# Test: The effects of crowding on an indoor run of GG4



## HashBucket (Nov 14, 2019)

Have you ever stood at your garden and realized that you had one more clone than you need? 
Have you ever got to thinking that "Hey, if I get 8 oz per plant, then, maybe I should add another plant"?
"I'd like to see more fat colas sticking up through that netting..."
But, then you get to wondering if too much crowding will cause stress on the plants and have a negative effect. It could actually lose weight.

Well, we decided to do a test. This is the methodology and conclusions:

*ENVIRONMENT: *
Indoor
Gorilla Glue 4
(12) 1000 watt Gavita DE lights.
CO2 enhanced to 900 ppm
Fed Jacks two part all the way through, nothing else
No pest infestation entire run
Each side of the room has six lights.
Plants were vegged 40 days and had a 60 day flower run.
Five gallon smart pots are used, hand watered
Grown as a SCROG.
All vegetation under the screen is cleared.

*SET UP:*
The right side of the room was planted with 12 plants per light.
Three rows of four from the aisle to the wall.
Each light footprint is 6' x 8'. 
The left side of the room was planted with 9 plants per light.
Three rows of three from the aisle to the wall.

*OBSERVATION:*
Week before harvest the 12 plant side is noticeable denser.
More colas per square foot than the 9 plant side.

*HARVEST RESULTS:*
The room was 'flipped' at exactly 61 days. The plants were hung upside down in a dark room with a RH of 40% and a temp of 65F for four days. Then two days at 30%.
The room was hung with a separator between the two sides; and the trimmers were instructed to keep separate weight records for the two halves. The 9 plant side had 7 strings of plants hanging, the 12 plant side had 10.

When the trimming was done the total weight on the 9 plant side was 15.5 lbs.
The total weight on the 12 plant side was 15.8 lbs.


*CONCLUSION:*
We were somewhat surprised at the results and spoke at some length with the trimmers. They noted that the buds on the 12 plant side were less dense, more fluffy. They seemed smaller.
Visual inspection of the bags showed this to be true. While the 12 plant side did not produce B Bud, they were visibly smaller. The trimmers complained that it took them a lot longer to do the 12 side than the 9 side, with no increase in final weight. We concluded that because of the extra work involved (harder to water, harder to trim) it is probably not worth planting in a 12 plant pattern.

Both sides had excellent bud quality. The color was a medium Olive, and the buds were dusted heavily with sparkly sugar.
The trimmers and crew did 'taste test' the flower, and we went to Taco Bell and took the rest of the day off.


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## 70's natureboy (Nov 14, 2019)

My experience is the same. Crowded plants don't make nice buds on the lower branches, making for harder more tedious trimming. I used to grow 9 per light and now I grow 4 per light.


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## HashBucket (Nov 14, 2019)

70's natureboy said:


> My experience is the same. Crowded plants don't make nice buds on the lower branches, making for harder more tedious trimming. I used to grow 9 per light and now I grow 4 per light.


Thing is ... I trimmed everything from under the netting.
It seemed to effect ALL the buds according to the trimmers.
They even asked me if I fed them different ...

Well, I know how much weight that room can turn out.
I'm going to keep pushing ... that weight ... push


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## Renfro (Nov 14, 2019)

If you are gonna crownd them, lolipop them to ditch the lower stuff as it wont get light and will also be prone to mildew.


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## 70's natureboy (Nov 14, 2019)

70's natureboy said:


> My experience is the same. Crowded plants don't make nice buds on the lower branches, making for harder more tedious trimming. I used to grow 9 per light and now I grow 4 per light.


I should have added, same yield better quality with 4 per light.

I still have some sea of green flood tables in the works, could be 16 or 25 per light.


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## Xs121 (Nov 14, 2019)

70's natureboy said:


> I should have added, same yield better quality with 4 per light.
> 
> I still have some sea of green flood tables in the works, could be 16 or 25 per light.


I dont know man. Im currently running 4 strain, 12 plants/1 gal in a 3x2, SOG

So far my all my nugs, aside from the top cola, are pretty much uniform from mid to bottom.


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## HashBucket (Nov 15, 2019)

70's natureboy said:


> I should have added, same yield better quality with 4 per light.


What we go for is a balance between quality and weight.

Weight is what we sell - quality is what makes our customers want to buy


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## shishkaboy (Nov 27, 2019)

I mean, only so much is gonna fit in the same space right?


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