# how many gal. of soil does each plant require ??



## Fazz (Jan 13, 2011)

if growing in pots , like .. say outside .

how many gal. of soil should be used ??
like .. for mid sized .
or monsters .

any input appreciated .


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## Skroatz (Jan 13, 2011)

I heard 1L/week... so convert to gallons and calculate how long you plant to grow them remembering you will probably re-pot them once or twice.


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## Wetdog (Jan 13, 2011)

A good rule of thumb is 1 gallon for each foot of plant height.

Wet


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## Green Dave (Jan 18, 2011)

Yea what Wetdog said


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

LOL, 1gal per ft. That WILL NOT WORK!!!!! Well, at least not around here. 

Everyone here in Humboldt uses 25-35gal for every 10'-14' plant. That is about 2.5x what the other guys think. Maybe their experience is different or they are growing bonsai plants. But here in Hum, if you want the max yield, you give the roots room to stretch out.


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## FarmerJJ (Jan 18, 2011)

Jorge Cervantes has said that one gallon of pot size per month is a safe guideline


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

FarmerJJ said:


> Jorge Cervantes has said that one gallon of pot size per month is a safe guideline


Well then Jorge is wrong... A root bound tree that underproduces is all you will get with a 10-gal (6L) pot and a 10-foot monster (3.5m) that might be sayyyyy nine feet (3m) wide. 

IMO, Jorge was giving a guideline for small plants (under 6-feet or 2m)

I'm just sayin, here in Humboldt my outdoor friends all use more like 2 gal per foot for the monster plants... i.e. a 15-foot monster that is 9-months old.


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## TwooDeff425 (Jan 18, 2011)

The homies in Nor.Cal I was helpin' out were using 100gal smart pots....idk if that rule of thumb is right....my vote is with Hum on this one


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## Green Dave (Jan 18, 2011)

I think Jorge knows a little more about this then is givin credit for.He has years under his belt and a few books. You dont just write a book of what you think you have to do your homework
The question was left open never said it was indoor or outdoors
and IMO 100 Gal is a overkill unless you own a soil company or just very deep pockets


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

Green Dave said:


> I think Jorge knows a little more about this then is givin credit for.He has years under his belt and a few books. You dont just write a book of what you think you have to do your homework


I would agree that Jorge probably knows a bit more than he's given credit for in this thread, however that doesn't mean he's right on this one. I can't imagine a 7-gal pot for a 7-month old monster that is huge, it just wouldn't work.... the pot would overturn even when watered fully. I'm sure his guideline is for smaller and younger plants. It simply doesn't work for huge outdoor plants.

As far as books go, I'm a published author of four books(non-cannabis). Two of them I became an expert to write... the other two was more about who I knew, not what I knew. The publisher provided me with most of the technical info. I tell you this not to impress you, but rather to impress upon you that that people probably shouldn't put authors on such high pedestals. We don't deserve it, we're not all experts even when writing technical books. Hard to believe, but that is how many books are published. 

I'm not saying that Jorge is in that group, I'm just saying that is the publishing business in general. It is more about what sells than getting the best expert or the most accurate information out. I'm sure Jorge is an expert; I simply disagree with this blanket assertion from him, that's all.

BTW, beautiful avatar!


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## Oldreefer (Jan 18, 2011)

I'm a bit different on the subject....I only grow autos and an occassional photo....the largest container I've used is 1 gal.....but usually use a 4" pot....I know thats much smaller than recommended but it works for me. Yes, they dry out pretty quick, requiring daily care but I do grow some auto monsters..and have 6 different strains right now in 4" pots, very healthy, growing some nice buds.....I must add my 20 yrs growing bonzai is helpful......I don't recommend small pots unless you have the time to care for'em. My yeilds are small but when you grow for yourself, yeild is not important...........


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

Oldreefer said:


> I'm a bit different on the subject....I only grow autos and an occassional photo....the largest container I've used is 1 gal.....but usually use a 4" pot....I know thats much smaller than recommended but it works for me. Yes, they dry out pretty quick, requiring daily care but I do grow some auto monsters..and have 6 different strains right now in 4" pots, very healthy, growing some nice buds.....I must add my 20 yrs growing bonzai is helpful......I don't recommend small pots unless you have the time to care for'em. My yeilds are small but when you grow for yourself, yeild is not important...........


