Short answer
One indoor plant yields its share of the canopy. Controlled trials measured roughly 116–519 g of dry flower per square metre as light rose from low to very high, and 500–750 g/m² in well-run rooms at 750–900 µmol/m²/s. One plant filling a 2 x 2 ft (0.36 m²) tent typically gives about 40–180 g (1.5–6 oz). Grower practice arithmetic on Supported trial data.
Why
Light drives yield. In one trial, dry flower rose in a straight line from 116 g/m² at 120 µmol/m²/s to 519 g/m² at 1,800 µmol/m²/s [1]. Another group measured 500–750 g/m² at 750–900 µmol/m²/s [2]. Cultivars and growers differ, so treat these as research-room numbers, not a promise.
Plant count splits the canopy, it doesn't add to it. Higher density raised yield per area but lowered yield per plant [3]. One big plant and four small ones can fill the same tent.
Root volume and feeding set how fast a plant fills its space. Doubling pot size raised biomass by about 43% on average across many crops [4], though frequent feeding lets small pots punch above their size.
The numbers
Yield per plant ≈ canopy area the plant fills × g/m².
| Canopy per plant | At ~120 g/m² (weak light) | At ~300 g/m² (moderate) | At ~500 g/m² (strong, dialled in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.36 m² (2 x 2 ft) | ~45 g (1.5 oz) | ~110 g (4 oz) | ~180 g (6 oz) |
| 0.72 m² (2 x 4 ft) | ~85 g (3 oz) | ~215 g (7.5 oz) | ~360 g (12.5 oz) |
| 1.44 m² (4 x 4 ft) | ~175 g (6 oz) | ~430 g (15 oz) | ~720 g (25 oz) |
1 oz = 28.35 g. Figures are dry, trimmed flower.
What to do
- Measure your canopy area, not your plant count.
- Measure light at the canopy; it is the biggest lever.
- Train plants to fill the space evenly ("tuck, don't pluck").
- Plan a first grow on the weak-to-moderate column, and log the real number.
Common mistakes
- Quoting yield per plant without the canopy area or light.
- Adding plants instead of filling the canopy with fewer, trained ones.
- Weighing wet buds; wet weight is roughly four to five times dry.
Related
- Full article: Your first grow
- Answers: grams per watt and per square foot · plants per tent · increasing yield
- Article: PPFD and DLI by stage
- Terms: yield · ounce
