A way to increase yields by 10-30%

I just spent a lot of time putting this together for you guys.

A couple years ago I posted this about the ultimate plant cages: http://boards.cannabis.com/growing-i...lant-cage.html

Since that time I've become an avid user of the products and highly recommend it to all my friends. It's about time I shared this info with you all so you can see what I've been doing these past years and can get the same results as me. I've seen increases of 10-30% on my yields by using these cages compared to alternatives like bamboo, trellis, and yo-yos. You could say I'm a bit of a tinkerer and I've been testing all aspects of my growing for years now. Hands down this is the plant support everyone should be using.

Let me show you why. This post is a step-by-step guide on how to increase your plant yields while using the 'Ultimate Plant Cage' like I have. Enjoy.

1. Depending on if your using rock pebbles(hydroton), a dirt/perilite mix, or even grocubes or some other medium it will work with the UPC. First step is to get your pots ready. Fill your pots 1/3 of the way with your medium as you see in this picture. Maybe you are using different pots but based on the flood fill method I use I prefer to use lower pots.

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2. Construct all your UPC bases and add your knuckles. These knuckles are important because when the plants are tall enough to need support you simply add the poles to the knuckles and not into the soil which may damage the roots.

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3. Put your plant in the middle where the opening is and fill around the plant with your medium of choice.

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4. Secure the UPC so that it is strong in place. This is important to establish the base as strong for later when the base is used to support the plant. Be sure to fill all the gaps with whatever medium you will be using.

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5. The first 1-2 weeks when the plant is still small it will look like this. The roots will be growing around the cage, making it hold its place even stronger, and is ready for poles to be added.

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6. When your plants grow tall enough its time to add poles. These plants here are more than ready for a little support. Even if they are not yet falling over there are huge benefits to adding poles a little early. Being able to control your plants growth at an early stage will allow more light at this stage. I have found in testing that the earlier you start to work with your plants the better they will become in the long run.

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7. You can see here the difference between a plant with support and one without. I did this as my control so I can see the difference. When you add the poles you can totally open up the plant and secure the stems anyway you feel is the best to allow the maximum amount on light. It's sometimes like a puzzle and you have to figure out the best way to place a stem. The best way to do this is to spread the stems as best you can to open up the middle to allow center light penetration. At this stage you can also de-foliate about 10-15 leaves per plant in order to create more light for to the lower 1/3 of the plant. Plus make sure the lights are close enough to the plants, but not too close so you have maximum lumens shining through. A good way to test this is to put your hand at the highest point of the plant directly under the light, if you can keep it there for 20 seconds without having to take it away then the lights are a little too far away. Bring it slightly closer.

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.... See more below. For some reason it won't let me add more of the photos. I think I've reached a maximum limit per post. Hope I can continue the rest of this thread below.

Yup...I can continue this here:

8. Top side view. You can see here that you can see the base of the plant which means light will be able to penetrate through the foliage. Also you can see the top part of the plant wrapped somewhat horizontally to give the top of the plant more of a flatter surface. Not just a few stems are taking the best amount of light, its flattened out so more of the plant gets access to the best light. More light will be supplying the top 1/3 of the plant overall because of how it is wrapped/caged. Finding a way to get more light per inch of height on your plant is one of the most underrated secrets of increasing your yields. You can also unwrap this after a week or two and re wrap it again in a different way. I have found that yields skyrocket when this is done because your plants will see another angle of light. This mimics real life when the sun moves across the sky. When you change the angle of light on your plants they thrive because its what they are used to when outdoors.

My favorite thing about the poles is that they are adjustable in height. So when you want to lower your lights to give your plants access to the optimum amount of lumens then you can lower your poles accordingly and not have to raise your lights when your plant stakes are in the way of them. You don't miss out on those potential yields.

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9. This is what a clean and organized room looks like full of Ultimate Plant Cages. It's a room which is much easier and fun to work in. Your in control of your plants instead of the other way around.

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10. The end result. These plants are the end result of using the Ultimate Plant Cage. They have been de-foliated ready for trimming at this stage and you really see the size and the the 3 levels of growth. The upper 1/3 has the largest growth. The middle 1/3 is very solid and has great size. And the lower 1/3 which most people get zero growth with and neglect is producing solid buds.

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In conclusion I feel that plant support is so overlooked. People spend all their money on lights and fans, etc (which are important), but they neglect their plants and supporting them the right way. Realistically, you are loosing out on an extra 10-30% yields just by not supporting your plants the right way. You might be old school, and be using the same old techniques that are working for you. But if you just tried one plant, or one tray you will see the difference. Try for yourself.

So that's it! Hope you've enjoyed this guide. If you follow these simple steps you will be able to increase your yields dramatically. It takes a little extra work and some thinking but that's all in the fun of it and its definitely worth it. I welcome thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, high fives, etc.

Cheers!

Granted its for outdoors or bigger greenhouses, but really cool. Take for cattle panels write tighter to form a cube, and place cube over plant. This gives you a 16' tall cage, that you can climb and lots of holes for cross pieces of bamboo or your fav. support. This is for big stuff, like in got a call, lounge thread.used on some really big outdoor.