Anatomy of a Perpetual Grow Cycle

spek9

Well-Known Member
Synopsis:

A perpetual cannabis grow cycle is a growing method where there are always plants growing in various stages (clone rooting, vegetative and flower), and where you harvest a batch of plants at regular, scheduled dates.

Schedules:

The easiest way to set up a perpetual grow is to use a number of weeks of flower that is divisible easily so that you can slot in the other stages within it. A nine week flower cycle allows you to have three stages of flowering plants at a time, harvesting every three weeks. A 10 week flower cycle has two stages of flowering plants at a time, each batch harvested every five weeks.

Examples and Explanations:

10 Week Flower, 5 Week Veg

This is an example using a 10 week flower cycle, with a veg time of five weeks. We also have to provide two weeks for the clones to root after planting:


10_5.jpg

First, we cut and root our clones for the first two weeks (week -1 and -2) for Grow #1. After the two week rooting period, we plant the rooted clones, and put them into veg (week 1). Two weeks after we put Grow #1 into veg, we cut clones for Grow #2 and put them into the cloner (Week #4).

Two weeks after we cut the clones for Grow #2 (Week #6), the clones are rooted, so we A) move Grow #1 from veg and put them into flower, and B) move the rooted Grow #2 clones into veg.

Three weeks later (Week #9), we once again cut clones for Grow #3, then two weeks after that (Week #11), we plant those rooted clones, and put them into veg. We also move Grow #2 from veg to flower, and Grow #1 starts its second five-week flower period.

At this point, our cycle is in full motion. We'll always have two batches of flowering plants going (five weeks apart), and one batch in veg.

The red areas depict the last two weeks of the 10 week flower cycle, and depending on strain, you'll be harvesting within this two-week window.

Are you with me so far?

If not, please let me know so I may make updates for clarity and understanding.

Extending or Shortening the Veg Cycle:

Do you see how after each clone rooting cycle is over (light green), we have a three-week window where nothing happens? Well, we can use that time to allow for a longer veg cycle. Instead of five weeks of veg, lets do eight:

10_8.jpg

In the above case, our harvests are still every five weeks like before, but we've added three weeks of veg, so the first veg cycle pushes our entire perpetual forward by three weeks. However, our clone cycle is exactly the same. You still have a harvest after every five weeks, but you'll notice that you also have two cycles of veg plants simultaneously. The added benefit to this is three extra weeks of veg before going to flower.

If you've got the mother plants to do so, you could go as far as to have 10 full weeks of veg. You just start the veg cycle as each cycle goes into flower originally, and the clone cutting two weeks before that.

9 Week Cycle, 3 Week Veg

Here's an example using a nine week flower cycle, and three week veg.

10_3.jpg

With a nine week flower cycle as opposed to 10, we've converted into having three stages of flowering plants at all times, each stage being three weeks long. There will always only be one batch in veg at any given time. After the third three-week flower cycle, you harvest a batch, and put a new veg batch into flower.

9 Weeks Flower, Zero Weeks Veg

In this perpetual schedule configuration, we don't veg at all. We go straight from rooted clone (or sprouted seed) directly to flower.

10_0.jpg

Because we're still using a nine week flower cycle, once the perpetual is in full motion, we'll again have three stages of flowering going at the same time. We also harvest every three weeks. The only difference with this cycle is that there's no veg period.

Well, it's been fun. I hope this helps people design their own perpetual grows. If anyone has any questions or fixes, please do let me know.

Here's my current, in operation perpetual as of today:

mine.jpg

Today is 2020-02-24. I moved rooted clones into veg on the night of the 19th. I change the colour of the column after the week has ended. This week I have nothing to do.

I do have software I wrote that plots out all of the dates and tasks in a nice list. I will hopefully get it into a position where I can release it to the public. When I do, I'll update this thread.
 

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spek9

Well-Known Member
I cut five clones of each strain I have (four, currently), and put them in the aerocloner for each clone cycle. I then pick the best seven clones to plant when it comes time to veg/plant the clones.

When I go to flower, I pick the best three plants overall from the vegging plants (might even be from the same strain), and put those three into flower. The remaining veg plants I won't be using either get chopped and fed to my rabbit, or used for pollen/seed making or other experiments in my experimental flowering tent.

So I always end up with two cycles of flowering plants (each one being five weeks), and each cycle has three plants, for a total of six plants in my 4x4x6.5', 1000W flower tent at all times.
 

FastFreddi

Well-Known Member
VERY nicely explained Bro. I ran perpetual for a bit, then got hit with mites. I decided after that to always have a cleaning period of 1-2 weeks, depending on size of awaiting veg plants between grows.
May that never happen to you.
FF
 

spek9

Well-Known Member
VERY nicely explained Bro. I ran perpetual for a bit, then got hit with mites. I decided after that to always have a cleaning period of 1-2 weeks, depending on size of awaiting veg plants between grows.
May that never happen to you.
FF
Thanks!

I've definitely had mites and aphids before which disturbed my schedules, but I was able to control the situation before it was a complete wash.
 

FastFreddi

Well-Known Member
Thanks!

I've definitely had mites and aphids before which disturbed my schedules, but I was able to control the situation before it was a complete wash.
My first ( and only) time lol...I panicked hard, stripped and binned, then spent almost a month of fairly regimented cleaning, disinfecting the room. Extreme ? Maybe.....but I know of nightmares that are neverending for some growers. I wanted no long term problems.
FF
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Well you wrote that up very nice. My way of tracking things is by writing dates on a plant tag. I do keep detailed records of the crosses I make. Lineage, flowering time, etc...

