increase yield in 2' x 4' x 5' tent - take 2

[wordologist448]

I posted this before, but now I have a more specific idea of what I want to ask...

My last grow in my 2' x 4' x5' tent was 2 plants, a Hawaii Maui Waui and an Aurora Indica, and got ~50 and 53 grams, respectively, and based on the grow journals and posts I've read here, I just feel like I should be able to get bigger yields. I'm just not sure what to "fix," since I've been following all the great advice available here - my temps, humidity, and pH all seem to be fine, and I've never had any significant "plant problems," and my final plants "look like the pictures," but they're just quite a bit smaller, and I'm not sure why - does yield very THAT much from strain to strain?

Here are my specs from my last grow again:

2' x 4' x 5' tent
440cfm variable-controlled exhaust fan (mounted on top of tent so exhaust goes up toward the ceiling; carbon filter and ducting inside)
4 x 6" computer fans hung between plants for ventilation
2 x 300w Galaxyhydro LED hanging fixtures
5-gallon fabric pots
Foxfarm Coco Loco mix
GH nutrient trio + CaliMagic + FloraBlend + Floralicious Plus + Liquid KoolBloom (following nutrient schedules from this site)
pH: 5.8-6.2, alternating nutrient mix and H20 + CaliMagic
Day: 18/6 veg, 12/12 flowering
7 weeks from 3-leaf seedlings to 12/12 switch
8 weeks from 12/12 switch to harvest
trichome harvesting method; trichomes mostly cloudy
LST method: topped twice for 8 total colas

That's everything I can think of - based on previous comments and some more reading, here are the thoughts I have on what to "fix" - which one(s) sound like the best?

1) Extending the "day" from 18 hrs of light to...?

2) Leaving them in the veg stage for longer (I've done that before, but that seemed to just lead to more tiny colas with popcorn buds)

3) Not alternating between nutrient mix and water/CaliMagic (I thought I read somewhere not to do that though; the plants need the "break"....?)

4) Bigger fabric pots (the root ball last time didn't even seem like it filled the whole pot, and I'm afraid 7-gallon pots/plants might get TOO tall for the tent)

5) Adding/switching to HPS lights (it already gets waaaarm in there; it's been a bit of a struggle keeping the temp under 80 during the flowering stage, and there isn't much more room on the tent ceiling!)

6) Switching to *wince* hydro....I'm not UNWILLNG to; it just seems complicated, and I don't have a lot of buxx to invest in supplies just now!

Thanks again all!

[Trichomefarmer88]

Honestly two oz a plant is alright for a 300watt led! Want bigger buds get bigger light, throw a 400 watt hps in there with one of them led lights! Also use bigger pots ( I can get about qp a plant out of 5 gal. An more) But with a600watt light

[wordologist448]

But how do I control the heat in such a small space? I'm not even sure there's room for another fixture in there with the carbon filter and duct...

[wordologist448]

Here's another pic of as much of the space as will fit in the frame!

I'm having trouble picturing how I'd get a HPS in there and still keep one of the LEDs and have the two plants get "equal" light from both, since it's kind of "one light for each half of the tent" right now...

[Trichomefarmer88]

Hey a bigger tent I guess? I have a 3 an half for by 3 an half foot tent.. 6 an half foot tall.. run one 600watt LED an one 600 hps cool tube with 6 inch fan an duct pulling out heat an ac running

[wordologist448]

Okay - how do you have the lights physically placed in the tent - are they next to each other, or one above the other?

[Trichomefarmer88]

Next to each other with carbon filter laying on top my tent, I'll take pics an send later.. easy set up, I have a/c in window of the room, an my tent close too it with intake at the bottom blowing in that cool air,

[OzBud]

i run a 600WHps 24 hours a day in a 2x4x7 tent

[OzBud]

what height above plants do you have your leds? 400W HPS should be about 14"/35cm

[wordologist448]

It's two 300w LEDs, and they're about 18" above the plants right now, and on clips so I can move them when the plants get taller.

Doesn't the 600w HPS heat up your tent something fierce?

[OzBud]

6 inch fan and as long as I don't grow in summer, no worries

[Trichomefarmer88]

Honestly I just got my 600watt hps light a few months back.. before it I ran 150watt hps beside a300watt LED beside my 600watt LED an I didn't have any issues last summer, so hopefully I can figure something out to keep tent cool this summer... I have my light hooked up to the out take fan plus my a/c only runs on low when the lights kick on... My tent get Max 80 degrees ...I also have a bigger fan in my tent to blow around air under the hps.. that also stays on low.. I will go take themfor you now.. Oh yeah that's another factor.. I run my flower tent at night.. lights kick on around 8pm an kick off 730am that also helps!!

[Weed Pharma]

Here is what I see: for area's to increase "total" yields-

keep the veg light schedule @ 18/6
veg for no longer than 5 weeks from sprout - any more= deminishing returns for effort/time/money.
consider growing auto's which take 10 weeks start to finish- allowing 2 additional grows a year.
stay with 5 gallon containers-and work on increasing root ball during veg and especially the first 2-3 weeks of flip.
grow 3 plants under the 2x300w of LED.
wait for all trichomes to be cloudy and begin flush/water only- at the first sign of amber.
use the trichomes on the buds as an indicator- the ones on the leaves tend to change early.

[DingusKhan]

Hey Wordologist, you're getting great advice here, especially that 2oz per plant is a respectable yield with those little lights, which I love too. I have 2 galaxGalaxy300s.

Once you've got the other stuff dialed in, your final yield will be a matter of getting a nice canopy to fill the space when you start flower. And like it's been pointed out, it's faster to do 3 plants than veg 2 longer.

Strain selection will help, sativas don't produce as much, at least not in my tent.

Lastly, how is your bud quality? Dense or fluffy? Frost? If they are getting a little fluffy when you fill the canopy, it might be time to step up and get a bigger or more lights. Adding another 300 or a cob would be an easy step up.

[wordologist448]

I agree Dingus, and thanks to everybody who's chimed in!

My buds are getting better every time; they were REALLY fluffy the first few times, and this last one was the best so far - here's a pic; Hawaii Maui Waui is on top; Aurora Indica underneath (you're totally right about the sativa-vs.-indica thing!)

I'm going to try the LED -> MH/HPS upgrade; I ordered this setup yesterday (I still need help figuring out how to get BOTH fixtures inside the tent, if that's what you're suggesting; I kind of thought the light should be "centered" in there so it hits all the canopy evenly, but I'm not sure how to do that with two different size/shaped/colored lights):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y78PE20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081IC0DI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JFUBIEM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052ACH0E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Trichomefarmer88]

I center my hps light an put my led over to one side or the other.. the hps is the more powerful light of the two, so I keep my led off to the one side where I know the plant can take an even benefit from it.. I light mixing the two lights because of the differents in color spectrums an also I started with LED grows.. even tho my plants where smaller they where strong! So I've just keep upgrading until I got where I wanted it! My lights will be kicking in soon here.. sorry I missed my window earlier when they kicked off .... Something came up an couldn't get to them..

[Campesino]

FWIW I think the biggest thing limiting your harvests is your watering practices. I posted a link on your other thread, but if you haven’t seen it check out my coco guide. Link in signature

[DingusKhan]

Discussions like this are my favorite here! We can come up with like 20 things to try to improve on, we're all correct, and it's not even like Wordologist is blowing it or anything.