The Ménage-a-Tree method
(A.k.a. micro-managing for micro-growers)
Pros:
-3x your normal yield per light/per room
-3x as many varieties/strains growing at once
- ~25% more efficient energy use
Cons:
-3x your normal workload
-3x space required (requires 24hr dark room, 24hr flower room, minimum)
-Higher likelihood of broken branches/plant damage
-Harder to do hydro/anything automated
-Only small-mid sized plants for most people. Most people don’t have the strength to move a large potted plant. They are shockingly heavy when watered.
This style will likely only be useful for a small minority of people. Mostly hobby growers who have fewer resources and fewer plants to manage, but want more output and more variety. This would probably be an incredible waste of time for any sizeable operation.
The essence of this method is very simple: Instead of the usual 12 hours per day under your flowering lights, plants will only be spending 8 hours a day under your main lights, and the other 4 under your veg lights/weak lights. I have found that (at least with the couple strains I experimented with) plants do just as well, if not better, when only 8 of their 12 flowering hours are at full light intensity- both in quality and in quantity. How often do plants in nature spend all 12 hours in full daylight? I just don't think they can metabolically process that much activity. Especially with LED’s, which is the only style I have experience with- LED’s can cook plants internally leading to the dreaded cal/mag deficiency symptoms, without having an outward appearance of a leaf/bud that has been cooked or is too close to a light. I have found that I can reduce my cal-mag supplementation by 25% or so while using this method.
If you really want to micro-manage, you can do 2 hours veg, 8 hours flower, 2 hours veg, but that almost doubles your time spent moving things. I usually give put them straight into flower for 8 hours, and then let them “cool down” for a “dusk” period of 4 hours. I have no proof this is better than starting with 4 hours “dawn” at the beginning instead.
Now, of course, you could accomplish part of this just by dimming your lights, but to me and my ultra-micro-grow that always has more plants than it does well-lit space, having flowering lights dimmed has always felt like wasted time/space. This is just a preference thing.
(A.k.a. micro-managing for micro-growers)
Pros:
-3x your normal yield per light/per room
-3x as many varieties/strains growing at once
- ~25% more efficient energy use
Cons:
-3x your normal workload
-3x space required (requires 24hr dark room, 24hr flower room, minimum)
-Higher likelihood of broken branches/plant damage
-Harder to do hydro/anything automated
-Only small-mid sized plants for most people. Most people don’t have the strength to move a large potted plant. They are shockingly heavy when watered.
This style will likely only be useful for a small minority of people. Mostly hobby growers who have fewer resources and fewer plants to manage, but want more output and more variety. This would probably be an incredible waste of time for any sizeable operation.
The essence of this method is very simple: Instead of the usual 12 hours per day under your flowering lights, plants will only be spending 8 hours a day under your main lights, and the other 4 under your veg lights/weak lights. I have found that (at least with the couple strains I experimented with) plants do just as well, if not better, when only 8 of their 12 flowering hours are at full light intensity- both in quality and in quantity. How often do plants in nature spend all 12 hours in full daylight? I just don't think they can metabolically process that much activity. Especially with LED’s, which is the only style I have experience with- LED’s can cook plants internally leading to the dreaded cal/mag deficiency symptoms, without having an outward appearance of a leaf/bud that has been cooked or is too close to a light. I have found that I can reduce my cal-mag supplementation by 25% or so while using this method.
If you really want to micro-manage, you can do 2 hours veg, 8 hours flower, 2 hours veg, but that almost doubles your time spent moving things. I usually give put them straight into flower for 8 hours, and then let them “cool down” for a “dusk” period of 4 hours. I have no proof this is better than starting with 4 hours “dawn” at the beginning instead.
Now, of course, you could accomplish part of this just by dimming your lights, but to me and my ultra-micro-grow that always has more plants than it does well-lit space, having flowering lights dimmed has always felt like wasted time/space. This is just a preference thing.
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