Anyone who is growing marijuana is going to be thinking about how to get the highest yield per marijuana plant. Some simply want to know what yield to expect because they like to plan ahead, while others just want more, more, more. Here’s what you can expect with regards to the yield of your marijuana plants.
Outdoor yields
If you are growing your marijuana outdoors in perfect conditions, you are most likely to achieve yields of 500 grams (17.5 ounces) of marijuana per plant. This can be helped along by germinating early (giving your plants plenty of time to grow as much as possible), as well as purchasing high-quality seeds from the get go. Remember, genetics are one of the most important factors in getting your marijuana plants to have a high yield.
Indoor yields
The yields of plants that are in an indoor growing environment are a little bit different, because of space issues but also because you have complete control over every aspect of your marijuana plants’ environment.
Lighting
Ultimately, everything comes down to the lighting in your grow room. Anyone who has ever grown indoors knows that this is what matters most in their setup. You can generally count on one gram of marijuana per Watt of light. That means a 400-Watt HPS grow light would give your plants 400 grams of consumable marijuana. If there are 1200 Watts, it’ll be more like 1.2 kilograms (42 ounces) of marijuana.
If you are growing in a hydroponics setup, however, then you can expect approximately a 20% higher yield. That is assuming you keep the pH and TDS levels (among other things) perfect throughout the growing season, of course.
Other environmental factors
Of course, it’s important to also pay attention to the other environmental factors. Besides genetics (perhaps the most important of all), you need to make sure that you have enough space for your plants to grow, the right nutrient solutions for the different life stages of your plants, good air and air flow, the right temperature and humidity levels, and so on.
Screen of green
This method, also known as “scrogging,” involves topping your plants and then putting a screen approximately 15 inches above the tops of your plants, then tying the branches horizontally as they grow through. This creates a blanket of green foliage that is perfectly even.
Scrogging can be very useful in maximizing yield because, first of all, it doesn’t waste any light. The foliage at the top is thick and impenetrable, meaning there’s no light being wasted by hitting the floor.
Secondly, since all of the plants are equal in height, they all maximize the amount of light they get. Thirdly, pruning the branches below the screen will prevent any soft, fluffy buds from developing at all. Instead, your plants will focus their efforts and energy on the buds that are going to get fat and juicy.