Increase Yields - 13 Ways
How do I increase my bud yield?
So you've checked out our growing overview for more information on growing and you are ready to grow some dank, fat buds, for your first grow. Or maybe you're past that and ready to take things to the next level. Today's article is about cannabis yields. What affects cannabis yields? Here are 13 ways that you can increase yields for your indoor marijuana grow.
Support: Do cannabis plants need supports? That depends. As your plant starts to flower, the buds form, and start to get bigger, it may cause the stems to lean over instead of standing upright. This can also be the case during vegetative growth if plants are leggy from not getting enough light. This can cause the plants stress and affect yields. How do I stop my buds from falling over? Using some kind of support to hold them up. It will help them to conserve energy and use it towards fattening up those buds.
• bamboo/wood/metal rods
• home-made/store-bought trellis.
Some growers use an initial trellis for plant training and a second one for support.
Trellis net used as a support
2. Low-Stress Training (LST): Training your plants can cause them stress. Does LST increase yield? Yes, when done correctly during the vegetative stage of growth, they are able to recover, and will reward you with higher yields come harvest time. How do you train for low stress?
• Tie-Downs/Screen of Green (Scrog)
This method uses string/twine to lightly bend branches outward and down and secure them to the rim of the growing pot. This helps to make the canopy even and allows for more light to penetrate the canopy. A trellis net can be used to make a SCROG instead, and branches can be tied down to the trellis net or tucked under to maximize canopy coverage.
• Sea of Green (SOG)
This is similar to a SCROG in terms of maximizing canopy coverage, but this is done by using several plants to fill in gaps within the canopy. Its better to use clones for this purpose cause they grow uniform and it makes it easier to get one even canopy. If you are not going to use clones, then you just use tie-downs or a trellis net to bring the taller branches down in line with the smaller ones. When doing a SOG grow, plants spend less time in the vegetative stage of growth allowing you to flower and harvest your plants sooner.
Sea of Green
3. High-Stress Training: This type of plant training causes them much more stress compared to a LST grow, but will also provide increased yields when done correctly during the vegetative stage. Be sure to give them a week or so to recover before flipping to the flowering stage. What is high stress training?
• Topping - This is done by cutting the center stem near the top of the plant. This temporarily stops the plant from getting taller and instead causes it to grow outwards and more bushier. The stems on each side of the cut stem will begin to grow. So instead of one main stem, you now have two. The best time to top is when the plant has three to five nodes. Topping can be done again after letting the plant recover for one to two weeks.
• Fimming - This is when you cut only 70-75% of the growth of the top node leaving what looks almost like a trident. This does not stop it from growing in height as much as topping does and will result in four additional tops instead of two.
• Super Cropping - This is done by bending the plants stems to 90° angles, without snapping the stems, and tying them down if necessary, to create a flat even canopy that promotes the growth of new tops. This helps to fill in any gaps in the canopy.
This is also done when growers vegged for too long and need to bring the height of their plants down before transitioning into flower, where they will stretch 2-3 times there size.
Un-topped plant
(Grows one main cola)
Topped plant
(Grows bushier and will have several uniform colas)
4. Intensity of Light: Does more light equal more yield? It sure does, so long as you don't overdo it. The intensity of light within your grow is one of the biggest factors impacting yield.
Choosing a high intensity light such as HPS/MH/LED will yield much more when compared to using just fluorescent bulbs. It is also good to make sure you have reflective walls to minimize any light being wasted. This can be done by painting the walls white, or an even better option, using reflective mylar.
You will need to research how many watts is required for your grow space. Not enough intensity and your yield will suffer. Too high of an intensity and your plants will suffer. In another article, we go over choosing a grow light. Also, if you are in the market for a new grow light, check out Spider Farmer and use coupon code kksf420.
5. Type of Container: The type of container you choose to use can also have an impact on your yields. Using a container with drainage holes will help to minimize the roots sitting in water for prolonged periods. An even better option is to use fabric pots/smart pots. These containers are made using a breathable fabric and allows for more aeration. Healthier roots, means bigger yields.
