Get a Harvest Every 2 Weeks

Sorry guys, just catching up on replying to queries in this thread. Just a tick busy these days.

akidynoken said:

kind of what I was thinking was to build 4 separate f@d tables all with the same size lid and just swap the lids to each table every two weeks, do you think that would work with say four to six plants?

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You can do that if you like. You don't really need to physically move the plants; you can just change the nutrient mix in each individual tank every two weeks to suit the different phase of flowering.

I move my plants from tray to tray every 2 weeks as it gives me an opportunity to clean the trays, but they really don't have to be moved. They could stay put until that particular tray is ready to be harvested.

I do find the 'production line' style makes it a little easier to keep track of what mix to put in which tank, though. I know tank #1 will always get mixed to 900-1100ppm, tank 2 will be 1300-1500ppm + whatever the PK-13-14 bumps it up to in week 3. Tank 3 gets 1300-1500ppm, no PK, and tank 4 can be simply pH adjusted tap water- but I usually don't bother with flushing in the last week as many recommend. I don't notice any difference between buds from plants which had plain water in the last week and those which just continued to get a 1300-1500ppm Flores mix up until harvest day.

ChillWill151 said:

Hey i was thinking of cloning my plants too, but i was wondering if u need to give the mothers any special treatment after u cut them?

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Nope- the mothers need very little attention. Once I have done 3-4 passes of cuttings from a particular mother (about 2 mos worth of cuttings), I discard that mother plant and replace it with a successfully rooted new cutting. It will be ready to take cuttings from in about 2 weeks.

mogie said:

Be careful crowding your plants invites disease. Keeping your envirnoment sterile is very important. That includes all items used like mositure wands, scissors, etc. This is meant for all of us. I am sure we could all do better when it comes to a clean grow area.

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While my plants LOOK like they are crowded in, they really are not. Keep in mind that I trim off all branching from about the lower 1/3 of the mainstem. This gets rid of small branches and the small buds they produce. The biggest buds form on the mainstem itself. Removing all the branching also improves the airflow between the plants.

akidynoken said:

even still this is one of the most informative posts i've read on all the forums out there, cant say for o.g. because I was never on that forum but I do check with pretty much all of them, been laid off for two months have had a lot of time on my hands, but even for such a short thread it is very informative. Thanks all

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I'm a former OG poster (in fact, a former OG moderator). This op was featured in a 'sticky' OG thread for a couple of years before the site was taken down.

I could make this thread much more involved and detailed, but there's no data omitted that anyone really needs. SOG isn't at all difficult. My only innovation is putting in 4 individual trays in the flowering area. So it happens, the flowering cycle is 8 weeks and it's convenient to move the plants from tray to tray every 2 weeks as newly rooted cuttings go in and plants ready to harvest come out.

The main points that newbs need to take from this are:

a) to put newly rooted clones in to flower with NO veg time outside of being in the clone box (which runs 24/7 fluoro light). This makes the individual plants wind up being about 33-36" tall at wk 8 (they stop gaining height in wk 3-4 of 12/12 light), ideally suited for the foliar penetration ability of HPS lighting.

b) remove all branching from the lower 1/3 of the mainstem - this allows a maximum number of plants in the available space without crowding, as well as getting rid of little buds and forcing the plant to spend its energy on making the fatter ones.

cali-high said:

how many plants do you have at one time?

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umm... more than one.

Each 4x4' tray in the flowering area holds about 20-23 pots. There's about 5-8 mothers at any given moment. I usually do 30 cuttings in each batch. So, math it out! Ought to be somewhere between 85 at minimum to a maximum trayspace and clonebox cpacity of about 144 in various stages of development.

akidynoken said:

yes my flower area is about 34" deep by 49" wide by about 5 1/2feet tall and my veg area is same but diff height, if I was to do a sog do you think that there is enough room to do it perpetually? if so how many plants per harvest? Dont like to ask so many questions but other than trial and ERROR thats the best way to learn

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Each tray in the flowering area holds about 20-23 plants, so that's how many are coming out every 2 weeks, as an equal number of newly rooted clones are fed in to the area.

Don't waste much space on vegging. There's no need to veg any plants other than the mothers. Clones intended for flowering should definitely NOT be vegged as this will cause them to be too tall. My mums live in a roughly 1' x 5' space under a 400W HPS.

You can scale my op to any size you like. The limitation is the amount of area you have under lights. If you do crowd in too many plants for your available space (and I'm not sure what the ideal plant count for your space will be- should be something like 8-10" square lighted floor/trayspace per plant), yields will suffer and powdery mildew will become a problem. As I use 8" dia x 8" tall pots, I guess I'm giving each plant in the flowering area about an 8" circle to live in.

I have added a pic to my gallery of what the mums look like 2 weeks after doing a batch of cuts.

Just after cuts:



and again 2 weeks later when they are ready to donate another batch of cuttings:

right now i have 2 400 hps in a homemade air cooled fixture, do you think it would be better to split up the lights and put 1 400 above weeks 0-4 and put a 1000 hps above weeks 4-8 I can do this but it will be some more work or do you think it will work to just switch out the 2 400's and replace with the 1000 and be ok, I just want to do it right. Thank you all your input is just what I need!

would it possible to to a setup using dwc say in 4-14 gal rubbermaid containers, that might be more easy for me, and then maybe just move to tops of the containers every two weeks, if I dont have to split the lights up that would also be easier to, but would if I had to, just a quick thought!

was just reading in another forum it say's something like veg nutes in the first two weeks is that right because I dont want to mess things up especially that early in the game.

