Many novice growers are curious about how much marijuana one plant can produce. How much can a 600-watt HPS produce? These questions are not easy to answer. Each grow is unique and each one has its own variables.
No matter what your reasons for growing, you care about the harvest. It’s important to know what you can expect. While we cannot predict your experience, we can provide some guidelines.
This article will cover everything you need to know about Cannabis yields. You can find some answers at the bottom of this article. If you have any additional questions, please leave them in the comments.
What is the amount of Marijuana you can expect to yield indoors?
When you grow indoors, lighting is of utmost importance. An experienced grower can produce approximately a gram per watt of light (1g = 0,035 oz). A 400-watt HPS light can produce 400 grams of cannabis or 14 oz dried, usable marijuana.
A grow room that has 1200 watts can produce 1.2 kg or 42 oz. of cannabis. For the best yields, it is crucial to have the right equipment and the correct nutrient solutions. It is important to ensure that the plants have enough space for growth.
While soil growth can reduce your yield, it is also easier to grow. It creates a buffer against error and holds nutrients in the soil. There is room for error when growing in soil. This can lead to lower yields and a higher pH. You can expect to get a maximum of one gram per watt. A 600watt lamp can produce 600g of marijuana, or 21 ounces.
Hydroponically grown plants can have even greater yields
Hydroponically growing can yield up to 20% more if you don’t make mistakes. Hydroponic gardening leaves no room for error. Because the roots are directly submerged in water (and not soil), incorrect pH levels can cause immediate damage to the plants.
Hydroponically growing is not easy. Even the smallest error can cause you to lose your yield. But, it is worth the effort. A 600watt HPS lamp with 1.2 grams per watt can produce 720 grams or more of marijuana.
How much can an outdoor cannabis plant produce?
You can expect to get 500 grams of marijuana or 17.5 oz per plant under perfect conditions. You need space (at least 2m) and nutrients (water, nutrients, and dearth of diseases and pests). Containers should not be less than 50 liters in volume or more than 15 gallons.
To allow plants to grow large, it is a good idea for seeds to be germinated early. You should germinate the seeds indoors, where the humidity can be controlled and the temperature can be controlled. If everything goes according to plan, 500g (17.5 oz.) per plant is possible.
The actual genetics of a plant play an important role, in addition to providing the right amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients. You need exceptional seeds to ensure your success. To find the right strain for you, browse in our Cannabis Seed Shop. Genetics is the key to success.
How to Calculate the Yield of a Cannabis Plant Upfront
Do you want to know your yield before you start growing? You don’t need to guess.
What is the average amount of Marijuana one plant can produce?
Use a calculator to calculate your cannabis plant yield. Yield O Rama’s calculator lets you choose your type of light, the intensity (lumen), and your level or experience with cannabis growing.
The yield calculator assumes that an HPS light produces approximately 150 lumens per Watt. Check with the manufacturer to find out the exact lumens your bulb produces.
There are limitations. It cannot be adjusted for each strain.
It is possible to also measure your yield once you have harvested, but keep this in mind
Wet and dried Marijuana-Buds do not weigh the same
You will see a greater increase in the weight of your weed if you dry it slowly (10-14 days) in a dark, dry area with a temperature around 64 degrees.
Your wet marijuana will yield between 20 and 25 percent of dry Cannabis-Buds depending on its strain, density, drying method, and drying time. Weigh only the buds, not the entire plant.
For example:
A well-cultivated Sativa will yield approximately 20%-22% dry marijuana, while an Indica will yield about 22%-25%. One-pound of Amnesia Haze will yield 7.4 ounces, and one-pound of White Widow will yield 8.4 ounces.
The other hand:
If you weigh the whole plant including its stems, leaves and stems while it is still wet, your final percentage will be approximately 12%.
To produce more marijuana, you should grow fewer plants
Indoor gardening doesn’t guarantee a high yield per plant. You’ll get more yield if you only have four plants per lamp than you would if you had sixteen plants.
These facts will help you decide how many plants you want to grow
- Your yield will drop 25% if you have only 4 plants and one dies
- With only four plants per lamp the vegetative growth can last longer. Force flowering should be done when the tips touch. The leaves will touch faster if there are more plants.
- It is easier to manage four plants than sixteen
- You only have four plants if someone captures youYou can grow sixteen plants using a 600-watt HPS light source and get about 37.5 grams (or 1.3 oz) of marijuana per plant.
- You can grow four plants with a 600-watt HPS light source and get about 150 grams (or 5.0 oz) of marijuana per plant.
- You can grow one plant per 600-watt HPS and produce a pound per plant.
Screen of Green (SCROG) Produces More Yield
A great way to increase your yield, is the Screen of Green (SCROG) Method of Growing. You will need to place a screen 15 inches above your plants. Tie the branch horizontally to the screen when it grows to 4 inches. Keep attaching branches to the screen until you have a nice pile of tops.
Three reasons to grow with a screen-of-green technique increase your yield
There is no wasted light
All light that hits walls or floors is wasted energy. The SCROG method creates a thick “blanket” of leaves that blocks light from reaching the floor or walls. This prevents it from being wasted and forces it to be absorbed into the leaves.
