Grow Q&A: What’s the Best Grow Light For Big Yields?

Dear Dan,
I’m planning on starting my own grow. I’ve grown before but only one plant but this time I plan to have eight and dedicate a small room in my home to the operation. I was wondering what your preference of light is to get the most yield out of an indoor operation? Also, about how long should I grow my plants before flowering them if I would like to yield a pound from each? —Mak

Dear Mak,
For the biggest yield, you must use High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting. Metal Halide (MH) or High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights are the indoor grower’s choice for plant production and heavy harvests. My recommendation are the new ceramic Metal Halides on the market, to get the most bang for your buck.

If you want to yield a pound per plant indoors while growing 8 plants, you will need about a 1,000-watt light per single plant, a very large (over 10 gallon) container, and a long vegetative time (three months or more). In what you describe as a small room, I think it’s more realistic to grow eight plants that will yield a total of one pound meaning that each plant will ultimately yield two ounces. Plant them in 5-gallon pots and vegetate them for 5 weeks before inducing flowering. You may be surprised to find they yield more than the minimum two ounces per plant.

Have a grow question? Ask away at deardanko@hightimes.com

Don’t miss our previous Grow Q&A: Do Organic Pot Plants Need to Be Flushed?