What's your timeline?

[baldmountain]

Germination, seedling and flowering are mostly set so I guess I'm wondering how long you veg your plants for and is it different for regular seeds vs. feminized seeds?

 

[socaljoe]

I think it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Do you want 1 plant to yield a pound? Better veg the hell out of it. Do you want to run many plants for a smaller yield per plant but a good variety to choose from? Veg for a week or two and then flip to flowering.

Point is, there's not one right answer, just what's right for you.


I've taken to starting seeds and vegging them while I have a set in flower, take clones off the new seed plants and go into flower from clone. This allows me to ready the next run while the current one is running. It's a system that works for me and my setup.

 

[Highland Rogue]

Germination, seedling and flowering are mostly set so I guess I'm wondering how long you veg your plants for and is it different for regular seeds vs. feminized seeds?

If you grow the same plant several times (using clones) or even the same stable strain you get an idea how much it will or won't stretch.

For instance a sativa leaning plant which will double in height during flower might not get the same time in veg as a slower indica. Are you concerned about plant limits ? Ceiling height ?

If you run a perpetual grow, using a separate flower and veg area, you could vary how long you veg sister clones, then flower them and see how it works for your wants and needs.

 

[MtRainDog]

For us small time tent growers, we just want to maximize our space. After a couple grows you should more or less know how big you want your plants to get in veg when you flip them so they don't stretch too much or too little.

So the big time variation for me is always seed --> flip. This is where I want to improve my grows the most.

2-2.5 months for flowering is pretty constant, and so that's easy to factor into my timelines.

 

[NoWaistedSpace]

For us small time tent growers, we just want to maximize our space. After a couple grows you should more or less know how big you want your plants to get in veg when you flip them so they don't stretch too much or too little.

So the big time variation for me is always seed --> flip. This is where I want to improve my grows the most.

2-2.5 months for flowering is pretty constant, and so that's easy to factor into my timelines.

I try and shoot for "80 to 84 days" from breaking ground. It's nice to have 2 flower rooms to split up your grow space. When you pull out from early veg, that's when I transplant into bigger containers and they need a few days to get a root established before flipping to flower. You can use the 2nd tent for such needs or when you have tall and short plants in flower, you can separate them with the 2nd space.
Best if you can stack your grows in the same space.
You can pull over 3 ozs per cubic foot if you get it right.
The goal is "no wasted space". lol
Everything is a "learning" curve. Do 1 step changes at a time and keep things simple.
Going back to sleep now. lol

 

[H.A.F.]

I think it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

what he said.

Cool thing is, you could tell us exactly what your goal is and we can still give you 17 ways to get there

 

[baldmountain]

Cool thing is, you could tell us exactly what your goal is and we can still give you 17 ways to get there

That's the problem. My goal is to find a set of "best practices". It doesn't have to be perfect or generate monster grows. It just needs to be a straight forward set of procedures that lead to a grow that ends with decent plants. I feel like there is too much information, that varies widely, and leads to confusion and frustration.

Having said all that, I feel like I have most of a set of "not to shitty practices" in my head. I was hoping to hear what other people do for veg times because that is one piece that is missing.

 

[H.A.F.]

That's the problem. My goal is to find a set of "best practices". It doesn't have to be perfect or generate monster grows. It just needs to be a straight forward set of procedures that lead to a grow that ends with decent plants. I feel like there is too much information, that varies widely, and leads to confusion and frustration.

Having said all that, I feel like I have most of a set of "not to shitty practices" in my head. I was hoping to hear what other people do for veg times because that is one piece that is missing.

I mean more broad. "I want to grow a four ounce plant", "I want a steady supply of smoke for me", "I want to harvest 1 pound every month to make rent" - You know, stuff like that

 

[H.A.F.]

The best practices part is when you adapt the basic knowledge on how to grow - to how it applies to your grow, (environment, lights, etc.) and make it work.

I think there's a lot of science involved, and some minimum requirements regardless of grow medium or depending on grow medium, But it is most definitely an art. You can take bits and pieces of what you like from different grows you see.

 

[baldmountain]

But it is most definitely an art. You can take bits and pieces of what you like from different grows you see.

This I totally agree with. Art, science and engineering are some of my favorite things. I think that is why l am having so much fun with all this.

 

[KMOG]

I veg mine until they’re big enough and or have room in my flowering space. All plants are different

 

[gwheels]

I have done quite a few different styles over the last 9 months. Trying to hone in on what i need to do for my space.
As many have said it is really variant. If I were to do a best practice with tent(s) I would have 2 of them.
your flower tent and a small veg tent. Perpetuate flower and you will have regular buds (if that is the plan).

Veg them 2 to 4 weeks or how it makes sense for the space in the bloom tent.

Do you want to achieve so many ounces per month? If so how many?

I have tried 12 12 from seed.... and veg of 1 to 6 weeks. For me I love a 4 to 5 week veg in a 5 to 7 gallon pot so the roots are full enough in the pot to really grow in bloom. This is my favorite. But i have room and tents to adjust growth as we go. Once i got to that 4 week veg i could perpetuate a 4 week veg and have something always ready to fill the hole in bloom.

But best practice would be a mom....and flood and drain trays of those clones...repeat repeat repeat.
If you want to MAX out space.

Find the strain that grows fat colas in your conditions...because that is variable too.

There are a dozen ways to get there...all of them right.

 

[H.A.F.]

Once i got to that 4 week veg i could perpetuate a 4 week veg and have something always ready to fill the hole in bloom.

For personal smoke, the desire to fill a tent for your first grow is big. Lots of talk about empty space, growing floor, whatever. Maybe start with half a tent-full. You can spread them out. Then after a month drop seeds for another 1/4 of the tent, then month three you drop enough for the last 1/4 of the tent. You'll start harvesting from the first half in this timeframe, then you start filling in the blanks.

That is the importance of a "prep" veg tent. Small, maybe veg-specific spectrum light, but big enough to grow plants for one month at 18/6.

I have done this rotation, and you can build up a stash. If you have a selection of seeds to run, start your first half-tent grow with a short and a longer flowering plant. One to get you the smoke as quick as possible.

With just 4 plants in a 3x3 tent you can do well.

 

[MtRainDog]

I assume you are growing from seed. If you want faster veg, pop more beans and give them a shorter veg before flipping. You'll need to be in smaller pots to fit more in your space.

The other school of thought is to veg them longer, like maybe 2 months before flipping. The thinking here is that they'll have a larger more robust root system and will be a bigger plant.

Both ways will net you roughly the same result, but more plants/shorter veg will be faster. I guess the downside is it will cost you more beans? I've always done longer veg times/fewer plants, but I'm gravitating toward running more to get through veg faster.

 

[Greenthumbskunk]

Germination, seedling and flowering are mostly set so I guess I'm wondering how long you veg your plants for and is it different for regular seeds vs. feminized seeds?

Depends on what im doing. Inside it depends on the space. Outside it depends on just how big i want it.

This is one of my rdwc veg tents a 4x8 tent. You can see the size of the plants i grow inside.







Here is what it looks like when i squash it down. With the first layer of netting. The netting is 42" deep to the wall

I have a 25 bucket rdwc for flower on one system.










Here is what it looks like in flower.