Indoor Suggestions for best possible set up (600W HPS, soil)

[Rupert Pupkin]

So, i've been thinking of doing a one time indoor set up with autofems. What i have is 3x600W HPS lights and 29 various Dutch Passion autofem seeds. I'm not going to go into hydroponic and i have 3 gallon pots.

Are 29 plants too much for a 1800W grow room?
I prefer to thin the bottom branches out early since i prefer all the buds concentrated in fewer, top colas. Is this something that is prefered in autoflowers?
How much does fertilizing affect yields in this kind of set up (i'm going to use soil of some sort)?

Does anyone know of a similiar grow set up / diary from the top of their heads?

Will greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Muddy]

Welcome to AFN. Stop by our Introduction forum and start a thread so everyone can get to know you.

Each of your 600 watters can cover a 4' x 4' area pretty well, so you've got the potential of covering 48 square feet. Most of the DP auto strains can get a bit bigger so will probably require about 18" square inches each. Assuming a 4' x 12' grow area, about 24 plants max. We generally don't recommend removing the bottom branches unless they are right down at the soil level where they are blocking air circulation or in the way of watering. With some auto strains the side branching can account for half of the total yield.

Autos are more nutrient sensitive than photo period plants. Most autos won't tolerate more than about 1/2 the strength used for photos. Keep them on veg nutes through about week 5-6, or until vertical growth stops. More info about that here: https://www.autoflower.org/f44/life-cycle-auto-flowering-cannabis-5113.html. Maintaining the proper pH is also important with autos, so a good digital pH meter is a must have. Regarding the soil, go with a quality product and avoid anything from Miracle Grow or any other products that contain slow release nutrients.