make sure that your grow environment is covering all of the bases and try to identify which parameters are lacking that are causing your fluff and low yields rather than believing that it is the style of growing/system that will make the difference. Even the best hydro system will perform like shit if the room isn't dialed. Dial the room with soil...and ditch the super soil til you get some experience under yer belt. A couple bottles of organic nutes will let you control the event rather than watching it unfold without any control as happens >everytime< you pre-mix nutes into yer soil.

 

[paulycali]

You wanna run a sea of green?
3 day veg then flip?

NEED MORE INFO!!!

For Now:
One 4x8 tray can hold appx. 48 plants. Your gonna want to cover that tray with 2000w's. So you will need two 4x8 trays to grow 90 plants

Make your other room a veg room. Or invest in more equipment and run your system on a flip-box

MORE INFO THE BETTER

PICS TO PLEASE!!!

 

[Buckcannon]

Pictures will help folks steer you in the right direction.

but 90 plants under 4K?? How long are you vegging? How tall are your plants at finish?

IMO....switching to cubes will only complicate your problem. What you really need to do is to step back and make sure that your grow environment is covering all of the bases and try to identify which parameters are lacking that are causing your fluff and low yields rather than believing that it is the style of growing/system that will make the difference. Even the best hydro system will perform like shit if the room isn't dialed. Dial the room with soil...and ditch the super soil til you get some experience under yer belt. A couple bottles of organic nutes will let you control the event rather than watching it unfold without any control as happens >everytime< you pre-mix nutes into yer soil.

I cant ever go back to soil after my first harvest. I got attacked with armies of spidermites that just damaged the hell out of my plants and I sprayed them down with almost everything they sell at the Hydro store, I spent probably $500 in just sprays against mites and I still couldnt contain the problem. At one point I even bought 250 ladybugs...

I like cubes better because I started experimenting with cubes on the side. I got 8 cubes with the flood and drain system and they will be ready to harvest in 3 weeks, and I just gota say that my plants look BEAUTIFUL(will post pics up later). Those 8 plants probably have more yeild than 25 of my plants that were in soil.

And to me, soil is harder because you have to come and mix the reservoir yourself, and you have to water yourself, and empty ALL the trays after you water........ you basically have to sit there all day and watch them grow in order to do it right.

Flood and drain system it does everything for you. It waters on its own, all you have to do is check daily to make sure that the bubbles are working fine in the reservoir, check to see if your CO2 system is working right, and check the humidity and temperature and the timers of the fans and lights.

On top of that its a lot harder to get mites when you have no soil. So I dont see how switching to cubes will complicate my problem

 

[Buckcannon]

You wanna run a sea of green?
3 day veg then flip?

NEED MORE INFO!!!

For Now:
One 4x8 tray can hold appx. 48 plants. Your gonna want to cover that tray with 2000w's. So you will need two 4x8 trays to grow 90 plants

Make your other room a veg room. Or invest in more equipment and run your system on a flip-box

MORE INFO THE BETTER

PICS TO PLEASE!!!

More pics and info coming later today, posting this from my schools library

 

[catdaddy]

no disrespect, but if you got a bug issue you got a bug issue. really don't think just because you switch to hydro that the problem would go away. if you research you will see that bugs pretty much thrive in all kind of mediums other than just soil.

 

[sky high]

Maybe I missed it.....but did you start from seed or clones on that soil grow?

What ya get back from your grow is a direct reflection of the time you put into your grow. If it's too much trouble to check yer garden daily and mix nutes for a soil grow and you think hydro is only about checking bubbles and temps and if the lights are on...well..I can't really tell ya much .... you'll just have to see for yourself what the real gig is after a few cycles. I hope you just nail it, but from growing in about every medium you can think of I know that nothing is easy and foolproof and all mediums have pros and cons. Best of luck.

 

[Buckcannon]

Maybe I missed it.....but did you start from seed or clones on that soil grow?

What ya get back from your grow is a direct reflection of the time you put into your grow. If it's too much trouble to check yer garden daily and mix nutes for a soil grow and you think hydro is only about checking bubbles and temps and if the lights are on...well..I can't really tell ya much .... you'll just have to see for yourself what the real gig is after a few cycles. I hope you just nail it, but from growing in about every medium you can think of I know that nothing is easy and foolproof and all mediums have pros and cons. Best of luck.

Started from clones.



And to all you who keep telling me that the cube/flood-drain system is harder to run, look at the pics.
This is a side cycle I been running, it has 3 weeks left. Only 8 plants. All big healthy buds, have not had 1 yellow leaf all cycle long. Only reason plants are looking slightly skinny because I did not veg them for too long because I did this for fun just to see if it worked. Like I said, those 8 plants, which I did not veg long enough will probably give me the same yeild as 25 of my plants that were in soil.


That is why I dont get how this system is harder than soil. Like I said for soil to work out great you have to get a chair and sit down and watch them grow all day long. Thats the only way...
This system so far has given me no problems at all

 

[mastacheeser]

Started from clones.



And to all you who keep telling me that the cube/flood-drain system is harder to run, look at the pics.
This is a side cycle I been running, it has 3 weeks left. Only 8 plants. All big healthy buds, have not had 1 yellow leaf all cycle long. Only reason plants are looking slightly skinny because I did not veg them for too long because I did this for fun just to see if it worked. Like I said, those 8 plants, which I did not veg long enough will probably give me the same yeild as 25 of my plants that were in soil.


That is why I dont get how this system is harder than soil. Like I said for soil to work out great you have to get a chair and sit down and watch them grow all day long. Thats the only way...
This system so far has given me no problems at all

My first couple grows i ran aeroflows so i hear ya about the extra work load.
New pics look good but you are gunna want alot thicker foilage to get anything that resembles a good yeild. Also looks like you kept the mites away. Nice

I would hold off on the co2 until you get everything dialed in.

I now have a soil room and a coco room. I dont water through at all and i use drip clean from house and garden to stop any salt build up. I water every 2-3 days with a watering wand and it doesnt take more than half hour for both rooms. Maybe cut down on the number of plants and increase your veg time to help with the work load?

 

[Buckcannon]

but you are gunna want alot thicker foilage to get anything that resembles a good yeild.

can you explain what you mean by thicker foliage?
and my next cycle I will veg a lot longer, these ones I did not veg for long because I did this just to test the system itself