TrevorLahey's Low Budget Growing Part 4: "The Hunger Games"

Holiday must have slowed shipping, I get my stuff from digikey in 48hrs from order or less. I had ordered something on a sunday night and had it here tuesday morning.

No plants to worry about here, let the power go out!

(Joking)

yeh there system kept adding a -7 to my post code for some reason and it kept coming back as wrong billing address, had to phone them in the end I changed it 3 times and it kept doing it. it was Tuesday when I finally got it accepted.

See you’re thinking about it all wrong, even if autos yielded less in these spaces than photos (they don’t) you could just add more autos to fill that space with the same amount of bud a photo would produce.

I seem to look around the web and see that most people are happy with 100g photoperiod plants when growing in these tents and small spaces and it just baffles me as to why they dont grow autos that also produce 100g+ per plant but finish in 2/3’s the time.

3 Likes

To add to this, the only logical reason I see to grow photoperiod plants indoors these days are because you like a particular photoperiod strain. But if you want raw yield then autos are the way to go.

I don’t even know where the “low yielding autos” myth comes from. I’ve grown 6 or 7 auto strains now and they’ve all produced quarter pound plants.

My next couple grows will be trying to determine the major factors in getting these autos to grow big.

2 Likes

I was just going with my experience with autos so far, that and have a 4 plant count sucks too, so the best way for me I feel is 2 in veg and 2 in flower.

2 Likes

I always forget the whole plant count thing lol.

Even with only 4 plants, it would be possible to achieve a half pound per month output (2 in “veg” 2 in “bloom”) with autos.

One really good auto run is all it took for me to be converted. I dont try to convert anyone but I would recommend any and all growers to really give autos a solid chance. When things line up it’s just a real eye opener.

4 Likes

I agree, I’ve only had the one run with them, and didn’t give them enough soil, needed bigger pots, so I didn’t really do them justice. I just don’t like the thought of any little thing could stall them out.
You really have to have your grow dialed in to grow decent autos

2 Likes

This pic seems relevant today.

We are past 1k posts and we are talking about big yields in small spaces and the power of SILs and I still love this photo.

Theres a half pound in this 2x2 :wink:

16 Likes

Sweet 20 and lots o things

1 Like

They look beautiful man, dont look like weed at all more like ornamental plants :heart_eyes:.

5 Likes

Gotta give credit where it’s due these were Dark Devils from @Mr.Sparkle and my first real foray into autos. He helped me tremendously along the way and I still draw inspiration and wisdom from him whenever I can.

8 Likes

Hi Trev, I am having a mental breakdown trying to work out the spacing for these fucking strips on the frame I marked them out at 42 inches divided by 17 strips, and end up needing 4 inches left to fill, so tried measuring the gap between the first and last at 41 inches and divided by the 15 strips left end up no being able to get them all in. How fucking difficult can this be.fucking frame has more lines on than my tape measure lol.

4 Likes

That’s seriously a 2x2? If so I need way more lights in my mini fridge lol

2 Likes

Hey @TrevorLahey, how many Watts per bulb?

1 Like

@Grease_Monkey @Hempire420

Yep these were I think 12x8.5w bulbs + 4x9.5w bulbs

@Shadey

Ok so I think you need to make the gaps between the strips ~1.73" and here’s how I got to that number:

Place your first and last strips where you want them. 41 inches of space to put them on? Each strip is ~1 inch and you have 15 strips left so 41-15=26 and 26/15=1.73 so 1.73 inches.

Works out in my head at least lol

3 Likes

I just simplified it and removed 1 strip from the equation, measured to the middle point and then halved each space until I had 16 equal gaps, been about 6 years since I did ant drywall stud work, struggle to remember how to work out how to space out things. Got a headache now lol. Lights are looking good though. I went with some suspended ceiling wall angle, comes painted white and the edges are folded back gives it a bit more strength to the frame $7 taxes in for a 10ft strip. Fitted the strips with drywall metal stud self tapping tech screws. Pop riveted the frame together.

5 Likes

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing the result.

For my strips I had an 18" space to mount them so I placed the first and last, leaving 8 strips and 16 inches (16/8=2-1=1 inch gap), then used an actual strip as my spacing tool because hey why not lol

1 Like

Right, the trick is to divide by n-1 strips. Because you start with a strip at 0. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

5 Likes

Just got to wire each strip up and going to pop down to Kent’s in a minute to get a female and male plug end and a 10ft extension cord to use as a cable to the light from the driver as I want to keep the driver outside the tent. Just realized what the time is that will be tomorrow now, I need a puff, to take the pain out of my knees, from kneeling down for nearly 2 hours lol.

2 Likes

Have you ever had too much light? Right now I’m only using a 3 in 1 with screw in 100 watt equivalent LEDS. I was considering switching it out for a 7 in 1 and if I still have room I will strip apart the 3 in 1 to allow me to put some bulbs into the corners.

I’m assuming due to heat I’d want the extra bulbs to be lower wattage. Obviously in a mini fridge height is a restriction, as it sits the top of my canopy is about 4-6 inches away

3 Likes