Ask Ed: Grow Questions and Answers – Continuous Harvest

CANNABIS CULTURE – Ganja Guru Ed Rosenthal on the best method for maintaining a harvest once a month.

Q: I am a medical patient and I am growing S.A.G.E from clones. What do you think is the best method for maintaining a harvest once a month? My room is 6 x 7 ft (1.85 x 2.15 m) and I have two 400 HPS lights.

Haltersad, Montana


Ed: The two 400-watt lamps provide enough light to cover about 15-square feet (4 x 5 ft) or 4.6 square meters (4.87 x 1.5 m) with bud-building intensity.

Since you have access to clones you need only grow them to maturity. This takes about 10 weeks. The first two weeks, right after the clones have been transplanted to larger containers, are spent in vegetative stage. Then they spend 7-8 weeks growing and ripening buds.

During the first two weeks, when they are vegetating, the plants need 18-24 hours of light each day, but during flowering they require 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day. These two areas must be separated so that no light pollutes the flowering area during the dark period.

Montana law allows a patient up to 10 plants. To achieve your goal of a monthly harvest you would divide your garden into three sections, each with 3 plants. Set up a separate area for each light. That way one group of plants can be in vegetative cycle while the others are in flowering.

The first light, which would be an addition to your garden, is set up to root 3 cuttings and then to vegetate them for about a month. It should have an area of about 6 square feet (2’ x 3’) or 1.82 square meters (.6 x .9 m). A 250-watt HPS lamp or about 300 watts input from warm, white, compact fluorescent lamps with reflectors should light it. High watt CFLs, such as 50- and 100-watt lamps, make installation easy.

The second and third areas are each lit by a 400-watt HPS. They each cover about 9 square feet (3’ x 3’) or 2.7 square meters (.9 x.9 m).

To start, 3 cuttings are placed in the clone/vegetative section. They are rooted and then transplanted directly into 3-5 gallon containers. They will remain in the containers through the end of flowering. When they have filled the canopy move them to Garden 2, where they will enjoy the higher intensity light and shorter days as they are forced to flower under the 12/12 regimen.

At the same time take 4 clones from the plants and start them through the cutting to clone cycle. Choose the best 3 for transplanting to larger containers. When they fill the canopy place them in Garden 3 and force them to flower by turning down the lights. At the same time, take 4 cuttings from the plants that are moving into Garden 3.

About seven to eight weeks after plants are placed in Garden 2, they will be ready for harvest. Replace those plants and continue the cycle.



  1. Anonymous on

    this article is absolute rubbish. whoever writes/edits this crap should at least do the audience the respect of reading over their work one time before they post/publish it.

    he starts off by saying that 4×5=15, and it just gets worse from there.

    he says .9x.9 = 2.7. NO, last time i checked, .9x.9=.81.

    i can go on and on, he says that 15 square feet = 4.6 square meters. NO, 15 square feet is less than 1.66 square meters.

    then he says that 6 sq ft(3×2) = 1.82 sq meters. NO!!!, 6 sq ft = less than .667 sq meters. IF BOTH SIDES ARE LESS THAN 1 METER, THEN HOW COULD THE AREA POSSIBLY BE GREATER THAN 1 METER?????????!!!!!!!!!

    could this article possibly be any more incorrect?

  2. Anonymous on

    I dont understand eds math 4’x5′ = 4.6m. when 4×5 = 20 sqf and a sqm = 10.7f so 20 sqf= 2 sqm right. i thout it was just a type-o but he he goes on to say 3x3f is 2 sqm. I just want to know because my room is 4×4 and i thoght 1 pound from my room was good 1sqm = 500 grams. should i expect more or am i doing good .