Am I just dealing with a hater or is it true about yield etc?

I have a friend who lives in NorCal and he has been growing mot of his life or well helping growers as a farm hand. He is telling me that even though the strains i am piking state yields of 600-800g that I will be lucky to get 4 oz out of a plant. He says that the setup i have in mind is barely gonna produce enough for me and no way will I have any left to take to a dispensary. For those of you who didn't read the post my setup is gonna be: a 96"x48"x78" grow tent hanging 2 T5 lights in the tent and when it comes time to flower I will swap out the bulbs. A 6" fan and charcoal filter, rope ratchets to raise and lower the lights, and a dual outlet digital light timer to keep my cycles on schedule. Growing 6 plants all big producers. So is he right and I am just putting all this time and money into producing something I can go pick up for a 100 bucks at the dispensary or am I gonna have enough for my need (light smoker) and enough to take to my local dispensary and recoup my power and materials costs?

Can anyone answer my question about this? Are yields really low in reality (I know there are variables) but when a seed bank states the yield is between 600-800grams is that accurate or are they hyping it way up? Because I was told earlier that no matter what i do I will be lucky to get a 4 ounce harvest off of one plant. That's only about 113 grams, far short of the advertise 600-800 grams. So what is a realistic expectation of yield per average plant? Again I know it varies by strain, by soil, nutes, lighting all these things can make big changes in yield and quality. However if a seed bank stats that a strain produces a yield of 600-800 grams and I do my part reasonably well can I expect a harvest close to the advertised amount or is a few ounces all I will ever see from a single plant? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to answer this for me.

all other things being good, look at your lights. For a first grow .5 grams per watt is normal. A very good result is 1 gram per watt. I know some pros that can get 2-3 pounds per 1000 watt lamp, so up to 1.5 g/watt.

unless you veg quite a while, establish a very large root mass and give your plants lots of room you will not see indoor yields close to maximum advertised weight. If you plant in 5 gallon pots, veg a couple of months I'd expect you to harvest 2-3 ounces per plant, tops.

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

He is telling me that even though the strains i am piking state yields of 600-800g that I will be lucky to get 4 oz out of a plant.

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I'd agree with that. With a variety of strains, and a 30-35 day veg period from seed, my average is 4.

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

He says that the setup i have in mind is barely gonna produce enough for me and no way will I have any left to take to a dispensary. For those of you who didn't read the post my setup is gonna be: a 96"x48"x78" grow tent hanging 2 T5 lights in the tent and when it comes time to flower I will swap out the bulbs. A 6" fan and charcoal filter, rope ratchets to raise and lower the lights, and a dual outlet digital light timer to keep my cycles on schedule. Growing 6 plants all big producers. So is he right and I am just putting all this time and money into producing something I can go pick up for a 100 bucks at the dispensary or am I gonna have enough for my need (light smoker) and enough to take to my local dispensary and recoup my power and materials costs?

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You can pull decent bud from T5, but it requires a LOT of intensive training to keep the canopy flat and close to the bulbs. In reality, using the T5's as the main lighting isn't going to give you big numbers. Certainly no where near the inflated numbers some of the breeders put out there. ;) Haha, what do you mean by a "light" smoker?

Wow, thats very disappointing. I am starting to wonder why so many people grow when the amount of time and money that goes into it quite possibly makes it a loss of money and a person could in many cases be better off just buying from a dispensary. or am i wrong? Am I missing something (other than the satisfaction growing it yourself) that makes it worthwhile to grow your own? As it stands i am looking at spending roughly 800-1000 bucks in order to produce my own marijuana of about 6 ounces or so if i am lucky when I can purchase an ounce for about 300 bucks and if I have 6 then that's 1900 bucks. I keep an ounce or two for my medicine from this crop and sell the rest making me 1300 bucks, thats about 300 dollars profit not counting my power bill or time involved. Am I missing something here?

I consider myself a light smoker meaning an 8th will usually last me 2 week to a month depending on the strain, my mood etc.

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Originally Posted by EvilCartman

I'd agree with that. With a variety of strains, and a 30-35 day veg period from seed, my average is 4.




You can pull decent bud from T5, but it requires a LOT of intensive training to keep the canopy flat and close to the bulbs. In reality, using the T5's as the main lighting isn't going to give you big numbers. Certainly no where near the inflated numbers some of the breeders put out there. ;) Haha, what do you mean by a "light" smoker?

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Get your feet wet first, before you think about mass producing enough for the dispensaries. Your first several grows will be for the learning experience & providing yourself with personal. In the mean time, read all you can get your hands on, especially lighting & yield. But you can supplement your lights with CFLs & make a BIG difference in yield now. Many growers in sm areas use them as their sole light source. Big lumens in a sm package! On indoor grows & grow logs you'll find pics that will help you get the gist of different light set ups.
-- Once you get the hang of it & feel you've gone as far as possible with your current set up, then you can start thinking about upgrading. :)

It costs to get started, but gets cheaper once you have your supplies & everything in order.

