New Grower How important is rotating your plants?

[Betelnut]

In my previous grows rotating the plants so they could get better light/more coverage/etc. was just not possible. LST and tucking were as good as it got.
But, in my next grow I could rotate as much as I want, I just never thought about it until reading here that some of the best growers ( @A-Train ) rotate theirs quite a lot.

To be specific I am going to run 4 "no-name" 300w LEDs (100x3w), with one plant directly under each.
How important do you guys think rotating is in a setup like that?

 

[A-Train]

I don't think it's crucial in that setup with each plant having its own. What I think is is that you try and maintain an even canopy. That way when your in flower you don't have a dominant cola 6 or 8 inches above the rest that causes you to have to keep your light that much higher over the shorter colas and decreasing canopy penetration...

That being said I still rotate 90 degrees everytime I water. This keeps light distributed as well as keeps buds and leaves from being constantly on the walls and gets some fresh air flowing through the entire plant to combat bud rot

 

[Betelnut]

Ahh, I hadn't thought about airflow and such, good point!

To be honest I am a little worried about being able to keep the canopy even, until now I have only done minor lst.

 

[briman]

Hey Betelnut, I am going to play devils advocate to A-Train and say that more energy goes to the plant for growth by not turning it. What I mean is that in nature, the plant doesnt get turned when its in the ground, but does lean toward the sun. I do not turn my plants at all, simply due to the fact that I believe that its wasted energy for the plant to have to compensate to rotate to the desired light intensity, it wants in the grow space and the plant can put all its energy to growing rather than rotating. Just my on it.

 

[Ozone69]

Rotating the plants is the easy way...rotate the lights. *insert evil mad scientist grin*



I'd thought about this a time or two myself, but just not enough room in my little closet to experiment with it and with the Blumat water piping now there's no way. I need to look into LST and other keep the canopy techniques someday soon and start playing with those.

 

[Corgy]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141342442473

Soon.......thingie + AquaFarm + Think Big + 1 x GN HS1.1 + Area 51 RW-150 overhead + Solar air pump(to drive the AquaFarm)

 

[Puddentane]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141342442473

Soon.......thingie + AquaFarm + Think Big + 1 x GN HS1.1 + Area 51 RW-150 overhead + Solar air pump(to drive the AquaFarm)

You should be able to find a lazy susan for kitchen use at a fraction of the cost. But you can save more just by reaching in and turning them by hand.

Briman I don't wish to be contrarian but plants don't rotate but the earth does. And that changes the way light is distributed throughout the canopy not to mention the variables such as reflective surfaces in the environment or shading from neighboring plants. It has been my observation that rotating plants allows for a more even growth pattern and unless started at a late date has very little if any negative effect on the amount of energy taken in. In fact, the ability to rotate allows for using less than optimal lighting to its best result. I used to grow Conifers and Japanese Maples and the most beautiful and valuable specimens came from periodic rotation and paying close attention to light penetration and air flow.

I miss those days...

 

[Corgy]

You should be able to find a lazy susan for kitchen use at a fraction of the cost. But you can save more just by reaching in and turning them by hand.

Sure, but I don't want a manual lazy Susan, the one linked does one revolution every 90 seconds... Perpetual rotation is the name of this little game..... We'll see where this silliness leads...

I got plenty wheeled saucers that qualify as turntables, but they require my assistance and sometimes I'm not available for days.....

 

[A-Train]

I can see MAYBE during stretch what your saying to a small degree but not really. If the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and the earth is spinning to cause this the plant wouldn't just be leaning to the sun in 1 direction it would be leaning left in the morning and leaning right in the evening (depending on how ya look at it) so technically rotating a plant 90 degrees every other day when watered would actually be way less energy used by the plant to turn towards the light than in nature when the plant is essentially shifting itself towards the sun all day as the earth rotates correct?

@briman but in flower I totally disagree. The plants I grow at least once in flower don't tend to lean. They just bud thicker under the places that get more light. And as stated above the rotation isn't crucial unto flower. BUT if your in flower and you do not rotate and you have 4 plants touching each other and the walls of the tent you are setting yourself up for moisture collecting from transpiration against the walls or the actual plants touching and preventing air flow and this excess moisture will cause mold or rot in your tent.

 

[jingo]

I always rotate mine in flower and most times in veg. I'll even add side lighting late in flower if I have a whopper.