Maximizing weight for the space

[UrbanHillbilly]

I have time for probably one more quick grow before I hope to take an extended trip later this year, and to make it in time it'd probably have to be autoflower to be able to finish in time. My limited experience with fast-growing autos is that they grow quick, but not very bushy. I'm trying to figure out how to maximize the weight I can harvest in a small tent. Would the best approach be to put 3 or 4 (or even more?) plants in the space keep them trimmed up to focus their energy on just a few larger colas? Or does anyone have another suggestion? These plants will have to finish in a 3x3 tent. I also have a little 2x2.

Right now I'm sort of pulling my hair out. We let our niece move in a few months ago and the tents are in a room near her bedroom. I chopped the current plant in the 2x2 2 days ago and hung it in the tent to dry. My schedule doesn't match up with hers, so I didn't say anything to her. Another reason I was kinda quiet about it is that I want to discourage her from trying to mooch from my humble harvest. Anyway, I unplugged the light when I hung the plant to dry. I didn't bother checking on the tent yesterday because I figured it's just sitting there waiting to dry out so no problem, right? Wrong. When I went upstairs today because it was time to water the plant in the other tent, I noticed the light was plugged back in, and apparently has been since yesterday. I'm hoping the light didn't do anything to mess up my dry cycle.

 

[Jewels]

This is about three plants per square foot.

12·12 from sprout.
All single cola, no pruning.


Puts about 30 in your 3×3.
Expect 90-110 days, from soaking seed.

our niece move in

I noticed the light was plugged back in

1. You left the light on
2. You got ghosts
3. You got Rippers

I am out of guesses.

 

[Jewels]

* adult niece?
Either way, you need a lock and key

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

This is about three plants per square foot.
View attachment 202742
12·12 from sprout.
All single cola, no pruning.
View attachment 202743

Puts about 30 in your 3×3.
Expect 90-110 days, from soaking seed.






1. You left the light on
2. You got ghosts
3. You got Rippers

I am out of guesses.

That's pretty much the look I had in mind. What size pots did you use?

As for the light being on again, I was a little...impaired...when I wrote that comment. Yeah, the niece decided to be helpful and make sure the light was plugged back in.

I'm looking at fast-growing auto strains that are billed as 75 days. The one I just chopped was on day 77 and probably should have been cut a day sooner.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

* adult niece?
Either way, you need a lock and key

Yeah, a 35 y/o niece. I already learned I need to keep a lock on my stash after watching several grams 'evaporate.' I guess she thought I was too dumb to notice. So yeah, I need to do the grow as well, especially now that I have stuff drying.

 

[Jewels]

What size pots did you use?

12 Oz Solo, for starts
They show sex in about 4 weeks, and that is when they get transplanted into a common bed.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

12 Oz Solo, for starts
They show sex in about 4 weeks, and that is when they get transplanted into a common bed.

Sounds good. This time around I'll be using fem'd auto beans and don't have that many of those on hand, but since they're shorter plants I might just use them in my 2x2 tent and fill that space.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

12 Oz Solo, for starts
They show sex in about 4 weeks, and that is when they get transplanted into a common bed.

Couple follow-up questions. Can you point me to a good place to learn how to start sexing the plants that young? That's a skill I really need to work on.

Also, you said those crowded plants had no trimming. Are you saying they didn't need it and just grew that way because they were so crowded? If so that sorta makes sense, but I also wonder if there would still be a way to cut clones from any of them.

 

[Jewels]

The longer you veg a plant, the longer it will take to show sex.
I can veg my Tangies for 8 weeks under 24/7 light, they will be up to the 10th node without showing sex. I can flip them at that point, and they might take another 3 weeks to show sex.

12 from seed is a whole new monkey.

This plant has been above ground for a week.


4 weeks later it was in the compost pile.



It all happens really fast. One day it looks like a plant, the next time you look at it it's covered with nuts.

Auto are a whole another monkey

Are you saying they didn't need it and just grew that way because they were so crowded?

Thats right.
I manipulate the footprint so they are only threatening to overlap their neighbours for the entire growth cycle.

No chance for clones in my garden.
If the plants were topped they would offer clonable material; given time.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

Resurrecting this thread. I have dragged my feet on getting new plants underway and the two plants in my 3x3 tent are getting closer to harvest by the day. I'm still thinking about crowding up my tent as Jewels suggested, but maybe in the 2x2x4 tent for my first go with the SOG method. The problem there is height limitations. I'm nervous because of my experience last year when I blanked on a male in the tent and if I'm running a bunch of 'em in a small space, it seems like that would be even easier. With only 4 sq/ft to play with and only 4' of height, can I make that work? Just flip it to flower after a month or so? I figure I'd start them in Solo cups then transfer to gallon pots since I don't have anything handy to make a common bed in the tent. How many seeds should I pop, like 15 or so? I'm thinking of using some seeds I wound up with from that grow that had a male so I have plenty to play with. I have 25 gallon pots I could put in the 3x3 tent, but frankly that sounds a little overwhelming for me, with that much more of a chance of missing a male, so I'd like to dip my toes into SOG with the smaller tent first time around.

 

[Willie]

Resurrecting this thread. I have dragged my feet on getting new plants underway and the two plants in my 3x3 tent are getting closer to harvest by the day. I'm still thinking about crowding up my tent as Jewels suggested, but maybe in the 2x2x4 tent for my first go with the SOG method. The problem there is height limitations. I'm nervous because of my experience last year when I blanked on a male in the tent and if I'm running a bunch of 'em in a small space, it seems like that would be even easier. With only 4 sq/ft to play with and only 4' of height, can I make that work? Just flip it to flower after a month or so? I figure I'd start them in Solo cups then transfer to gallon pots since I don't have anything handy to make a common bed in the tent. How many seeds should I pop, like 15 or so? I'm thinking of using some seeds I wound up with from that grow that had a male so I have plenty to play with. I have 25 gallon pots I could put in the 3x3 tent, but frankly that sounds a little overwhelming for me, with that much more of a chance of missing a male, so I'd like to dip my toes into SOG with the smaller tent first time around.

SOG will be difficult from seed. You'd be better off to find something you like and then take cuts. Flip the cuts to 12hrs right away. That way you will have a uniform canopy and no surprises. While you are running those sog, your mom is recovering and getting ready for the next batch of cuts. Longer veg times are not for sog. You don't really want variation for this.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

SOG will be difficult from seed. You'd be better off to find something you like and then take cuts. Flip the cuts to 12hrs right away. That way you will have a uniform canopy and no surprises. While you are running those sog, your mom is recovering and getting ready for the next batch of cuts. Longer veg times are not for sog. You don't really want variation for this.

That makes sense. Just between the two autos in the tent right now, same strain, the difference is interesting to watch. One will likely be ready to cut days before the other, and the color and height are noticeably different. Phenohunters gotta respect the phenotypes, right?

OK, I suppose I'll put those gallon pots in storage for now and focus on getting a handful of beans popped. I picked up some fresh soil today and over the past few days I have picked up a few trinkets from my favorite local grow shop that just closed their doors. I'll miss that place.

 

[pepperpicante]

Scrognet is the easiest way for a 2x2 to try to fill up with different heights. 4, 2 gal pots would be pushing ideal.