Plants per square foot...designing a personal cab

[dank.frank]

I am planning to build a new box, but find myself not wanting to make a purchase because I can not logistically decide if what I am thinking will work as effectively as I think it will "in theory".

I wanted to stay on the small side of things and this would always be only for personal usage. One of my main objectives of the concept, like most growers is yield. My main goal is to insure a minimum of 8oz. every cycle. This is of course strain dependent, so I will worry about that part of the equation later on.

I am thinking 2'x2' for a total of 4 square foot. 400w lumatek, in a sealed/air-cooled hood. Using a 4" can-fan for cooling the hood. A 6" and a can 50 for scrubbing and exhaust. A 8in.x8in. darkroom louver for air intake. That is the basics, in theory.

What grow method would you employ or how many plants would you place in this area?

Would Co2 be needed to achieve this goal with a 400w?

Is it more practical to just step up to a 600w for flowering?

 

[snake383]

2x2 is kinda small, but i pulled 8 oz off 3 plants in a 3x6 witha 400 watt veged to 18-20inches and flowerd not ideal but it was my first grow. my .02. good luck welcome to the farm

 

[dank.frank]

was this a one time thing...being able to get 8 off a 400? What size pot did you use?

 

[Ganjalover]

250w would be better
2'x2' is too small to get the most from 400w, how much height do you have?

 

[dank.frank]

height is not really and issue. I was figuring 6 1/2' for total cab height. Figure 12" or the can 50, 12" for the reflector hood, and a total of 12" of space at the bottom taken by a tray and pots. Given all factors, that would leave basically 3 1/2' for plant growth. I was planing on having them all finish around 24-30 inches. That would leave a minimum of 1 ft. between the top of the plants and the light when plants finish. So a max height on plants would be 30".

 

[snake383]

no im currently setting up a sog to be more effective in my space. im a nooby too. i used 3 gal pots and plants were about 3 foot in the end. anymore questions ask away

 

[John Ditchweed]

2 x 2 is more then enough space to pull 8 oz's bro............ myn best friend grows on a 2 x 2 ebb and flo table with a 600 watt above his table........ his closet is a bit bigger then needed to me but his last harvest was 11 oz's.......... he had 6 plants on his table.......... the key is a good veg................. run a 600 if you can keep it cool

 

[dank.frank]

so he basically had 6 plants a 2x2 area...

What kind of grow method was he applying? (LST, Scrog, Single cola, topping/FIM...etc.)

 

[dank.frank]

I am pretty much convinced though, after reading more and thinking about things...I know if I have a 600w, then I would have to do a fairly poor job to NOT get 8oz. However, I would have to do a fairly superlative job to reach that goal with a 400w.

Why not make things easier???...lol

This would mean, design the cab to be 30"x30", for a total of 96w per sq. ft. Remember, the small size is to keep a higher wattage per sq. ft. The concept is to grow rock hard, dense buds. I know with the "over-kill" in the lighting, this will aide in that dramatically.

Now the question still remains....what size pot to use and how many plants? I understand it to be 1 gal per foot of growth. My question is how many gallons to yield one oz per plant? (ignoring strain specific stuff; this is a generalization)



dank.Frank

 

[cozymon]

Frank, I'd use 3 gallon square pots and aim for a finishing height of 2 feet, focusing on the top foot and a half of growth and trimming off the bottom six inches. This should make for bigger weightier colas and improve airflow. As far as spacing, it depends on the strain, but I'd go for about 1 per square foot. I must say plants don't like to be cramped and with only this small space, it's important that your airflow is really good. Sounds like you're thinking it through well.
Good Luck!

 

[Vic123]

1 plant per sq ft is the basic rule of thumb.

Use either 2 or 3 gal containers......preferrably square. You won't see much yield difference unless you veg at least 2 or 3 weeks longer with the 3 gal container.

I've seen plenty ppl veg for 4 to 6 weeks and use a 2gal for flowering and pull 2 - 3 oz's per plant.

Check out SmallPotatoes Querkle and Vortex grow on BreedBay.

He avg 2.5 oz's per plant with BOTH strains in 2 gal pots. He also vegged them to only an avg of 5 to 7 inches tall, and ended up with avg plant at 2ft of height.