Do you bonzai the pot plants? I'd love to see a pic of one, if you have done it. I'm just curious; my son grows bonzai and was wanting to try it. Any advice? BTW, how large would you call a "monster plant" for your way of growng? Thanks.


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## FarmerJJ (Jan 18, 2011)

Well he asked about growing mid sized plants as well as monsters, I know growers that never use more than 5 gal.


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## phyzix (Jan 18, 2011)

I use 3 gallon minimum for flowering, 5 - 10 preferred.


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

OK, I found an example of a Humboldt sized plant. This is why smaller pots would never work here...


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## grobofotwanky (Jan 18, 2011)

Hum215 said:


> OK, I found an example of a Humboldt sized plant. This is why smaller pots would never work here...


 I would push those two dudes out of the way, crawl inside that bitch, and never come out!!!


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## solosmoke (Jan 18, 2011)

i know the biger the pot the biger the plant that a rule for ever kind of plant ,now on inside you can get more from a small pot but have to feed it good sometimes everyday,just my 2 cent


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## phyzix (Jan 18, 2011)

Not mine, but that looks like a 2 - 3 gallon container.


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## Hum215 (Jan 18, 2011)

phyzix said:


> Not mine, but that looks like a 2 - 3 gallon container.


I think you are right. I agree that is a good example of a small outdoor plant in a small pot. Did you see the size I was speaking of in my previous post? That is what would take a 50-100 gal. IMO. I've had smaller plants that did well in 30 gallon pots. When we took apart the soil, it was completely filled and "root bound". I've always been of the mind to give the plant as much space as it desires both above and below ground. YMMV.


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## FarmerJJ (Jan 19, 2011)

Hum215 said:


> OK, I found an example of a Humboldt sized plant. This is why smaller pots would never work here...


Amazing looking plant, but it would def tip off a few neighbors in my area


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## new smokey (Jan 19, 2011)

Quick question. is a five gallon typical bucket that you can get from home depot the same as a five gallon pot. Or does five gallons of soil take up less space then five gallons of water?


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## dudemandigo (Jan 19, 2011)

new smokey said:


> Quick question. is a five gallon typical bucket that you can get from home depot the same as a five gallon pot. Or does five gallons of soil take up less space then five gallons of water?


LOL 5 gallons is 5 gallons


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## Fazz (Jan 23, 2011)

dudemandigo said:


> LOL 5 gallons is 5 gallons


I LOL'd at that too .

you've all been a good help  .
thank you .


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## Mudslide9791 (Jan 23, 2011)

I use 3 gallon pots indoors, plants are trained down to 3 or 4 ft in height, towards the end of flower I have to water with nutes daily. It's due to size constraints that I don't use 5 gallon buckets


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## TichySmokeSmoke (Jan 23, 2011)

I use 20 gal buckets and its inside as well, at the end of the season you can get that girl rooted up. my Yields are high and my Potency is great. That me and everyone has there own way of doing it


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## Ya Boi (Mar 28, 2020)

I do personal grows every year and I would never push my soil pass 20gal. per ft depth 22.5 inches 10 ft.+ Plants my next door neighbor is a old style hippy that has been growing since the 70s he has grown 7 ft plants out of a 5 gallon bucket heavy buds it's about having the know how to grow the strain you choose space is cool but don't nute burn y'all's plants real talk


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## ganga gurl420 (Mar 29, 2020)

This is 200 gallons in ground. Plants were twice that size when I doubled the soil. 
If you want monsters I wouldn't go anything smaller then 100g.


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## DankWilliamsSr (Apr 23, 2020)

Green Dave said:


> I think Jorge knows a little more about this then is givin credit for.He has years under his belt and a few books. You dont just write a book of what you think you have to do your homework
> The question was left open never said it was indoor or outdoors
> and IMO 100 Gal is a overkill unless you own a soil company or just very deep pockets


Yeah, it takes a lot of money to fill my 200 gallon pots, even more for my 36 cubic foot beds but they will yeild 5 to ten lbs each at the end so it's worth it. Especially if you got plant count to worry about, some guys are doing 400 gallon pots with two or three plants in there. Long summers make monsters.


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