Its a done deal, I'm going to do a sog grow starting my next grow which will be in about a month because I'm in about the 4th week of flower with my present grow, well hope all is well with everyone, peace love and hair grease!

right now i have 2 400 hps in a homemade air cooled fixture, do you think it would be better to split up the lights and put 1 400 above weeks 0-4 and put a 1000 hps above weeks 4-8 I can do this but it will be some more work or do you think it will work to just switch out the 2 400's and replace with the 1000 and be ok, I just want to do it right.

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I prefer 1000w lights for flowering as they produce the best bud density. A single 1000 HPS will light a pair of 4' x 4' flood trays with no drama if you prune the branching from the lower 1/3 of the plant.

If you need cuttings every 2 weeks, use a 250-400W HPS or MH on your mums.

would it possible to to a setup using dwc say in 4-14 gal rubbermaid containers, that might be more easy for me, and then maybe just move to tops of the containers every two weeks, if I dont have to split the lights up that would also be easier

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If you're experienced with DWC, sure, do it. DWC can be a bit fiddly. However, if you're totally new to hydro, do a flood & drain system and use loose rockwool media in plastic pots. SO much less to go wrong. So much more forgiving when something DOES go wrong.

veg nutes in the first two weeks

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Not necessary. Flowering nutes work fine from wk 0-8 in 12/12 light. The photoperiod has a lot more to do with growth phase than the NPK balance of the nutes. Yes, do use a high-N nute for the mums, but once in flower, a high-P (flowering) nute is ok.

When I put a fresh clone in to flower, it has only known 24 hour daylight, either on the mum plant or in the clone box. It takes about 3 weeks in 12/12 to switch fully from vegetative to flowering mode, even on high-P nutes. The plants will grow vegetatively for a few weeks on 12/12 but will stop gaining height at wk 3-4 all by themselves at about 1 metre tall.

I wouldn't want to encourage any more height with veg nutes while I'm trying to flower. "Short" (compared to a natural plant grown outdoors, which may get to 3m tall) plants work better under artificial light for indoor growers.

Its a done deal, I'm going to do a sog grow starting my next grow

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SoG is the most space efficient, highest production way to grow indoors. Make sure your mums are good and healthy now so you can get a batch of clones into your flowering area as soon as it is emptied out from this crop.

rotsaruck, dood.

videoman40 said:

I know a little about this, probably like everyone else, I've read a bit on it.
In fact, this is exactly what NGT and I were talking about a while back, except tailored to soil, I think you could get by with 6" square pots using soil, which would give you 4 plants per sq ft.

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I wouldn't attempt this op in soil. The amount of soil required for one tray would weigh about 100kg- even before you wet it.

SoG relies on growing a larger number of smaller plants- or rather, just the top few feet of a natural plant. That means you need LOTS of pots- and a lot of growing media. Rockwool is practical when you need a large number of pots because it's lightweight, cheap, sterile and easily disposable. Fresh, sterile media each time eliminates soil-borne diseases.

videoman40 said:

I wonder using this method, and a 430 watt hps if I could maintain 16 plants? 4 plants at each interval, and I could harvest a qp every two weeks?

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You'd be better off closer to about 12 well-trimmed SoG style plants under a 430. However, bigger lights produce more bud weight. Each of your harvests out of your 12 plant rotation will be 3 plants. If you're getting 1oz a plant, you'd be doing pretty well. Not sure what you'll get with just a 430. I get about 1/2-3/4oz per plant with 1000W lights, but can do better with more attention to the op. I told you I was a fricken lazy stoner.

well my area overall is roughly 3x4 so would a 1000hps be enough for the whole grow then?

A 1000 in a 3x4 area is overkill. Try a 600. 50 watts of HPS/sq ft is the rule of thumb.

100 watt is what I have it is aircooled and all so i'll shoot for more lumens/sq/ft

Just keep track of the temps in the room. That's a big light for a small space. Allow at least 3' vertical clearance off your growing tips with a 1000.

well I'm running 800 watts in that area right now with this air cooled hood that I made, any time of the day I can put my hand on the glass and it is barely even warm, about 900cfm taking out the heat, Is a 1000 that much hotter than 800?

You'll put less heat into the area using a single lamp than with multiple lamps of lower power output. There's a certain inefficiency in all HID lighting- some power is wasted as heat. That efficiency factor is poorer per lamp watt in 400s and 600s than in 1000s. You can remotely locate the ballast, outside the grow room airspace, to mitigate that effect somewhat as the waste heat from that inefficiency comes mainly from the ballast. You have the aircooled hood happening already taking care of the rest.

A 400 HPS will be using about 500-530W power input to the ballast from the mains AC. A 1000 HPS uses about 1100W from the mains. You could be putting down significantly more lumens with a single 1000 than with a pair of 400s for almost the same power cost. A 1000 has better foliar penetration and will make tighter buds than a pair of 400s to boot.

settles that then the 1000 will be going in soon