# optimum number of plants per 4 bulb 4ft t5 fixture



## oldfogey8 (Dec 17, 2014)

i have been googling a fair amount tonight trying to find some data on the optimum number of plants for the setup i am using but i have not really found anything definitive. i grow with a 4 bulb 4 foot high output t5 bulb fixture with approx 100 watts of cfls to supplement the fixture. i have some melvanetics seeds(not feminized) i am planning on sprouting soon but i want to get an idea of what the optimum number of plants would be in a 4x4x2 ft tent. i have grown 4 plants in the space but they seemed pretty crowded. is it recommended to fim and lst and then lollipop in this situation? any input as to how many beans i should crack to get enough females to utilize the tent to it's fullest would be appreciated.
thanks,
of8


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 17, 2014)

oh and i guess i would like to hear recommendations on the length of time to veg for. i guess these are indica heavy plants...


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## Rosebud (Dec 17, 2014)

I take double the seeds I want to end up with girls...Take 6 seeds and figure you will probably get 3 females...Of course it could go any way with all six boys for that matter, but it is supposed to be a 50% chance.   As soon as they are sexed, which takes 7-8 weeks depending on strain, maybe indica's are earlier to sex.  I am sure Mel could tell you. Green Mojo for your grow.

As far as the number of plants I have a t5 your size and I would only like 3 big girls under there. But i grow hybrids that can be tall.  Maybe 4 smaller plants.


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 17, 2014)

thanks rose. 4 plants seemed to be too cramped. i am unlucky though. if i plant 6 seeds i will get 6 females and 3 will be wasted. if i plant 3 i will get 3 males and i will have wasted a couple of months. it is my lot in life...


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## Joe420Camel (Dec 17, 2014)

well, IF (that's a big IF) that's true brotha'... were one in the same!

might as well laugh @ it cause crying isn't going to change it (either) 
:48:

green mojo


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 18, 2014)

i joke about having bad luck but all in all, i am pretty fortunate. i think i look for 'bad luck' which blocks out the good luck side of things...


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 18, 2014)

We all joke about having bad luck, but in actuality most of us don't.  I really try to wake up every day and appreciate all the things I do have rather than thinking about things I don't have (and probably don't even need).  Even when I am at my lowest, I know that there are millions (maybe billions) whose life is not as fine as mine!

There is no good answer to your question.  The length of time you veg them will make a difference, the training you do will make a difference, the strain makes a difference.  I would think an indica with a large percentage of indica would stay fairly small and that you should be fine with 4 in your space.  But it is kind of a judgement call and hard to know if you have not grown the strain before or don't know someone who has to see what the growing pattern is.  I'd check with Mel and see what she recommends.


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 18, 2014)

thanks thg. i have posted the question on the melvanetics help desk forum on firestax. i thought of it after i posted it here. 

i was experimenting with thinking positively a couple of months back and things actually seemed to go better and it seemed as though i was 'luckier' when i did it. however, old habits are hard to break and i have sunk back into my negative mood again. i need to switch back. i liked happy me better...


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Dec 18, 2014)

Im runnin 10 plants in 1 gal pots in a 2x4 tent atm and its brimmed bc I flipped alil late....   I have run almost 20 in there but they were small and in 2 liter soda bottles for pots...   as THG stated there no real answer to your question...  it all depends on plant size and strain...  :48:


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Dec 18, 2014)

On a side note if your gonna flower with those lights your WAY underlit for that space...


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 18, 2014)

thanks jaam. i know i am under lit. the tent gets pretty warm though just with what i have in there so i don't think i can go with a hps light and i can't really justify spending the 3 bills on an led. i have gotten acceptable yields and quality with what i have. here are some pictures of my 2nd grow. not as dense and beautiful as a lot of flowers i see on here but pretty good for the crappy setup i have. i pulled close to 10 ounces off my last grow so a little under a gram per watt. as you can see, my tent was pretty cramped as well with only 2 plants in 3 gallon pots. 

i like rosebuds suggestion. i am thinking i will plant 3 buckeye purples and 3 super buckeye seeds and hope i get 3 females with at least one of each. my first grow in the tent i went with 5 plants and it was really packed. i screwed the pooch on that though and killed 2 plants. long story...

thanks again for the input, folks. i need all the help i can get. 

View attachment IMG_1985.jpg


View attachment IMG_1987.jpg


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Dec 18, 2014)

do you have some kind of exhaust pulling hot air from the tent?  HTG has 4' 2 bulb T5s for $50 with bulbs...  I kept adding them til my tent is full from front to back...  wall to wall light


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 18, 2014)

i have an htg about 15 minutes from my house. thanks. i have a 170 cfm fan(from htg as a fatter of mact) pulling warm air out though a charcoal filter. the problem is my tent is in a small room, probably 8x8x8 so the room heats up and all i am doing is circulating warm air. the winter may help as the room is in the basement and it gets down into the low 60's. i am toying with the idea of moving the tent into another part of the basement but i'd have to do some carpentry to make it work and i am no carpenter...


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Dec 18, 2014)

Do you run your lights during the day or overnight?  running them overnight is an easy fix to high temps in some cases... plus you get that warmth for the house at the coldest part of the day...


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## oldfogey8 (Dec 18, 2014)

i was running them in the day. i had read about that overnight trick somewhere. that will be the way i do it this time out. it is one of those things that when you think about it, it is so simple. the plants don't care where the sun is(indoors). this killer will be when i want to look in on the girls which is all the time. waiting until the evening will take some will power...


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 19, 2014)

I flower at night all year round.  In the summer it is cooler at night when I need the cool and in the winter it is colder at  night so running at night means that I have to add less axillary heat.  You can pick a light schedule that works for you.  I like to tend to my plants in the morning, so I run my lights from about midnight to noon.  LOL--we all like to peak in at our plants, but you do have to have the will power to do what is best for the plant.


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## DankHobbyist (Jan 8, 2015)

I think for area you have plenty of light it's just a fluorescent grow.  Not as much light as hps.


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## lyfespan (Jan 8, 2015)

JustAnotherAntMarching said:


> do you have some kind of exhaust pulling hot air from the tent?  HTG has 4' 2 bulb T5s for $50 with bulbs...  I kept adding them til my tent is full from front to back...  wall to wall light



Why buy all those, just get one of these, you can thank me for the hook up later.

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=261463093279&varId=560344020904
I have 6  of the 12 tube so far, then today I found a place selling 7 four tube T-5 for 100 bux, so you know I grabbed those too. 5400w, or 500,000 lumens in 140sqft, and I still feel like I wAnt 6 more of those 12 tube fixtures


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## DankHobbyist (Jan 8, 2015)

Set I got t5 HO  IM sure they will flower small clones.


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 8, 2015)

I always flower at night cheaper hydro cooler temps.
Your 4x4 tent gets hot with T5? I'm running an clocked 1000watt HPS in my 4x4 yesterday had to turn intake off 68F.
I'd work on dialling my tent in bro. You got good genetics


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 8, 2015)

The room my tent is located in is quite small. I don't exhaust the air outside of the room. I am sure that is my problem. I don't anticipate it being a problem this grow though as I should be done by mid May at the latest. The ambient temps in the basement grow room should help keep it cooler. I hope...


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