Is it easy to get big yields?
When we first began cultivating in early 2019, we were unable to achieve even one pound per light during the first several harvest cycles.
(In case you didn't know, that's pretty pathetic for a professional).
We thought we were doing everything right.
We were even utilizing aspects of each of the following “Secrets” I’m about to share.
So
why weren’t we successful?
We were not consistent in our practices.
We had way too many instances where this was “off” and “that” didn’t get done, so we let it slide for a week or two before correcting. We had so many instances of things not done 100% correctly to a T, that it culminated in low yields…. again and again, and again.
The biggest take away once you understand the “rules” of the game, is that you must religiously abide by them if you want to “win” at the game.
And what exactly is “winning” in this
context?
Why Yield is Important
Growing weed indoors might be a labor of love, but let’s not kid ourselves over the fact that it is time
intensive and expensive. So we consider “winning” to be:
- Achieving the highest yield possible, given the genetics you are working with.
- Achieving the most cost-efficient yield, on a per pound basis.
- Achieving the highest quality bud that you can, given the genetics you are working with.
Whether you are growing at home as a hobby, growing for your
patients as a caregiver, or growing commercially as a way to make a living, the goal is the same: maximize indoor yields.
Secret #1: Genetics are the Biggest Factor
This is it. This is the biggest secret. There are some strains that just yield like crazy, even in suboptimal conditions, or under suboptimal practices.
When you hear crazy statistics, like this company yielded X number of pounds per light, or per square foot, or anything crazy like that, just know that genetics played a huge role.
When I see statistics thrown around by consultants about some crazy number that a guy pulled out of a room, I know that genetics were part of the equation.
Secret #2: Trellis is an absolute necessity, and you must use it correctly
We talk about this is several articles, including:
Secret #3: Maximize your PPFD
PPFD refers to “Photosynthetic photon flux density” and is basically a scientific measure of how much light you are giving to a certain area.
Read this article to learn more.
Secret #4: Proper Defoliation
After the post-veg stretch, the plants are so overgrown with bush, that the sheer foliage is enough to obstruct the rays of light from reaching the most important places: the tops and colas.
A solid defoliation ritual, performed a couple times during the first half of flower, will keep your plants clean and free of debris, and ready to absorb all of the light.
We have found that failure to perform heavy defoliations, or performing only “partial” defoliations, results in much less bud yielded.
Secret #5: You Must Optimize Environmental Controls to Maximize Indoor Yields
Of all the “secrets”
described thus far, this is the one that probably seems the most like a secret. But really, it’s the fundamentals prescribed above that really matter most.
Oh environment is important. But do not think that digital controls and a half a percent there, or two
degrees here, is more important than genetics, topping, trellising, light density, and defoliation.
But on to the secrets…
