I'd like to help out here.

I was just surprised that you started with soooo many plants. You are going to spend so much time pruning them.

Anyway, my opinion is a little different. I would NOT say start over again, but take a little different approach.

First, there is no way to successfully grow 170 plants with a total of 800 Watts. I have a 250W setup and I have problems getting enough light on 3 plants...I like them to get as much light as possible. I am sure the light is good for up to 6 plants, but it won't cover the entire plant.

Option 1. Install more lights. My opinion, get (at least) 3 x 1000W MH and 3 x 1000W HPS and set them up all at the same time so you have 6000W shining all the time. MH will help vegetative and HPS will make them grow faster. This is a technique used by greenhouses.

How to save on power cost? You use the professional marijuana growers light schedule instead of the standard 18/6 (18 hrs on 6 hrs off) or 24/0 (lights on all the time).

Use this schedule instead - 12 hrs on - 5.5 hrs off - 1 hr on - 5.5 hrs off.

The average yield per watt (how much weed you will produce) is approximately .5 grams per watt, so more lights, the more results you will get.

Second option - Poor mans approach.

I hate killing plants just because. Especially these ones...

If you want to keep the same lights as you have without buying more powerful ones, then move 150 plants into another room and just leave the light on for 24 hrs. I did that once, so I am speaking from experience. I left a few plants on my desk and by the window because I didn't have a grow box yet and I grew them for about 4 months under a 50w light (the 50w light was the regular room light, not a lamp with CFL shining on the plant. The light was the one on the ceiling. It was so weak that the plant didn't even bother stretching 8-))..it grew SLOW. That's ok, because when you take them back into your grow room, they grow like crazy because the root systems are much more mature. You could almost SEE them grow, it's that fast.

OR (spend a little extra money)


What I suggest is to buy 2 x 1k Watt HPS lights and make another room. When the first 20 plants are ready for flowering, you put them into the HPS room, then move 20 more plants into the MH room and when the second set of plants are ready for flower, move them to the HPS room and keep doing that. I think by the time your third set of plants are ready for flowering, the first set of plants should be finished flowering.

Sooo...

Move 150 plants into another room with a regular light and near windows, so the sun can get in. Start with 20 plants under your 2 x 400W MH lights. When they are ready for flowering, move them into the flowering room with 2 x 1k Watt HPS lights (12/12) (there is an advanced way to do this as well, but it won't work with this setup because of the moving of plants). I can explain this later for a stable grow.

Move second set of 20 plants into MH room...grow until they are ready for flowering, then move them into the HPS room...by this time, your first flowering set of plants should be around 4-8 weeks into flowering. Depending on your plants, flowering should be done by weeks 8-14. You will have to research on how to see if they are ready to take down.

Keep on doing this till you are finished all your plants..THEN..dont do 170 again unless you have enough light.


I hope you are in the middle of nowhere or have real good carbon filters because they will STINK! 8-)