Nice post @ 1479, btw.

The poetic outburst could probably be set to a Steely Dan type melody and stand up quite respectably.

Just started a new DWC project to test the claim that roots from separate cannabis plants, compete for space, water, and food, underground.
I'm arbitrarily assigning extra validity to that study involving reflected light from the different colored mulches. Probably, because I feel like I've seen the phenomenon in action and just 'didn't have a name to put to it.' I remember your description of vegetation along a stone wall doing particularly well, possibly because of IR radiation, and wonder if the color of the wall or other nearby objects might have contributed to what you observed.

As this relates to your experiment, I think the reflected light from contiguous plants (6 inna tub, etc.) will signal each plant that she's in a competitive environment. I'd expect the plants in groups to stretch first, and to devote less initial energy to root development because of perceived "crowding" upstairs, not below.

You could maybe mitigate this effect by keeping the 'green part' of the grouped plants as short/small as possible. Maybe light them with a wavelength that won't reflect "green" or (730nm, or whatever...)imp:

But if ya got everything evened out "on top" I'd kinda like to think roots don't mind crowding, as long as there's a good circulation of nutrients. (But a "normal" comparison won't show it, is what I been trying to say... )