Same light, same canopy, same yield
Not the pot count
harvest follows the lit green surface, not how many stems you started
One or many
a single plant that fills the footprint matches a group that fills the same footprint
Same watts
shrink or grow the floor under one lamp and the crop stays in the same ballpark
Fill the light
bare spots between plants are the real yield leak
Why plant-count rules mislead
Flip anytime: a short light day can flower a seedling or a six-month veg plant.
Wild range: one counted plant might return a quarter ounce; another might return over a pound.
Area rules: square footage ignores whether the room has a few tubes or several 1000 W lamps.
Better science: indoor wattage plus variety, or outdoor canopy and sun, would track harvest more honestly.
Work with the rules you have
Check local limits
some places cap plants, some cap area, some cap dried flower on hand
Low possession caps
those rules shrink how you stagger harvests
Horticulture still wins
whatever the cap, fill the light and keep the canopy even
Do not chase count
extra tiny plants under the same lamp rarely add flower
Design from the canopy
Order
draw the lit area first, then decide how many plants will cover it
Few plants
veg longer so each one spreads
Many plants
veg shorter and pack the tray
Either path
the lamp and the closed canopy set the harvest