20 GALLON pots, A WASTE?

D''

Member
I got 6 20gallon trashcans that I used last year for some 6 foot plants but the root ball wasn't even halfway down.but expenses of soil is killing me. Is this a waste of soil. Should I gravel the bottom or something?
 

RDGgreenthumb

Well-Known Member
When did you transfer your plants into the container? When did you put them outdoors? Most plants like a hole that is wider instead of super deep so that may have been the cause. Was the prfile of your plants more tall and skinny or very branchy horizontally?
 

Dan Kone

Well-Known Member
I got 6 20gallon trashcans that I used last year for some 6 foot plants but the root ball wasn't even halfway down.but expenses of soil is killing me. Is this a waste of soil. Should I gravel the bottom or something?
Try seeds instead of clones. A tap root from a seed will penetrate down even a taller 45 gallon can just fine. You might want to consider going for wider containers rather than taller containers if you're going from clones. Garbage cans are tall and narrow, that's not optimal for clones due to the way the roots spread out. Seeds are your answer.

That being said, many clones should be able to penetrate that deep if given enough time.
 

mygirls

Medical Marijuana (MOD)
I got 6 20gallon trashcans that I used last year for some 6 foot plants but the root ball wasn't even halfway down.but expenses of soil is killing me. Is this a waste of soil. Should I gravel the bottom or something?
doing somthing wrong cuz i use that size indoors and the roots filled the pots up. now im down to 10 gallon pots and wow what a root ball
 

Throwed

Active Member
My outside plants last year got 6 foot tall and higher.....The root ball on them could have fit in a 5 gallon pot. 20 gallons should be plenty. Maybe a overkill. 1 Gallon for every month is the usual rule, but I have seen guys grow in 3 gallon pots and got nice yields. 20 gallons worth of soil is alot for one plant. So be prepared to spend. I would just use 5 gallon pots man. MJ don't need 20 gallons of space for a 6-7 month grow cycle.
 

Beansly

RIU Bulldog
Measure the distance of one bottom leaf to the other across, the radius. Roots rarely grow deeper than the distance of that.
ie if your plant is 12 inches across, your roots likely will not grow deeper than 12 inches down.
Hope this help.

Also, there is a breeder/grower named Tom Hill. He grows giant 8 ft tall, 8 ft across trees/bushes in north cali.
The kind of "pots" he uses (if you want to call them pots at that point) are 6 ft across and 18 inches deep, leading me to believe that 1) At certain point, matter how big a plant is, the deepest the roots will go 18-24 inches and; 2) The roots want to grow the width of the plant more than the want to grow super deep into the ground.
Some of Tom's work:
th03.jpgView attachment 1567579th05.jpgView attachment 1567581
Here's a link to the growing large plants outdoors thread:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159846
 

Dan Kone

Well-Known Member
Then how come I had plants in 45 gallon garbage cans that were root bound last year? I agree, wider is better than taller, but roots can go down up way past 24".
 

Jeffdt1966

Active Member
fill the bottom quarter with perlite , its cheap ... then mix even more into your soil , stretches the soil and ensures good drainage .....
 

jethead

Active Member
Mix in 3 Tbls of fresh mycos and I bet your roots grow deep and wide. Your plants will be bigger than last year. Good luck, jethead
 

fuzzfro007

Active Member
now THAT..... is weed.

Measure the distance of one bottom leaf to the other across, the radius. Roots rarely grow deeper than the distance of that.
ie if your plant is 12 inches across, your roots likely will not grow deeper than 12 inches down.
Hope this help.

Also, there is a breeder/grower named Tom Hill. He grows giant 8 ft tall, 8 ft across trees/bushes in north cali.
The kind of "pots" he uses (if you want to call them pots at that point) are 6 ft across and 18 inches deep, leading me to believe that 1) At certain point, matter how big a plant is, the deepest the roots will go 18-24 inches and; 2) The roots want to grow the width of the plant more than the want to grow super deep into the ground.
Some of Tom's work:
View attachment 1567578View attachment 1567579View attachment 1567580View attachment 1567581
Here's a link to the growing large plants outdoors thread:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159846
 

D''

Member
When did you transfer your plants into the container? When did you put them outdoors? Most plants like a hole that is wider instead of super deep so that may have been the cause. Was the prfile of your plants more tall and skinny or very branchy horizontally?
They were transplanted from clone at about a foot tall and they weren't topped they were tree like. Now too bushy about 6 colos from middle bramnches and the biggest nug the main cola obviously cuz I didn't top. They were no wider then my arms open. And were veggin about 3months
 

Beansly

RIU Bulldog
Then how come I had plants in 45 gallon garbage cans that were root bound last year? I agree, wider is better than taller, but roots can go down up way past 24".
Idk smart guy. All I know is that of all the N.Cali, Canada, and Southern US pictures I've seen of people growing MASSIVE outdoor bushes, nobody uses garbage cans. And I do hours of internet cannabis research almost everyday because I have the time..
Only noobs use garbage. cans it seems. The closest thing I've seen to someone using garbage cans was someone who cut the bottom of a barrel and cut them in half and made two containers.
Also, I've seen pictures of Tom Hill's plants. I've never seen pictures of yours. So I'd have to ignore you unless you have some proof.
 

jethead

Active Member
I never new wider is better and now I see what you mean. Thanks for the info. You learn something new everyday. Peace, jethead
 

Dan Kone

Well-Known Member
Idk smart guy. All I know is that of all the N.Cali, Canada, and Southern US pictures I've seen of people growing MASSIVE outdoor bushes, nobody uses garbage cans. And I do hours of internet cannabis research almost everyday because I have the time..
Only noobs use garbage. cans it seems. The closest thing I've seen to someone using garbage cans was someone who cut the bottom of a barrel and cut them in half and made two containers.
Also, I've seen pictures of Tom Hill's plants. I've never seen pictures of yours. So I'd have to ignore you unless you have some proof.
:) Guess I'm a noob
 

Dan Kone

Well-Known Member
well not just noobs...
I've seen pictures of people using trash cans when they grow large plants indoors.
Which would make sense I guess If you want to make as little mess as possible.
They actually aren't too bad as pots, the mobility is nice in the first few months. Here's the only pictures I could find of my cans. The plant in the middle is in a tall 45 gallon can /w wheels. It ended up more than 9' wide ~6.5' tall and was most definitely root bound at the bottom of the can.

IMG_0436.jpg
 
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