Vertical Growing: new age of hydroponics

Vertical Growing is still new to cannabis growers but after doing some research I think it could quadrouble some one yield compared to a flat garden of the same square footage and also takes advantage of lumens by not using reflectors and rather having the light hit the side of the plant instead of the canopy.

There are a few commercial systems out there for vertcal gradens...

Coliseum
Coliseum 300 Plant Growing System Maxi (5x600w) / Vertical Growing Complete Grow Kits / Vertical Growing Systems / AquaCulture Hydroponics

Grow Cube

Cannabis Cage
The cannabis cage

Omega Garden
OmegaGarden.com - Omega Gardensâ?¢: Industry Leading Hydroponics Designs for Indoor Gardening

Colseum: 73 cubic feet
Grow Cube: 81 cubic feet
Cannabis Cage: 32 cubic feet
Omega Garden: 24 cubic feet
Flat Garden: 13 cubic feet

Average yield should be 0.1 pound per cubic foot

Coliseum: 7.3 pounds (1600w)
Grow Cube: 8.1 pounds (2000w)
Cannabis Cage: 3.2 pounds (1000w)
Omega Garden: 2.4 pounds (1200w)
Flat Garden: 1.3 pounds (1000w)

The math shows that vertical systems produce a hgher yield per cubic/square footage but even though you could get 8.1 pounds compared to 1.3 pounds I feel that f I were to design my own system I could produce a much higher yield.

The commercial vertical systems are not sticking to the SOG rule to 4 plants per square foot.

Coliseum is 7 feet tall and 6 foot diameter ... the suraface area of the sides of the coliseum equal 131.88

Circumference: 18.84ft x Height: 7 ft. = surface area of 131.88 ft.

131.88 x 4 plants per square foot = 527.52 plants

The coliseum is maxing out at 300 plant stes and at the optimal ounce per plant rule should be producng 18.75 pounds

If maxed out it could possibly be producing 32.97 pounds in under 6 square feet of space!

Ovbiosly this couldnt work becuase to fit 527 plant sites the plants would have to be completly horizontal but I will be makng up a desgn and posting it later designing something simaler to the coliseum but sticking to the 4 plants per square foot rule. I believe from the rough sketch I drew and the math I did I could fit around 500 plants in 6 square feet of space and produce over 30 pounds

There are also some problems to go with this ... at 131 square feet I should need a ton of light.

40w per square foot x 131 ft. = 5240w

5240w in such a small space could cuase some problems ... there are some solutions such as strechting the diameter, use of fans, and water cooled lights but first I want to get a solid design down. I just wanted to share my thoughts first and get some input.

You get into plant count problems there. The more plants you are caught with, the more they like to write in the paper that they got some big ass criminal with 500 plants and the public gets all frenzied and imagines a FIELD of 3-footers, lol... when there's little ol' you sitting at your house with a bunch of 6 inch clones. And if you're a med user limited to a half dozen plants, you get fooked.

Plus, yield is determined by light, not plant count- You're never gonna pull 18 pounds off an omega or coliseum- you'd need over 10k light in there plus CO2.

Not to say these things aren't cool as shit. Personally though I'm happy with my primitive floor setup- it was CHEAP. :D

I was skeptical but I have seen grow logs for almost all of these products and they were pulling aroound the same numbers as my calculation if not more.

Plant numbers does relate to yield but you do need to have light to match it. I think if I follow the rule of 40w per square foot on a vertical setup just as you would with a flat setup. The plants will be getting light of the entire cola instead of just the top of it and hopefull produce more.

I havnt built a small scale model yet but after doing some calculation I believe I can get 500 plants in a 7ft. diameter 7ft. tall cylinder gow roomn and still provide 6" square for each plant just as you would in any SOG setup.

With 500 plants I am estimating around 1 oz. per plant and get a yield of 30 pounds every 6 weeks in a 10x10 room

another growing method to radically increase your yield is this : ... my friend, Custom39, took one of my clones, and accomplished this, with his idea ... he sets his pots on a false-floor, at a 30-degree angle, thus exposing the top and entire side of the plant to the lamp ... he rotates the plant 1/4 turn, every day ... he pulled over seven ounces (fully dried and manicured) from this single plant, Indoors, under a single 400-watt HPS ... this plant is only about 32" tall, it's sitting on the table, in this photo I took ... what is particularly noteworthy, this is my friend's FIRST grow, ever ... helluva way to lose your cherry ... :smokin:

My next toy will be a light mover for exactly these reasons. Mmmmmm .... light mover... *drool*

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

My next toy will be a light mover for exactly these reasons. Mmmmmm .... light mover... *drool*

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'light mover' ... ? ... why don't you put one of the 'male personal attendants' from your harem to work ? ... let them hold the lamps, while they're 'recuperating' ... :D

don't mind me, I got into an old baggie of my 'Sour Jack', stuff got better in it's old age ... :jointsmile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

My next toy will be a light mover for exactly these reasons. Mmmmmm .... light mover... *drool*

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What kinda mover you thinking Sis. ?
I have an intelitrack and Im not too thrilled w/ it . Or I got greedy -n- tried to do too much w/ too lil ? Lights on the other end of the rom 1/2 the time = a much longer flowering period .

I need 8 ft. ceilings and a 12/12 ft. room so I can try a sun circle for the 1000s' . I need a new house that caters to my hobby . :D
Crispi :jointsmile:

im with stinky.more plant #'s = more jailtime if cought. i like using larger plants w/ less #'s for = weight. ebb and flo bucket system...niiiiiiice.