6. Use a Bigger Container: Using a bigger container allows the plant to develop more roots. More roots provide more support for the plant, allows for the intake of more water/nutrients, and allows the plant to grow much bigger in size before becoming root bound. This is why plants grown outdoors get humongous. They are not bound to a container and are free to grow deep into the ground.
7. Defoliation/Pruning/Lollipopping: Defoliating/pruning is best done a week or so before flowering and can be done again after three weeks into flowering. Defoliating/pruning is simply removing a few of the lower leaves that may have yellowed and any big fan leaves blocking light from getting to lower would be bud sites.
Lollipopping is a little more extreme and involves removing all of the lower foliage on the plant. Lollipopping minimizes any popcorn buds and instead puts that growth into the tops of plants resulting in bigger buds.
When should you do lollipopping? This should be done 3 weeks into flowering after the plant has finished stretching.
8. Side Lighting: Does side lighting increase yield? You bet it does. This is a good addition for growers who would prefer not to do lollipopping. Adding additional lighting on the sides of the plant or below the canopy allows light to get to areas that would otherwise be shaded. This will help to prevent any larf/popcorn buds from showing up.
9. Temperature/Humidity: Ensuring temperature and humidity are in the proper zone will ensure that your cannabis plants are one step closer to growing healthy, leading to bigger buds. Using a hygrometer, you can track your temperature and humidity levels.
What temp is good for cannabis? Try to keep temps between 70-80°F when the lights are on and between 60-70°F when the lights are off.
Humidity for cannabis plants? Keeping humidity between 50-70% humidity is ideal. 70% for when you are working with seedlings and closer towards 50% during veg. Some people like to drop humidity down to about 40-45% during flowering.
10. Using CO²: Does CO² make your buds bigger? Although this is not recommended for your average home grower, and this topic is debatable, many believe that using CO² will increase yields.
When should I run CO² in my grow room? The best time to use CO² is when the lights are on.
What should CO² ppm be for cannabis? It is recommended that ppm be between 800-1000.
How much will CO² increase yield? Some research has shown that it will increase yields by 10-25%.
11. Nutrients: This is food for your cannabis plants. They need this to get energy and to be able to continue growing. Too much and you risk causing your plants nutrient burn. Too little and you will start to see deficiencies.
What are good nutrients for cannabis plants? Like many plants, cannabis likes nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Nitrogen should be higher during vegetative growth, and during the flowering phase, nitrogen should be lower, while giving a boost to phosphorous and potassium. Many products on the market are formulated to do just that. They have a "grow" mix for vegetative growing and a "bloom" mix for the flowering phase.
12. Potential of Hydrogen (PH): Ensuring your soil and water is at proper PH levels will ensure your plants are able to uptake nutrients properly. Having levels too low or high will keep your plant "locked out" from receiving the correct amount of nutrients.
What is the best PH for plants to grow? If growing in hydro or soil-less grows, PH should be between 5.5- 6.5, but preferably between 5.8 and 6.3 If growing in soil, PH should be between 6-7.
13. Waiting to Harvest: Many growers get excited and impatient when they start to see all those beautiful buds. Often times they chop down before the plant is mature. Checking trichomes, pistils, and the overall look of the plant will let you know when it is ready for harvest, but sometimes just waiting another week or two longer than you planned to harvest, can give the buds enough time to pack on some more weight.
Commonly Asked Questions
Should I PH my water before adding nutrients? No, adjusting the PH should be done after you have thoroughly mixed your nutrients.
Can you lollipop in veg? I don't recommend it, because it will slow down the growth without adding much of a benefit to the end result. A simple defoliation during veg to increase airflow is all you really need.
When should I lollipop my auto-flower? This is not recommended because auto-flowers have a set time in which they will begin to flower. Lollipopping auto-flowers can negatively affect your yield.
Should I use nutrients every time I water? No. Some growers like to alternate between watering with nutrients and giving plain PH adjusted water, while others like to water with nutrients for two feedings and give PH adjusted water every third watering.
