New SOG Grow design Ebb and Flow

I am designing a new grow room and figured it is time to tweak my setup a bit. I am keeping my lighting the same but breaking up my 2 20' long tables into 8 separate 5x4 tables with separate reservoirs. I plan to get rid of my pair of 300 gallon reservoirs because they are so difficult to to flush. I have been growing in about 400 1 gallon pots. The number depends on the number of viable clones I get. I am adding a second aerocloner to get more to use my full potential. So my questions have probably been asked before on these forums but I am looking for answers from long time hydro growers like AlB Fuct who I modeled previous grows after. So here goes:
I am flowering right from the start with clones so are containers that are long and thin (like 2 liter bottles) a good way to increase yield without losing quality or bud density?
I am growing in in loose rockwool cubes. Does rinsing them before using them make a huge difference? It is an enormous task to rinse and squeeze all the rockwool I use.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Don't know about the pot depth issue. I'm a believer in the old school hydro theory that the roots don't need to be so large...since the nutrients are delivered to the roots I use hydroton in 5.5" square pots.

I read somewhere that rockwool shouldn't be squeezed. Totally messes with the structure and air/water ratios. I used a sling device I made for the small cubes.
Big op you got going...
JD

If your looking to maximize your space for more plants then a long thim container is the best way to go. If you can, make sure all the roots are growing in one direction so the chance of them getting tangled is minimum. Obviously more space between the plants means more light penetration thus creating a higher yield, but this also takes up more space. Seems like your growing quite a few plants so im guessing space is not an issue. To maximize your harvest i would try topping at least two or three time to create more tops making the plants less bushy.

As far as the rockwool cubes go.......no need to rinse the cubes or squeeze them in any way. You never want to squeeze rock wool cubes because it effects the way that air is trapped and distributed throughout the cube. Rockwool cubes are very sterile and ph friendly so you'll be just fine using them right out of the bag.

I dont know what kind of lighting you are using but 4-6 1000 watt lights would do you good as far as increasing yield and quality go. Im also not sure of your trimming process but spend the extra time to trim the buds as tight as you can get them. It will slightly decrease weight but the difference in quality is incredible. The difference between good weed and medical grade weed is how well its trimmed and how well you maintain your plants. Keep your ph level and your nutes in check and youll do just fine. Adding a c02 system also works wonders in increasing yield if your willing to invest the time and money to set a system up.

gtran wrote: i would try topping at least two or three time to create more tops making the plants less bushy.

Click to expand...

Gtran,
I agree with your post except for my quoted statement. Topping creates a more bushy plant. In SOG you want a massive single cola...so no topping, just some side trimming or lollypopping as it's sometimes called.
JD

Thanks for the input guys. I am using 8 inch diameter pots now and have no more space so I was going to use smaller pots to increase yield. I have many tables in a perpetual system so I am going to do an experiment with one table with 5 inch pots and measure the results against the 8 inch diameter pots. I have looked into co2 but it seems very complicated and expensive

John,
If more yield is the goal...seems like strain might be the most important variable at this point. Something with a nice top cola. I used to do white widow because I loved the smoke...but it was a mediocre sog yielder. I have some Satori seeds I'm going to use for my next run and hoping they will yield better.

I also have never done CO2 enrichment, but if your room is anywhere near being sealed...that might be something to consider.

I find the 5" pots work great, but that's for a 12/12 from clone thing with no veg. Hope your experiments work out. Have fun...
JD

If your going straight to flower from clone and want to fit more in there then yes, use smaller pots. Personally I like to give them 2 or 3 weeks of veg time to get more per plant, I've found it works a lot better for me. Even with some veg time I only use 6" pots, but I stretch panda film across the top of the tray so the roots can spread across the tray while staying dark and moist (learned that trick from a member named Panhead, works excellent!!)

I have read that rinsing does help - something about the content of lime, raising / lowing the ph level? Squeezing them is not advised, the cube loses it inherent properties of being aerated - slowing the growth of roots down.

I am starting with Armageddon from fantaseeds but am looking for a new breed to mix things up. Any suggestions would be awesome