In my first few grows, I was hitting around 30 grams of dry weight, my buds weren't "fattening up", and I was underwhelmed by my results.
So, I started again, and I've completely rebuilt my grow area.
Lessons learnt:
1. Light REALLY REALLY REALLY matters! I started out by using a 35w led panel. I then "upgraded" to a cheap 100w grow light. I thought these would be good enough, and to some extent they were. However, since the rebuild, I invested in a Mars Hydro TS1000, which was significantly more expensive than the other two. I'm absolutely astounded by the results. If you're starting your grow journey, buy the best you can afford. The light is the most important part of the build, and if you get that right, the rest is a doddle.
2. Tents are worth the money. I originally had my stealth grow up in the loft, but have instead bought a small budbox tent, and that, combined with the light, has made a huge difference to the maintenance of a stable growing environment. For the first time, I am seeing fat buds, and it's a thrill. I at last know what people mean now when they say their buds are fattening up, because mine are visibly 2 or 3 times bulkier than those of my first 4 or 5 grows. And there's a lot of them. Previously I'd get the main bud on the main stem, and some smaller buds around that. My smaller buds are now almost equal in size to my main before, and my main makes me drool. I cannot wait to harvest.
3. Control pH. Stay on top of this, and keep it in the optimal range to the best of your ability. Buy a chap pH meter, and do your measures regularly. Make adjustments to the best of your ability. This means doing maths, and I've yet to get a formula that works well enough to be precise in terms of weights and measures of up/down agents, but small changes rather than wild swings are the way forward.
4. Try not to stress your girls out. I've had two grows go hermie on me. Too much LST, too much chopping and too much variation in conditions - water, nutrients and environment.
5. Don't give up. I'm not much of a smoker, but I so very much enjoy being a gardener. There's something deeply satisfying in knowing that you are getting it right. Sort of plays to my competitive nature.
I'll take some pictures later, and show you what I mean.