How to increase quality and yield growing cannabis
The age-old question... Unfortunately, there isn't a 1 line easy option for this in my experience, there isn't a magic bottle of nutrients or boost that's going to increase your yield by 30%. Many products will claim this is the case but it isn't the case. This doesn't mean you can't increase your yield by the above number or more. You can increase yields in what I like to call the "1%'s".
I'll focus on what I believe are the most important factors when it comes to increasing yield while growing cannabis.
Environment And Temperature
The single most important part of growing and increasing quality and yield in your plants is Environment. Yes, you cant grow without lighting or feed but the wrong environment will work against you every step of the way. Cannabis plants are happier at certain temperatures and humidity ranges. Very few growers are able to keep perfectly within these ranges consistently but trying to keep as close to them as possible goes a long way in terms of quality and yield. A happy plant is a healthy plant, a healthy plant will produce better quality and bigger flowers. It isn't as simple as just knowing the "correct" ranges. As a rule of thumb cannabis plants in veg like around 60% relative humidity, cannabis plants in flower should be kept much lower, 40% is a good number. Some strains will be happier or perform well at different numbers but the above 2 are good starting points.
Temperature is very important. Keeping your plants at optimum temperatures will mean they are able to do all things they need to to be good quality and productive plant.
A good starting point is 24c-27c.
Airflow
Good airflow is very important and having the correct equipment to control that airflow is vital. Temperature and humidity can be controlled much easier with the correct equipment. Fan controllers are a brilliant tool if used correctly but these can only be effective with the correct sized fans. Its better to be overpowered with extraction. A high-power fan can be turned down, a low-power fan cannot be turned up above its max setting. Extraction and intake fans are important but just as important is good air movement within the grow room. Plants are living things and need good air quality to thrive.
Lighting
Lighting is a bit of a minefield given the numerous options available. The most important part with lighting is that you need the right amount of correct lighting. You can certainly overdo it when it comes to lighting so research here is very important. There are many factors to the perfect lighting, for yield and quality the most important factor, in my opinion, is a good spread over your grow area. Having a very powerful light is great, but it will be at its most effective if you have an even spread of light over your entire grow area.
As a rule of thumb:
100w HID lighting per 60 x 60cm area for veg
150w HID lighting per 60 x 60cm area for flower
120w LED lighting per 60 x 60cm area that can be dimmed.
Making the most of your lights is a big part of increasing yield and quality when growing cannabis. Many lights available to us are intense where the light is hung but the intensity drops off as you move away from where the light is hanging. You may be getting double the light a plant needs directly under your grow light but well under the amount of light your plants can handle as you move away from the center of your grow room. A light that covers as much of your canopy with an even intensity of light is the best way to get the most from your light and growing area.
Read your plants
The simplest statement but it's true. It's easy to get lost in all the science and numbers out there when it comes to growing but your plant is more than capable of telling you if it's not happy or enjoying life. This becomes easier as you gain experience but it's not difficult to see if your plant is happy or unhappy and therefore know whether you need to act or not to fix an issue.
Training
Training your plants is in my opinion the best way to increase yield in cannabis. There are not many things more beautiful than a cannabis plant in a natural structure but unfortunately, cannabis left on its own isn't a recipe to get the biggest amount of flower. There are many training methods that can be used to increase yield and 90% of them are focused on getting the most coverage in your growing area. If you have a 1.2 x 1.2m growing area and are only using 60% of it then you are not getting the most from that area. In my experience, the most effective training method for yield is a scrog or achieving the flat even canopy in flower without a net. This plays hand in hand with the above lighting principle of having the right amount of correct lighting hitting every part of your canopy.
Attention to detail
I've not gone into feed yet as all of the above apply to growing in any medium or system. If you are in soil or coco feed at the correct times. Its easy to have a lazy day and not water/feed. If you have dead leaves under the canopy remove them, water spillage, get it out. I think every grower has these days but from experience, I know that in my style of growing which is coco if I miss a day feeding it affects the plants growth. Being consistent in all aspects if growing is vital if you want the most from your growing area. The most consistent growers that I've seen to the best numbers yield-wise are a perfectionist when it comes to attention to detail. Not a leaf out of place, no mess, everything on point.
Experience
Unfortunately, you can only gain experience by messing up. Every grow a grower improves. A master of their style will try something new, spot something in their setup that can be tweaked. These all add up grow after grow and make spotting issues faster and easier.
Summary
There is no magic bottle to increase yield and quality, no magic wand, no fast or easy way. But you can increase by smaller amounts by getting every aspect of your grow working as well as you can. These 1%'s all add up and you can end up surprising yourself with the quality and size of a grow when you get all the 1%'s working for you.
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