Hydro Ebb and Flow, 600w mh lights, how long to veg

Happy Holidays To All,

Been a grower for a while now but this is my first hydroponic grow. Wondering what the average vegetation time others have adopted in their hydro Ebb and Flow grows. I was planning on two weeks then going 12/12. If you could please share your preference it would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,

two weeks sounds way short especially if your starting from seed.

In soil I would do 4 weeks veg then to flower. I did read in a grow guide not related to this site that two weeks could be used. I always like to see what the consensus is in the growing community. Thanks for your response bricck!!

Yeah two weeks is a little short. It's not really about time, although it does take time, it's about size. A least 12" tall is ideal. Maybe more like 16". Consider this: the bigger you get them before the start flowering, the bigger they get WHILE flowering. You could start 12/12 right away, but you'd have tiny little plants So unless you're growing in a PC cabinet (and some people do) let 'em get big.

I veg for 20 days only because the strains I grow tend to get too tall for me to deal with unless i train them. Also im typically running out lol. I think its really up to you and your schedule. I tried 12/12 from seed and yup puny plants lol. Im a newb so results probably could be better though.

Thank you Sikkinixx, good advice. I am so time oriented that I never thought of the "Size". Happy Holidays.

Thanks Waterdawg. Guess Hydro won't cut any time afterall. Peace and Happy Holidays!

Oh it does cut time by lots!!! Growth is way quicker IMO. Less time, bigger yields. Here' a tray that is 15 days old from germination.

wow!!! Fifteen days that's incredible! I must admit that every time I check on the grow I am astounded by the growth. Now, you say it cuts down on time by lots but.... correct me if I'm wrong, the only way to cut down on "Time" is by reducing the vegetation time. I am assuming that flowering time will be essentially the same?? This being my first hydro grow leaves a lot of questions and there is nothing like experience to answer those questions.

I think I'm going to go by size this time around and wait until they get a little bigger. I also started using a new MH bulb and I'm already seeing big results. Thanks for the post!!!

They say 2 months veg will grow a mature plant.
Flowering lasts 2-3 months, even if you vegged for 10 months.

waterdawg said:

I veg for 20 days only because the strains I grow tend to get too tall for me to deal with unless i train them. Also im typically running out lol. I think its really up to you and your schedule. I tried 12/12 from seed and yup puny plants lol. Im a newb so results probably could be better though.

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when do you start counting 20 days?

I like to veg til they mature. Makes a world of difference in end product, both quality and amount

Illegalbreather - Nice avatar - who is she?

depending on how much room you have to work with between the plants and your hood, how crowded you like you grow area. I grow 24 clones in my 3x3 flood and drain, under a 600w hps, in a 4x4 tent. I vegged for almost 2 weeks and I almost ran out of space. I'd recommend considering what strain(s) you're growing, what the stretch is like, how packed do you want your table. Id say, no less than a week, no more than 3 weeks. Im saying this all based on the use of a table.

Yeah, lot's of factors go in to how long/big to veg. But here's an example:
16 plants under 1000w in a 4x4 tray, i usually veg to about 12" max. Sometimes thats to long, and plants end up too crowded. Thats ok though, thats what lollypopping is for.

Hydro shaves some time off of the finish time in bloom.The roots have less resistance,The have the full surface area to take up nutes and water faster,They grow faster and finish a little faster.How much faster depends on the strain.Id say in a nine week dirt strain it will shave around a week or so off of the finish time of the plant.
Until you grow a plant a few times sometimes it takes a run or two to see what a plant is going to do and how it is going to react.You will better know when to put them into bloom when you better know your plant.If it is a stretchy plant put it in a little sooner.If it is a plant that doesnt stretch let it sit in veg a while longer.

Basically I meant veg time as the plants get bigger faster so less time needed for that IMO. I start to count at the time i plant the popped seed in the tray. My plants usually get to around 5 feet tall strain dependant. I do agree that a longer veg time will give more yield though, just never had the time lol. I average close to an ounce a plant but again thats strain dependant.

hydrogreen65 said:

I like to veg til they mature. Makes a world of difference in end product, both quality and amount

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How do you determine when a plant is mature?

This is Critical Kush that was vegged for 20 days and flowering for 50 days

Thanks for all the replies!! I'm using an ebb and flow so headroom is now a major consideration. When I was doing a soil grow I would place the pots on the floor and with a 7 foot ceiling had plenty of room. With the Ebb and Flow I built a table to fit my reservoir underneath. Table is 3 feet high with plants on top of that. Now it only leaves a 4 foot growing area overhead. Max420thc was right on the money when he/she said that each strain will stretch differently and one needs to get to know their strains.

I checked on the babies this morning and HOLYCOW they are growing like crazy with little stretch which is cool with me. I will def keep everyone posted.