Most efficient # of plants in a 4x4

Qube

Well-Known Member
I like like 9- 3 gallon pots of coco in a 4x4. Doesn't require much veg time to fill the space.
I agree, this pic is 7 days into 12/12. These are in FFOF + 25-30% perlite and topped once. No further training required, I'll stake the mains up in a week or two.

Grow buds not branches. ;)
 

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Min8040

Well-Known Member
I like like 9- 3 gallon pots of coco in a 4x4. Doesn't require much veg time to fill the space.
What quantity do you think you`ll get cramping 9 in 3 gallon pots in such a small space?
I did 2 pineapple chunks in4x4, 8 gallon pots under 400mh veg then two 600s hps for flower and i got close to 2pounds.
Next run did one PC in a 13 gallon pot, same lighting as the above and pulled 2.5p.

PS: that is just running A and B nutes only. No other additives.

Each to their own. This might not work for you, but sure did for me.
 
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Apalchen

Well-Known Member
What quantity do you think you`ll get cramping 9 in 3 gallon pots in such a small space?
I did 2 pineapple chunks in4x4, 8 gallon pots under 400mh veg then two 600s hps for flower and i got close to 2pounds.
Next run did one PC in a 13 gallon pot, same lighting as the above and pulled 2.5p.
It all comes out about the same, the more plants you use the less veg time required. I used a 4x8 with 18 plants in it for years and hit between 4-5#.

Less veg time, equals more crops per year in most cases.

I've since moved and have more space and plant count limits. I have to grow bigger plants. Turns veg into a lot more work. Before it was clone to cup for a couple weeks then into a 3 gallon for a couple weeks and then flip. Now I'm having to get veg plants way bigger and grow em for way longer, and on scale that's a lot more work and takes up way more space. If plant count limits weren't a thing I'd be running hundreds of plants with barely any veg. But that being said i just hit my best yield to date off big plants, over 3.5 per fixture. But I'm confident I could hit just as much or more with small plants and cut out a lot of work.
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
Time is a factor of efficiency. So you have to make the equation such that all factors are weighted appropriately based on your value of importance. So one could make the case for 1 per square foot (64 plants) in 4” rockwool in an ebb and flow table, which I would say gives fastest turn around and greatest yield. And on the other hand 1 plant total in a 25 gallon soil pot. Slowest turn around since you have to take time to scog it out but maybe for some the simplicity of 1 plant and no pumps timers tables etc makes it the choice to select.
That being said I run 1 plant per 2’x2’ in 3 gallon coco DTW hand watered.

So if it were my tent it would be 4 plants. Seems to be a consensus in that as being a sweet spot.
It all comes out about the same, the more plants you use the less veg time required. I used a 4x8 with 18 plants in it for years and hit between 4-5#.

Less veg time, equals more crops per year in most cases.

I've since moved and have more space and plant count limits. I have to grow bigger plants. Turns veg into a lot more work. Before it was clone to cup for a couple weeks then into a 3 gallon for a couple weeks and then flip. Now I'm having to get veg plants way bigger and grow em for way longer, and on scale that's a lot more work and takes up way more space. If plant count limits weren't a thing I'd be running hundreds of plants with barely any veg. But that being said i just hit my best yield to date off big plants, over 3.5 per fixture. But I'm confident I could hit just as much or more with small plants and cut out a lot of work.
I'm not understanding how 1 plant is more work than multiple.
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
I'm not understanding how 1 plant is more work than multiple.
I've grown 32 plants in a 4x8. It was a pain in the ass. I now do 1 in a 3x3. It's much easier. Granted I don't get as much yield in that space but it's almost a quarter of the size smaller. I dunno.. much easier imo.
 

Wattzzup

Well-Known Member
I've grown 32 plants in a 4x8. It was a pain in the ass. I now do 1 in a 3x3. It's much easier. Granted I don't get as much yield in that space but it's almost a quarter of the size smaller. I dunno.. much easier imo.
The thing that makes me nervous about that is messing up the plant. I would say min 2 but I like the idea.
 

DrKiz

Well-Known Member
Ok, I had to bump it up to two plants in the 4x4. Some unknown soldier sprouted in an old pot and grew, so I pruned and bent her and tucked her in:

image.jpg
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... I still think that 4 plants in 5 gallon pots fits about perfect into a 4x4 but that's just me ...
Totally on board with ya D.D. I'll put 2 plants in my 2 x 4 in 5 gallon buckets. Each plant in a 4 square foot area provides good air movement with no overcrowding. Yields are just under 1 lb each time.

Personally not a fan of managing too many rootballs.
 

Humboldtcalikidd

Well-Known Member
I'm not understanding how 1 plant is more work than multiple.
One plant would have to veg for a long time in order to get the structure of many plants, a monster! Veg for 4 months or more! Then ScrOG or tie it down to fill up the whole 4x4 tent then flower! Where you can take 9 veg for 1 month and flower done
 

LordEnki

Well-Known Member
the T4 is about 203 cfm... too small for your area. i have 1 in my 4x4 and should have bought T6... 400ish cfm.
 

Apalchen

Well-Known Member
the T4 is about 203 cfm... too small for your area. i have 1 in my 4x4 and should have bought T6... 400ish cfm.
I've made that mistake more times than I can count, I've just got to the point where I buy a size bigger than I think I need and use a thermostat or speed controller depending on the setup.
 

Doug Dawson

Well-Known Member
the T4 is about 203 cfm... too small for your area. i have 1 in my 4x4 and should have bought T6... 400ish cfm.
Why do you feel you need a bigger one? I am just curious as I have a 4" in a 4x4 and I get negative pressure easily at half power.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
It's under an HLG 600 Rspec set at 50% with distance of 30" for veg. Slowly turning up now during second week of 12/12. Its at about 420 watts now and I will keep turning it up a bit every day until it hits 600 watts. There is also an HLG UV bar attached which I will turn on when stretch done.
Is there a reason you're waiting until after stretch to turn on the UV?
 
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