 

[dank.frank]

interesting stuff all...thank you for continuing to discuss this with me...

I had figured on using 1.7gal Rose buckets. They are 7.5" x 7.5" x 9.7" tall. (yes, square) I hadn't really figured on having plants any tall than 28-30" for the most part, so I was planning on flowering at a rather short beginning height (strain dependent, for an indica, i figured around 12-15 inches, for a more sativa variety, I kinda figured 8-10") I also figure control the stretch a bit by using a MH during the first 3 weeks of 12/12 just to keep them more tight and compact, and then finish them off with HPS for the last 6+/- weeks. Just seems to make sense to me...

There is one last thing. If it is feasible to get 2.5oz off of a 2 gallon pot, it shouldn't be that difficult to get 1oz off of a 1.7 gal pot, in theory, right?

The question still remains, in a tighter space, say even the 30"x30" concept... is it really that impractical to flower 9 girls, all in a single cola growth pattern? I mean, just like someone trains them out with LST, could you not, lift a couple of branches up by tying them to the main stem, or a pole that has been set/centralized in the pot? (say have maybe 3 max flowering stems per plant...main, and two sides) If each stem produced around 10g of solid bud, then off 9 plants, I would easily reach that goal of 8 oz per cycle...especially with considering a 600w.

I know the given is 1 plant per square foot...but what about the SOG grower that is running 4 per sq. ft ? That is 8" clones set to flower as soon as they root, and you have to have them in 6" square pots...4 separate pots per sq. ft. Is that not a bit crowded as well??? Is there not some type of in between...which I kind of why I came to the conclusion of 9 in a 2'x2' area...but I don't know...maybe the in between attempts are not successful and that is why people go one way or the other....

But really, 2ft single cola patterns....I wouldn't assume I would have MONSTER buds, but that isn't really the goal or idea. It is more so to have and assure ROCK HARD buds...not necessarily massive buds....

More thoughts and feed back???

AND not trying to be argumentative or prove a point, just trying to full discuss and rationalize the thought process that is going on in my head...lol.


thanks all,


dank.Frank

 

[Zoolander]

I veg my clones for 12 to 14 dayz and get 45 to 55+ grams per 1 gallon pot with my 1000 so I think you could do close to the same with your 600 . You just want to keep them even in the canopy and short enough so the bottom buds are as nice as the tops .

 

[cali2]

The strain really plays a big part in yeild. I know you already know this but I got some plants that I only can get 8 zips off a 600 while others half a pound off the same light. Just gotta find the one right for your situation.

 

[mr. chunky nugz]

The strain really plays a big part in yeild. I know you already know this but I got some plants that I only can get 8 zips off a 600 while others half a pound off the same light. Just gotta find the one right for your situation.

doesnt 8 zips = a half pound?

but yea i get the point

 

[dank.frank]

zoo...I am honored by your attention to my humble corner of the forums...lol. No, seriously, I followed your posts on another site, and I view your ability as a bit of a plateau for myself to reach personally. I have been nothing short of impressed with the work I have seen under your tags. Just wanted to let you know you are respect as a grower...don't know you personally, so I can't take it that far, but I do know you grow some mean green!!!

Anyhow,

So, how large is your area for a 1000w or watts per square foot, do you use Co2, and how many plants per square foot or per total area are you running?

And whoa...that much on a gallon? How tall are you finishing at?

 

[cali2]

I meant pound and a half. LOL, sorry a little medicated!

 

[dank.frank]

yeah....cali2...we now know your background...HAHAHA...using your street slingin' terms up in here....what's the matter with ya..!!!??? LOL


just messing with you...


dank.Frank

 

[purpleberry]

Ive noticed using the same stain that plants will grow different in different size pots and space. They seem to spread out more with 10-12" pots. With 7.5" pots they are crowded and stretch to get the light. I think I yeild the same either way and prefer less plants to deal with.

 

[kansasgrown]

I'd go with 4-6 plants. If going for your personal stash I'd go with soil for better flavor. Not sure how much veg time you plan but a 400 can give you the 8 Oz that you are shooting for. Invest in a light meter (if you can) so that you can make sure that your plants are getting the most lumens that they can and get yourself a speed control for your 6 inch fan as it may be a bit too much for that small of a cab. Happy farming!