What is the most important thing you do in your garden to increase yields?

[jonnynobody]

Training is the most important thing I do in my garden to increase yields. Topping, tying down branches to spread the plant out, topping some more, and defoliation are all part of training in my opinion. When I grow a strain for the first time it's almost never as good as the second time I grow it. Why is that? Every strain grows differently and until I know how it's going to grow I don't know the best way to effectively train it. I gotta get to know my girls before I know how to make 'em pop. That sounded kinda dirty didn't it?

A close second to training is genetics. Some strains produce massive plants that produce massive yields. Some strains produce teeny tiny plants with small flowers that generate low yields. For instance, my ghost train which is said to be the strongest strain in the world will not produce 1/4 what my Jager will produce. It won't produce 1/2 what my maui's produce. That's in the same grow room, under the same lights, and provided the same fertilizer. None of those variables will change the genetics you start with. End of diatribe

 

[Hobbes]

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I top until I get about 36 colas, schwazzee and tressil. All three help with yield. I soak my rootball until runoff, that's an often forgotten necessity.

Genetics are definitely up there, I've had OG Kush yield 165 grams and just next door Lemon Haze yield 250 grams. Same water, feed , light.

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[bazoomer]

.... Stop smoking it all.

 

[jonnynobody]

.... Stop smoking it all.

I can't get high before I work in the garden. I do silly shit and it takes me twice as long

 

[SuperiorBuds]

Environment, environment, environment. Keep temps and RH in proper VPD range, move a ton of air inside the room, and precondition air before bringing it into the grow.

It's been the single biggest change I've made to increase my yields.

 

[tilopa]

I'm realizing how important it is to economies the canopy, meaning having an even and full canopy so that no light is wasted. To that end training and pruning to get the plant to grow sideways and even at the top. I'm still trying to figure out how to do this starting in veg.

What kind of pruning do you guys do at veg to get the stout bushy plants before flower?

 

[jonnynobody]

I'm realizing how important it is to economies the canopy, meaning having an even and full canopy so that no light is wasted. To that end training and pruning to get the plant to grow sideways and even at the top. I'm still trying to figure out how to do this starting in veg.

What kind of pruning do you guys do at veg to get the stout bushy plants before flower?

I learn a little more each flower cycle, but defoliation and topping is what I do to increase flower sites and yields. I start topping around week 3 of veg. I defoliate once or twice in veg depending on how bushy the strain grows to make space for the new flower sites to flourish. Continue topping. Defoliate at the 12/12 flip. Once more at week 3 of flower. Stake and support until harvest.

 

[tilopa]

I learn a little more each flower cycle, but defoliation and topping is what I do to increase flower sites and yields. I start topping around week 3 of veg. I defoliate once or twice in veg depending on how bushy the strain grows to make space for the new flower sites to flourish. Continue topping. Defoliate at the 12/12 flip. Once more at week 3 of flower. Stake and support until harvest.

Do you cut back the very lowest branches in veg, or do you let them grow?

 

[jonnynobody]

Do you cut back the very lowest branches in veg, or do you let them grow?

If the branch will never reach the canopy it gets chopped. Nothing but wasted plant energy. However, I don't go hacking branches off when the plant is only 3 weeks old. I generally wait until the first defoliation around week 6. Get rid of the scraggly stuff at that point. You have a strong enough root system at that point the plant will be just fine and will redirect that energy to more productive growth.