Medicanman
Active Member
I can't explain it but my yields have been decreasing with each grow for the last 3 grows.
I've been using the same strains and same nutrient regiment. I grow two strains, a sativa and an indica. The same strains I have been growing since the beginning. I don't keep mothers. I've been taking clones from my plants just before I flip. I veg them while the others are flowering and top them twice. When the flower cycle is done I put them into the big pots, veg them for a month, then flip. This is always how I have done it. It works perfectly with my plant count and keeps everything legal. I don't have the space to keep a mother room.
I was growing under 3x1000 watt HPS. Three cycles ago I switched to cool tubes and added another 1000 hps. Despite the extra light, my yield decreased by a small margin. The last two cycles were worse. I was getting an average of 100 grams per plant under 3 lights. It dropped to 90 with the cool tubes, then to 75. Now I am down to 50. I keep the tubes clean/dirt free and fresh lamps every second cycle. This last cycle was with fresh lamps and its worse than ever. The reason I switched to cool tubes was obviously temperature control. With 3 lights it was taxing my heat pump unit in the summer and temperatures were getting higher than I liked. I actually use less power with 4 lights than I did with 3 because the heat pump does not work nearly as hard and doesn't have to run at all in the winter months.
I have two theories and it may be a combination of both. I think the cool tubes are partially killing my yields. The glass is blocking some of the light and the reflectors are not as efficient. Is it that simple?
The other theory is that my plants are cloned out. I've been taking clones of clones for better part of two years now. I've been reading on the subject... some say its possible but others say its not.
The plants are just as healthy looking as they always were but the buds are just not as fat. The quality of high is the same, as is the taste. No other factors have changed except the yield.
Anyone have any ideas?
I've been using the same strains and same nutrient regiment. I grow two strains, a sativa and an indica. The same strains I have been growing since the beginning. I don't keep mothers. I've been taking clones from my plants just before I flip. I veg them while the others are flowering and top them twice. When the flower cycle is done I put them into the big pots, veg them for a month, then flip. This is always how I have done it. It works perfectly with my plant count and keeps everything legal. I don't have the space to keep a mother room.
I was growing under 3x1000 watt HPS. Three cycles ago I switched to cool tubes and added another 1000 hps. Despite the extra light, my yield decreased by a small margin. The last two cycles were worse. I was getting an average of 100 grams per plant under 3 lights. It dropped to 90 with the cool tubes, then to 75. Now I am down to 50. I keep the tubes clean/dirt free and fresh lamps every second cycle. This last cycle was with fresh lamps and its worse than ever. The reason I switched to cool tubes was obviously temperature control. With 3 lights it was taxing my heat pump unit in the summer and temperatures were getting higher than I liked. I actually use less power with 4 lights than I did with 3 because the heat pump does not work nearly as hard and doesn't have to run at all in the winter months.
I have two theories and it may be a combination of both. I think the cool tubes are partially killing my yields. The glass is blocking some of the light and the reflectors are not as efficient. Is it that simple?
The other theory is that my plants are cloned out. I've been taking clones of clones for better part of two years now. I've been reading on the subject... some say its possible but others say its not.
The plants are just as healthy looking as they always were but the buds are just not as fat. The quality of high is the same, as is the taste. No other factors have changed except the yield.
Anyone have any ideas?