Well I am gonna be using to 8 lamp T5's on top, the sides will each have two 4 foot florescent light fixtures running the full length of the tent. I don't know how much more light I can reasonably put in there. I could maybe put 4 4' dual lamp fixtures on the sides but thats about it. the tent will be like a tanning bed.

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

Wow, thats very disappointing. I am starting to wonder why so many people grow when the amount of time and money that goes into it quite possibly makes it a loss of money and a person could in many cases be better off just buying from a dispensary. or am i wrong? Am I missing something (other than the satisfaction growing it yourself) that makes it worthwhile to grow your own? As it stands i am looking at spending roughly 800-1000 bucks in order to produce my own marijuana of about 6 ounces or so if i am lucky when I can purchase an ounce for about 300 bucks and if I have 6 then that's 1900 bucks. I keep an ounce or two for my medicine from this crop and sell the rest making me 1300 bucks, thats about 300 dollars profit not counting my power bill or time involved. Am I missing something here?

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Once you run into folks having to use concentrates, the grow your own thing makes all the sense in the world. If they had to pay dispensary prices, it would be impossible to fill their needs.
Never really broke it down, but when push comes to shove, I know that I have a never-ending supply of top-shelf bud ... without ever having to dole out 3 bills for an OZ.
The start-up costs are amortized over several grows. It's much cheaper in the long run.

I'm in MA, while it's a legal MMJ state, there are no dispensaries here yet. (I can't wait to check out the first one, though!) ;)

Ok that makes sense and I do love my concentrates and medibles. So how do you break it down? Keep the buds as buds, and use the rest of the plant (stalk included) chop it up and extract everything form it BHO style?

You don't throw everything, buds and all in the mix and turn everything into BHO do you?

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

Well I am gonna be using to 8 lamp T5's on top, the sides will each have two 4 foot florescent light fixtures running the full length of the tent. I don't know how much more light I can reasonably put in there. I could maybe put 4 4' dual lamp fixtures on the sides but thats about it. the tent will be like a tanning bed.

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-- Hehehe! You'll have to watch out for the homeless women sneaking in for a free tan! But yeah, all that should produce fairly well for you. Go for it!
-- After a few run, your tent will pay for itself. The biggest cost are in the initial set up. I think you'll be happy with it for a while. :)

Ok, sounds like i got a plan then thanks Catbuds. Now I need help picking my beginner strains that fit my medicine needs. I already have a post under strains asking about it but no answers yet. Yes I have some seeds already but if they are gonna be otugh for a beginner to grow I would rather buy some noob seeds that i can cut my teeth one. So i would appreciate it if you all took a look at that thread and helped me come up with my crop selection. Thanks again.

The yield numbers given by breeders typically mean that an expert with the best equipment and conditions can get that yield - and it's not per plant, it's generally per square meter. Some will say under a 600 watt hps - others will say 1000 - some don't say at all.

And that's usually wet - I like the breeders who say per seed & cured weight personally.

Use those numbers to say that one strain produces relatively higher than another rather than planning to get that much yourself - especially if you don't have a professional-grade set-up or you're inexperienced.

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

You don't throw everything, buds and all in the mix and turn everything into BHO do you?

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Yes, and no.

G.G. only uses prime bud for RSO cancer treatment.

Here, staying legal, imposes constraints.

I use my best buds for inhalation titration, and my sugar leaf for bubble and oil.

For topical treatment of skin lesions, I have used Male plants, and fan leaf.
So, it depends.

Aloha,
Weezard

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

Ok, sounds like i got a plan then thanks Catbuds. Now I need help picking my beginner strains that fit my medicine needs. I already have a post under strains asking about it but no answers yet. Yes I have some seeds already but if they are gonna be otugh for a beginner to grow I would rather buy some noob seeds that i can cut my teeth one. So i would appreciate it if you all took a look at that thread and helped me come up with my crop selection. Thanks again.

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Did my first Hawaiian grow with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers.
Their needs are similar to Cannabis and the seeds are cheap to free.

Once Tomatoes and bell peppers thrive in your setup, you are ready for primo weed seeds.

Aloha,
Weeze

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

Ok, sounds like i got a plan then thanks Catbuds. Now I need help picking my beginner strains that fit my medicine needs. I already have a post under strains asking about it but no answers yet. Yes I have some seeds already but if they are gonna be otugh for a beginner to grow I would rather buy some noob seeds that i can cut my teeth one. So i would appreciate it if you all took a look at that thread and helped me come up with my crop selection. Thanks again.

