overall yield

[fanatic]

Hello all,
I’ve been looking at this site for some time now, and feel that there’s a lot of people here that now how to grow. I’ve been growing for years now, but have come to the conclusion that I need help to increase my yields.
I have a perpetual setup. 600 watt HPS lights (batwing reflectors) for flowering, 400 watt MH for late vegging (3rd to 6th week after a clone gets roots) and fluorescent lights before that. I use soil, Miracle grow potting mix, which I mix with sand. I use two types of pots… 2 gallon pots (the great majority) and 5 gallon pots. Under each light, I place between 6 and 15 pots, depending of the size I use.
I also have a aero setup, but I am only experimenting with it….. so far I have 3 grows in it, so I am not too concerned about this part.
For nutes, I use the entire line of Dutch Masters Gold. Before, I used the entire line of Advanced nutrients, but I changed that, since it was a lot more complicated…. More expensive, too much time wasted on feeding (too many different additives)…. And not a significant change in yield compared to dutch masters.
For feeding, I follow the instructions for a 2 gallon reservoir, and use a jug (2 gallon) per 600W light (6 o 15 plants), since that is what it takes to water them. This is where I feel I might be wrong; since my aero setup has 15 plants and a 12 gallon reservoir, so I end up giving them 4 to 6 times the amount of nutes that I give my soil plants. No one has ever answered me this part, and I’ve called advanced nutrients and dutch masters.
My overall yield is 9 oz of dry bud per 600W light. I am pretty sure I can hit a pound per light, with the right help.
I have CO2 generators, which I don’t use… when I tried using them, my plants almost died. Also, the plants are inside rooms with 24/7 Air conditioning, to maintain a good temp.
My strain is a mix of big bud, Ice and another I cant remember…. But I am in the process of changing everything to a single strain, northern lights.
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Can you think of anything I am doing wrong???[/FONT]

 

[Chronic Connoisseur]

there are a lot of things you can do to increase yield. i suggest using 5 gals but you dont have to. dutch master ferts are for sure ok.. but i like jacks classics... i usually get about 2.5oz to 4.5 per plant.. seems like you know what you are doing.. only thing i can suggest is using a 1000watt hps. i use 2 1000's for 20-27 plants. you cant top your plant.. and there are many ways to snip your plant that can increase yield...or sog..scrog.

what was your ppm for co2 in the room? co2 should do nothing but make your plants more healthy. how many 600watt ligts do you have? or better yet.. what is your avreage yield per plant.

 

[fanatic]

Thanks for your help.
I have co2 monitor/controllers... at first, I would set them up at 1500 ppm, but my plants were suffering, so I lowered them to 1000 ppm.... still, they were a mess.
I am now thinking of only giving co2 to my vegetative plants, with a timer (since I dont trust the controllers anymore), on for 5 minutes every 4 or 5 hours....

What about the feeding?, am I doing the right thing in following dutchmasters instructions of 2 gallons (since it is what it take to succesfully water everything under each 600W lamp)... or is it something else?
Why does my aero setup, which has a reservoir of 12 gallons, 15 plant sites and a 600w lamp takes so much more nutes than my soil plants (6 times)???.... this is the part that does not make much sense to me. Is it that there is a different system for soil?

 

[fanatic]

I forgot to answer the other thing you asked.... my yield, is about 9oz dry bud give or take, for everything that under each 600w light..... I have a few lights.
I place anywere between 6 and 15 plants.... they are either 2 gallon (maybe 1.5 gallon) pots or 5 gallon pots. i have not noticed much difference between using one size or the other.... what I know for sure is that 15 plants will give me more yield than 6 big ones (under each 600w light)

 

[panhead]

What size floor space are you covering with each 600 watt hps & what is the distance from light to canopy,you should be getting atleast an ounce a plant seeing that your going into 6 weeks of veg before you flower.

How is the size & density of your secondary buds when compared to the main cola's,obviously they will be smaller by nature but how much smaller & fluffier ?

I'd have to say that your covering too large an area with one light or that the light is too far away & your not getting good penetration.

 

[fanatic]

Under each 600W, there is a 2.5' x 5' space of plants. I try to keep my lights about a foot or 18" above the plants. Sometimes some plants get taller than others, so I relocate them to other lights....

 

[mpgkush]

i would suggest a sog. i find that method to be the best i yeild aout 2.5 - 4.0 oz per baby in a 40plant sog

 

[coach]

Try super croping this will increase yield

 

[yesweedman]

how big ov room would u need 2 grow 30 plants n how many lights thanks

 

[BCtrippin]

Thanks for your help.
I have co2 monitor/controllers... at first, I would set them up at 1500 ppm, but my plants were suffering, so I lowered them to 1000 ppm.... still, they were a mess.
I am now thinking of only giving co2 to my vegetative plants, with a timer (since I dont trust the controllers anymore), on for 5 minutes every 4 or 5 hours....

What about the feeding?, am I doing the right thing in following dutchmasters instructions of 2 gallons (since it is what it take to succesfully water everything under each 600W lamp)... or is it something else?
Why does my aero setup, which has a reservoir of 12 gallons, 15 plant sites and a 600w lamp takes so much more nutes than my soil plants (6 times)???.... this is the part that does not make much sense to me. Is it that there is a different system for soil?

When you were dosing C02 to 1500 PPM, were you doing this day and night? You need to shut down the C02 about 30 min before the lights go out and air out the room, your babies need some oxygen at night. Also when dosing C02, if the room is totally saturated and the roots cant get oxygen you will have problems. c02 is heavier then oxygen.

 

[born2killspam]

It definately sounds like you're letting your plants control your grow area.. Don't do that, kids need discipline.. Control their height via topping/fim/lst/pinching, and you will get alot more bud sites in your light's sweet spot.. Letting plants grow naturally will kill your yield in indoor growing..
I used to make a screen by sinply weaving string into a grid made from nails around the perimeter (4-8" spacing).. Its the simplest makeshift scrog I've come up with, and it gives you alot of play since its not rigid, or all one big mesh that makes it difficult to adjust things through it..

 

[ecs@live]

I really agree... can highly recommend the scrog method.. less plants - Bigger yield