How Much Marijuana Does a Plant Produce? Cannabis Production Guide
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One of the most asked questions among new growers is “how much marijuana will a plant yield?” Certainly, it is important to know how much yield to expect before venturing into the Cannabis garden. It will absolve you of the stress of constantly checking the garden to weigh in your investment.
In addition to this all-important question asked by cannabis enthusiasts, we will provide here a comprehensive guide to Cannabis productivity. Just as it is with people, it is nigh impossible to find two matching marijuana plants. Therefore, the yield of the plant is not only dependent on the strain but also on the growing conditions of the plant itself.
There is no single, definitive answer to the question of how much marijuana a plant will yield, however, approximations can be made based on its genotype and phenotype. These approximations can be extremely useful in planning an efficient system and in setting an expectation from your chosen marijuana strain.
How Much Marijuana Does a Plant Yield?
As earlier mentioned, the amount of yield to expect from a marijuana plant depends on its environment. For marijuana grown indoors (i.e. in a grow tent with appropriate lights for each stage of the marijuana life cycle) a plant will yield 1 gram of marijuana for every watt of light. In simpler terms, if you use a 400W HPS bulb in favourable growing conditions, you should expect 400 grams of marijuana.
However, this figure is not set in stone, and there are more factors involved in this equation. One of these conditions is growing with the right equipment. For example, growing with a 600 W bulb should be done in a cabinet to match the power (1.5mx1.5mx2m). Using a smaller cabinet for a powerful bulb will reduce the amount of product.
Another factor in the equation is the variety of the plant. Answering how much yield to expect from a marijuana plant will not cover for an Indica plant. For indoor growing, Indica marijuana produces much more than Sativa. Outdoors is a different story, as we will see later.
As a rule of thumb, most strains found in cannabis catalogues will produce the equivalent of 1 gram for every gram of light received. This may vary depending on the genotype and phenotype of the plant. However, using the right equipment, nutrition, space, extraction, and ventilation solutions for Cannabis needs will yield around the average.
Knowing How Much Marijuana A Plant Will Yield In Hydroponics
The story is quite different from hydroponics, as growers generally agree on the expected yield of plants. Growing in hydroponics can yield up to 20% more than in soil. For this to be the case, the pH of the water has to be carefully controlled and the photoperiods are strictly adhered to.
Growing hydroponically is generally agreed to be more complicated than growing outdoors, as well as being a growing medium that requires more investment. However, for those growers who do hydroponics correctly, you can expect to get up to 1.2 grams per watt. This means that a 600W HPS bulb could give you up to 720 grams of production.
How Many Grams Does an Outdoor Plant Yield?
The answer to this question is more complicated than that of indoor growing. The yield to expect from outdoor plants is influenced by genetics and environmental conditions. One major problem with this type of growth is the lack of control over elements like light, water, temperature, humidity, etc
When the weather conditions are right, it can be beneficial, leading to the production of large, leafy marijuana plants up to 2 kilos – in the most productive plants. On the other hand, when the weather conditions are not favourable, harvests will take a hit.
Just much marijuana does an outdoor plant yield? We can estimate an average of 500 grams per plant to 2 kilos per plant if you grow in soil. But if you grow in pots, you will be limited mainly by the dimensions of the pot:
• 50 litter pot – Up to 600 grams per plant
• 26 litter pot – Up to 300 g per plant
• 11 litter pot – Up to 150 g per plant
• 7 litter pot – Up to 60 g per plant
How to Calculate Marijuana Yields in Advance?
Knowing the characteristics of a plant will help you determine the yield. Predicting the yield of marijuana doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Using the right tool, such as this calculator from Yield-o-Rama, will give you an expected yield.
When you enter the amount of light (in lumens per square metre) of the lighting system, the growing medium, and your level of experience, the calculator will give you an approximate result of what you will be able to obtain with each crop. It is a very simple tool and great help in garden planning.
Light and Fertilizers in Cannabis Production
Lighting is one of the most important factors influencing the yield of a marijuana plant. To optimize this factor, you need to grow indoors, as outdoors the plant can suffer directly from unfavourable weather conditions.
When you know the expected yield of a marijuana plant, it is important to maximize its production too. This can be achieved by increasing the plant’s exposure to light. Controlled stress techniques such as defoliation, Super Cropping, Monster Cropping, LST and the best of all, SCROG, can also be used.
Another important factor that can be used to maximize the production of marijuana plants is fertilizers. Your plants must get both the micronutrients and macronutrients they need to thrive. During vegetative growth, plants need nitrogen, however, while in flowering you need to maximize potassium and phosphorus. While an overlooked factor, one of the best ways to increase marijuana yields remains to supply the right amount of nutrients at the right time in the life cycle of the plant.
Increasing Yield With a SCROG
After you know how much yield to expect from a marijuana plant, you may want to increase that number. The Screen of Green (SCROG) technique is a great way to increase yields.
SCROG works by covering the plants with a screen 40 cm above them. When branches grow about 10 cm, they are tied to the screen to grow further. Here are three ways of using SCROG to increase the yield of your marijuana garden:
1. No Waste of Light
In standard growing, the light that falls on the ground or parts of the cabinet without plants is wasted. However, with SCROG by creating a top layer of leaves, plants are encouraged to absorb more light.
2. Same Height on all Plants
When all plants are the same height, they are bound to receive the same amount of light. SCROG promotes a homogeneous harvest, where all plants will bear roughly the same amount of yield. Knowing how much marijuana a SCROG plant will yield, will give you an approximate amount of what the rest plants will yield.
3. No Dense Buds
One of the best features of SCROG is it eliminates those small buds that grow at the base of the Cannabis plant. The plants can now focus their energy on producing the top, denser, THC-rich buds. SCROG ensures that energy is not wasted on creating buds with less size and fewer cannabinoids.
Wet Weed and Dry Weed
How much marijuana a cannabis plant yields depends on whether you weigh the crop when it is wet or dried. Wet marijuana will always weigh more because it has more water which adds to its weight on the scales. Dry marijuana takes between 10 and 14 days to cure a bit, which can result in a small weight loss.
So, how much marijuana does a dried plant yield? As earlier mentioned, this depends on the strain. However, it is estimated that around 40-45% of the plant’s weight is lost during drying. For example, Sativa plants tend to lose less weight during drying, because it has less compact buds than Indica plants.
To get an accurate value, another 12.5% has to be subtracted. This is because of the leaves, branches, and plant debris that will be removed during trimming. In short, from the wet and freshly cut crop you get, you will have around 35% or less of dried buds.
We have come to the end of our guide on how to predict the productivity of marijuana plants. Hopefully, you have a clearer understanding of the yield that can be achieved from Cannabis plants.
If you liked this article I recommend you to read Yellow leaves on marijuana, learn what’s causing it and Diatomaceous Earth to improve crops.
