Optimal Planting Density

In trying to decide the optimal density for indoor yield I suspected that it would be similar for marijuana and hempseed, since you're basically producing seed pods, just empty ones. This page says that 100 plants/m2 is a good density for "grain" production (grain meaning seed). Rather than deal with that many cuttings, I figure 25 plants/m2 but topped instead of left as a single stem. Once you have at least 4 main stems on every clone it's the same as 100 plants. You can't really get more than 4-6 good shoots from a single stem anyway, without elaborate training methods, so that's a good number to work with.

So my conclusion is that optimal density is probably 100 single stem plants or 25 plants topped once in early growth, with only out of control stretchy tops pruned later as required.

I would also recommend either beds or fewer large containers rather than 25-100 pots. Roots like to stretch out and it's just less messing around with filling containers. Right now I'm trying 6 containers/m2 with 4 plants each, so 24 plants/m2. I tried an extra plant in the middle of one, for 5 instead of 4, but it seamed pretty cramped really. Haven't flowered with this density yet, but veg is going well. It's large rectangular containers with very little space between, so the space is almost all medium about 8" deep. It's more convenient to move them in the containers than to use a single bed. The containers even have handle holes in them for easy moving. Larger containers would actually be too heavy and awkward to move though. This size is heavy enough.

My numbers would be far less. More like 8 or 9.

Kevin the Great said:

My numbers would be far less. More like 8 or 9.

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You would think fewer plants would be easier, and you may be right, 9 sounds pretty reasonable. However, you're supposed to be able get yields of 400-600 g/m2 and I haven't got that yet myself so I'm trying new strategies and increased planting density is an obvious one to try.

Growing mj is like growing hemp since you're basically growing empty seed pods...

That's some of the dumbest shit I ever read in an mj forum, can you please gtfo out of advanced and get your noob ass back to the newbie section...

Try a longer veg, actually fill the space with plant. If you're only covering 70% of the available lighted surface then yields would obviously suffer. Better lights and dialing in your nutes, I can usually hit the 400 g/m2 mark and I only do smaller grows. I put 2 or 3 plants in a cabinet that equates to around 2.75 ft2 and I pull at least 2 ounces per plant on a decent photo.

Kevin the Great said:

Try a longer veg, actually fill the space with plant. If you're only covering 70% of the available lighted surface then yields would obviously suffer. Better lights and dialing in your nutes, I can usually hit the 400 g/m2 mark and I only do smaller grows. I put 2 or 3 plants in a cabinet that equates to around 2.75 ft2 and I pull at least 2 ounces per plant on a decent photo.

Click to expand...

I'm still dialing my system in. Next batch coming up was 6 plants per 3'x1.5' chamber, which did fill it quite solidly. That may turn out to be the optimal density for me. The batch after that will be 12 plants each though. I'll see how that works out. Might be too many stems getting in the way of watering.