All plants have the same height
Each plant will get the most light if it is at the same height. This method ensures that there are no branches or plants in the shade and the lamp can be placed as low as possible as long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are no soft or fluffy buds
The screen doesn’t allow the bottom branches to grow through, so the plant won’t waste energy developing small, soft buds. They never ripen. Also, your plants don’t waste energy by not using the leaves or branches they don’t need. All that energy is used to make top colas.
Screen of green has been a great method to grow many plants. It can improve your yield by up to 10% to 20%.
Indoor cannabis cultivation is all about the light
Is a 1000-watt HPS capable of producing more than a 600 watt HPS? It’s not always the case. A 1000-watt HPS bulb emits more light than a 600 watt bulb but a plant can’t convert all that light into electricity. It will require more CO2.
The air contains between 350 and 400 ppm CO2. This CO2 will be used by indoor marijuana plants to make sugars. The plants will consume half the CO2 in an hour if they are grown in closed spaces without air outlets. This can lead to dangerously low CO2 levels and slow down sugar production. You must constantly ventilate your grow space with CO2 rich, outside air.
Your marijuana plants can’t produce more sugars when there is 350 to 400ppm CO2 in the atmosphere. Under normal conditions, a 1000watt HPS bulb will produce a lower yield.
However, increasing the CO2 level will mean that your plants need more light. A 1000-watt bulb can nearly double your yield. Although it is a significant investment to purchase the right equipment, a 1000-watt grow lamp will yield a higher yield.
CFL & HPS average indoor yield
| Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|
| 1.5 to 2.0 oz (3.5 oz for advanced growers), with 200-watt CFL lamps in grow cabinets measuring 3.5×1.5×6.5ft. | Average 40-60 grams (100 for advanced growers). 200-watt CFL lamps. Grow cabinet measuring 1×0.5x2m. |
| Average 3.0 to 5.0 oz (9.0 oz advanced growers). 250-watt HPS lamp mounted in a grow box measuring 3.5×1.5×6.5ft. | Average 80-150 grams (250 for advanced growers). A 250-watt HPS lamp is used in a grow box measuring 1×0.5x2m. |
| Average 4.5 to 9.0 oz (14 oz for advanced farmers) using a 400-watt HPS bulb in a 3.5×3.5×7 ft. grow area | Average of 100 to 250g (400 grams for advanced growers), with a 400-watt HPS light in a 1x1x2.5m. grow area |
| Average of 5.0-10 oz (21 for advanced growers), with a 600-watt HPS lamps in a 4x4x8 ft. grow area | 150 to 300g (600 for advanced growers), with a 600-watt HPS light in a 1.2×1.2×2.5 m. grow area |
| 9.0 to 18 oz (36 for advanced growers), with a 1000-watt HPS lamps in a 5x5x8 ft grow area | 250 to 500g average (1000 for advanced growers), with a 1000-watt HPS bulb in a 1.5×1.5×2.5m. grow area |
Yield with LED grow lights
Many people have been talking about LED lights. Some manufacturers claim they can produce super high yields. However, we have not yet seen them. Two years ago, we tried a 300-watt LED grow and it produced less than half the amount we normally produce. Our friends have also not received the desired results.
It’s interesting to note that most commercial tomato growers haven’t switched from LED. We believe that LED grow lights are no more efficient or less expensive than HPS. The light intensity of LED lights isn’t nearly as high as HPS lights. The spectrum is much more important.
The LED grow light is not going to give you a guarantee on how much you’ll get. Please share your results in the comments if you have any. We can confirm that LED lights produce less heat than HPS lights. This will result in the plant evaporating less water, which can change the water and nutrients requirements for growers.
Growing marijuana can help you save money
An average retail price for a marijuana plant is between $10 and $15. The clone will measure approximately 5 inches in height and is only available in states that have legalized cannabis. The highest-quality cannabis seeds are available for $8 to $15. These seeds are available online and in our shop.
These figures don’t cover the cost to produce weed. Equipment, nutrients, and monitoring electricity and water prices are all necessary. These are just some estimates. For more information, please see my article on revenues and costs.
Take, for example:
A 2×2 foot tent will grow 5 marijuana plants. It will yield 0.25 pounds of marijuana per harvest. Each marijuana plant will yield approximately $50 per harvest, which is about $50 for 4 harvests.
A 4×4 foot grow tent will yield 1 pound of marijuana each year, and it will cost around $2000 to grow 5 marijuana plants. Each marijuana plant will yield approximately $100 per harvest if you have 4 plants.
Basic equipment such as filters, timers and exhaust fans can be very costly. While the yield is doubled, the price difference for a set of 2 or 4 lights is only 20%. Learn more about the costs and revenues for growing marijuana on my blog.
If you can yield one pound per plant, you could save money. You want the best yield for your efforts? One plant is all you need.
A 4×4 foot space is required to grow a 1 pound marijuana plant. A 600watt light will produce over a pound of marijuana in ideal conditions. It can produce more than a pound if you grow one plant.
