new SOG grow questions.

I've decieded to start a SOG grow.

I'm going to use my existing cab (2.5''x1.5') as the mother/clone area and have allocated a space 2'x3' (6 square feet) for the flowering.

Lighting will come for 2x200w CFL (envirolite) providing about 26,000 lumens. So that's 4,300 per sq ft.

so, here's my Qs...

1.) Is that enough lumens per sq foot?

2.) How many plants should I be thinking about growing in that space?

3.) And, this easy to answer question - how much yield can I expect? (just a rough idea)

Previously I've grown using topping and LST but can't handle the wait between harvest (like 4 months). In those grows I have gotten about 4oz dry which is like half of what I smoke in 4 months. Can I get self sufficient using SOG with my setup? i.e. harvest 4oz every couple of months

Thanks.

I can tell you that those lights will be fine, as I have a 200 watt CFL, and you probably already know this, but those puppies put off a lot of heat, so make sure the space right under the light and above the plants doesn't get too hot. Make sure you're using refelectors properly. I belive that you can have quite a lot of plants in there, as long as you flower early, and I think that your yield won't increase but you will be able to harvest in half the time, like you are thinking, but make sure that you get a strain that finishes quickly and can handle SOG well.

If you go from clone which you really need to in order to take advantage of a SOG, you can put 4 plants per square FT meaning about 24, but 2 per square FT will still be considered a SOG as well. I think that with 2 plant PS FT you can get about 10 to 14 G per plant depending on the strain. with 4 plants PS ft about 10 g IMO.
Adieu

that sounds positive.

I never had a problem with heat from those CFLs, i got a blue and red one and both run pretty cool. I made my own reflector out the box they came in - just painted the inside flat white and fixed the sides to 45 degrees using thick wire, works a treat. :)

I grow in dirt and will be using clones and 24 sounds a good number. What sort of sized pots should I be using - 6" I guess is the maximum but seems too shallow.

I was thinking about using 2litre coke bottles 3.5" x 10". Any thoughts?

Thanks.

I was under the impression that with SOG you can just grow them all in one big tray? Or at least use square pots, whatever fits in your area for the amount of plants I guess.

mmmm, don't like the sound of a big tray. I like to rotate my plants under the light etc. and would like to whip out hermie/sick plants without upsetting the neighbours.

Those square pots cost a lot in the UK - like £1.50 each and I don't have spare cash.

Any other cash strapped SOGers out there with a few ideas?

You can use the 2 liter pop bottles, but you may want to ten foil the out side of the bottle so you don't have too much light penatrating to your roots. Some people don't worry about it. Another thing that will help, but is not an absolute, plase some grow medium at the bottem of the bottle such as Lava Rocks, clay pellets or hydro rocks. This will allow for good dranage along with the dozen holes you should place at the bottem of the bottle.
Adieu

thanks BlueBear, that's inspired me to get the hammer and screwdriver out this w/e.

I had thought about the light getting through - appreciate the tip.

i've grow sog in hydro for many years, i use 6 inch square pots that contain 6.3 litres of arlita, this isnt a prob in hydro and i get 36 plants per meter square , grow for two weeks from established clone, [cut min 6 to eight inches,] flower off between 12 and 16 inches dpending variety, and return around 10 to 15 grams a plant under a 400 hps lamp per meter square, biggest ever was 42 grams under 400 wats hps! ya get close or exceed the one gram per watt of hps lighting,
it is important to rememberthat with the cfl;s giving of less lumens your harvest wont get so big!, youll need to double them up for good flowering rate or keep the plants small by flowering of at say eight inches, this will return 5 grams per plant! which with 36 of them will return, 180 to 200 grams per meter squre, not too shabby for a low consumption bulb! however if you pass the optimum hieght they will not produce more< and may well produce less due to the very poor canopy penetration the CFL's offer,

you can also succesfully grow in soil, in a 6x6x10 inch pots,use a good fert, and feed and water every day! hesi solutions are very good for this grow as they contain there enzymes within and can be fed everyday without flushing untill the end of crop, also better to buy a weak soil mix, rather than a heavily fertilzed one as, all mix ,kilo mix can be a little too heavy for the new clones in a controlled grow! try a light mix, and control the feeds, dont forget that in grow to grow slowly! dont feed too much and streatch them, dont double the light for grow! save it for flowering,the extra lumens in flower really boosts the flowering too, with low output lights ya need all the help ya can get!
the idea is to achieve a slow controlled vegetative growth while creating a mass of root structure ready for the flowering! which will give max flowering potential, also triming the plants to maintain a single stem[cola] is advisable, but you need to study the technic! shame ya not going to try this in hydro,
the results would be a third better at least! may be next time!
good luck

Thanks mistyganjatree, I feel very enlightened :)

Could you recommend a strain that is good for SOG, I've grown NL and WW in the past. I've currently got 4 females (judging by pre-flowers) of White Skunk, but it does have really bushy traits so I don't think it will be suitable unless I do a massive amount of pruning.

Really appreciate that information.