I basically do a perpetual but I do it different. Since I grow from seed I don't have the two weeks of clone rooting and I typically veg for 4 - 6 weeks. depending on when I can pull the plants out of my flower tent. Since the flowering times are strain dependent and I grow different strains each grow I'll pull some plants before others and replace what I pull with something from the veg tent. I don't have a single harvest day but staggered harvests. And since it takes longer to flower than I veg for there will be times when I have nothing going in the veg tent. But There is always something in the flower tent.

Mine might not be a traditional perpetual grow but since I always have plants flowering and something ready to replace them as soon as they're pulled I think it's perpetual in spirit. :mrgreen:
 

Bignutes

Well-Known Member
I like your analytical breakdown, it's project management for cannabis!

I am on a perpetual grow system as well but I wanted to simplify the process by having my veg period equal my flower period. I wanted to make this the case so its not so intense on keeping track of steps, problems, deadlines. Now I harvest every 60-70 days, mainlining extends my veg period to about 60-70 days and limits training and grooming but also gives better utilization of space. This method we have equal input and output on both stages.

I built a seedling tent at 2.5 sq feet uses 32 watts for 15 days, then move to a veg space at 8.6 sq ft using 135 watts for 45 days and finally a flower tent at 30 sq ft using 900 watts for 60-70 days. This sizing difference keeps energy consumption low at every stage so no unwasted space under the lights by sticking small plants under large light footprints.

I have clones going for the seedling tent used to produce seed when not used for seedlings.
 

Grow Harder

Well-Known Member
Synopsis:

A perpetual cannabis grow cycle is a growing method where there are always plants growing in various stages (clone rooting, vegetative and flower), and where you harvest a batch of plants at regular, scheduled dates.

Schedules:

The easiest way to set up a perpetual grow is to use a number of weeks of flower that is divisible easily so that you can slot in the other stages within it. A nine week flower cycle allows you to have three stages of flowering plants at a time, harvesting every three weeks. A 10 week flower cycle has two stages of flowering plants at a time, each batch harvested every five weeks.

Examples and Explanations:

10 Week Flower, 5 Week Veg

This is an example using a 10 week flower cycle, with a veg time of five weeks. We also have to provide two weeks for the clones to root after planting:


View attachment 4488074

First, we cut and root our clones for the first two weeks (week -1 and -2) for Grow #1. After the two week rooting period, we plant the rooted clones, and put them into veg (week 1). Two weeks after we put Grow #1 into veg, we cut clones for Grow #2 and put them into the cloner (Week #4).

Two weeks after we cut the clones for Grow #2 (Week #6), the clones are rooted, so we A) move Grow #1 from veg and put them into flower, and B) move the rooted Grow #2 clones into veg.

Three weeks later (Week #9), we once again cut clones for Grow #3, then two weeks after that (Week #11), we plant those rooted clones, and put them into veg. We also move Grow #2 from veg to flower, and Grow #1 starts its second five-week flower period.

At this point, our cycle is in full motion. We'll always have two batches of flowering plants going (five weeks apart), and one batch in veg.

The red areas depict the last two weeks of the 10 week flower cycle, and depending on strain, you'll be harvesting within this two-week window.

Are you with me so far?

If not, please let me know so I may make updates for clarity and understanding.

Extending or Shortening the Veg Cycle:

Do you see how after each clone rooting cycle is over (light green), we have a three-week window where nothing happens? Well, we can use that time to allow for a longer veg cycle. Instead of five weeks of veg, lets do eight:

View attachment 4488088

In the above case, our harvests are still every five weeks like before, but we've added three weeks of veg, so the first veg cycle pushes our entire perpetual forward by three weeks. However, our clone cycle is exactly the same. You still have a harvest after every five weeks, but you'll notice that you also have two cycles of veg plants simultaneously. The added benefit to this is three extra weeks of veg before going to flower.

If you've got the mother plants to do so, you could go as far as to have 10 full weeks of veg. You just start the veg cycle as each cycle goes into flower originally, and the clone cutting two weeks before that.

9 Week Cycle, 3 Week Veg

Here's an example using a nine week flower cycle, and three week veg.

View attachment 4488091

With a nine week flower cycle as opposed to 10, we've converted into having three stages of flowering plants at all times, each stage being three weeks long. There will always only be one batch in veg at any given time. After the third three-week flower cycle, you harvest a batch, and put a new veg batch into flower.

9 Weeks Flower, Zero Weeks Veg

In this perpetual schedule configuration, we don't veg at all. We go straight from rooted clone (or sprouted seed) directly to flower.

View attachment 4488093

Because we're still using a nine week flower cycle, once the perpetual is in full motion, we'll again have three stages of flowering going at the same time. We also harvest every three weeks. The only difference with this cycle is that there's no veg period.

Well, it's been fun. I hope this helps people design their own perpetual grows. If anyone has any questions or fixes, please do let me know.

Here's my current, in operation perpetual as of today:

View attachment 4488099

Today is 2020-02-24. I moved rooted clones into veg on the night of the 19th. I change the colour of the column after the week has ended. This week I have nothing to do.

I do have software I wrote that plots out all of the dates and tasks in a nice list. I will hopefully get it into a position where I can release it to the public. When I do, I'll update this thread.
Disregard the questions in my journal. this extensively explains everything. This is a god send for a guy tryna figure it all out
 

Grow Harder

Well-Known Member
VERY nicely explained Bro. I ran perpetual for a bit, then got hit with mites. I decided after that to always have a cleaning period of 1-2 weeks, depending on size of awaiting veg plants between grows.
May that never happen to you.
FF
Playsand has saved my tent on several occasions. Puts a dead stop to their entire life cycle. Larvae never make it to the top, never seeding your soil, stopping the spread in its tracks. Simple yet effective
 

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