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-- Dutch gave you some good advice under strains. My personal favorite is NL (northern lights). I have insomnia, arthritis, & muscle spasms at night due to nerve damage. NL takes care of all of that for me. & here's a big plus. Its one of the easiest strains to grow. I think you'll like it. :)

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Originally Posted by EvilCartman

I'm in MA, while it's a legal MMJ state, there are no dispensaries here yet. (I can't wait to check out the first one, though!) ;)

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I am also in MA. I have purchased or been given my bud for 10+ years since college. I have decided to grow my own because, while the bud I get is almost always head stash quality, I would much rather know that I don't have to deal with anyone shady while at the mercy of their schedule, and I am guaranteed that the bud will be grown with care from top quality seeds. Plus this has instantly turned into the most favorite hobby I've ever had.

When I was in high school my best friends brother grew NL5xPurple haze and that was all we smoked, it tore me up but also made me really tense and anxious. dunno if it was the NL, the Haze or the combo itself.

another thing if you plan to grow for weed shops, they are so picky cause they get it dirt cheap already so don't be disappointed when they offer you 1/2 what you think its worth, the market is way saturated.

I would just do it for your self, and they also inspect it up close with a microscope. so any pet hairs, bug traces, mold, anything. they will refuse


Good LUck! & Happy Growing

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Originally Posted by growdemon

I would just do it for your self, and they also inspect it up close with a microscope. so any pet hairs, bug traces, mold, anything. they will refuse


Good LUck! & Happy Growing

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They look for any reason to cut your price!!! Always claim to be protecting their patients, but think their protecting their money.

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Originally Posted by tlranger

They look for any reason to cut your price!!! Always claim to be protecting their patients, but think their protecting their money.

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Well, when it comes to running a business - as dispensaries are - it is about maximizing profit. If you can purchase the product you sell or "dispense" at the cheapest price possible but with the highest quality possible, you are doing a great job! If I ran a dispensary, I would also be following the same business principles...maybe within a few years if I could be lucky and have at least one friendly business (financial) partner! Just simple rules of business!

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Originally Posted by d00g

Well, when it comes to running a business - as dispensaries are - it is about maximizing profit. If you can purchase the product you sell or "dispense" at the cheapest price possible but with the highest quality possible, you are doing a great job! If I ran a dispensary, I would also be following the same business principles...maybe within a few years if I could be lucky and have at least one friendly business (financial) partner! Just simple rules of business!

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Sounds like you have American capitalism down pat, I just try to give my friends and patients the best I can for as little as I can. My medical need people get it for 25% than the others. But I've decided that greed is the root...

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Originally Posted by Huntsman

When I was in high school my best friends brother grew NL5xPurple haze and that was all we smoked, it tore me up but also made me really tense and anxious. dunno if it was the NL, the Haze or the combo itself.

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That may have been from the haze end of the deal. Its a sativa. Sativa can cause anxiety in certain individuals, & if you're anxiety prone anyway, it can cause paranoia. The best way to chose a strain is to look at the online seed banks. Most give a complete description of each seed they offer: type of high (couch lock, which is what you want, or uplifting, energizing, which is what you want to avoid), flowering time, size, etc. Check them out for info, you don't have to order, you can probably find info on the seeds you already have. If you have a hybrid/cross, find the info on both strains. Ok.... Now go do some reading! ;)

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Originally Posted by tlranger

Sounds like you have American capitalism down pat, I just try to give my friends and patients the best I can for as little as I can. My medical need people get it for 25% than the others. But I've decided that greed is the root...

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This is true, it is capitalism. However, I would MUCH rather make money on something I LOVE doing rather than continue the daily grind for the rest of my unretired life, doing something that I don't enjoy. While it is capitalism, I am not rooted in greed, and I would love to just be comfortable in life doing something that I really enjoy.

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Originally Posted by d00g

This is true, it is capitalism. However, I would MUCH rather make money on something I LOVE doing rather than continue the daily grind for the rest of my unretired life, doing something that I don't enjoy. While it is capitalism, I am not rooted in greed, and I would love to just be comfortable in life doing something that I really enjoy.

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Very true being disabled for the last long time or I'd be fighting the same wars, use to be an oil man that's were my true dislike of greedy sob' s come from I think. Use to say that some wanted to get that siphon hose in your pocket if they could, but an oil man wants it all(take your pants too). When they take it all, then life gets allot simpler. And growing has made this life survivable and enjoyable.

Loved the picture of your guard dog, doog.

Freedom is nothing left to lose - it's true!

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Originally Posted by crystaliscious

Freedom is nothing left to lose - it's true!

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What is it? The stuff you own really owns you.