Pot Size
- Thread starter North...
- Start date
JimmyJackCorn
Well-Known Member
Depends on what you're trying to do (soil makeup). Your tent size may play a part in the decision.
If you are new to soil and have an average-size place to grow, I would recommend five-gallon pots filled with a basic soil recipe. Keep it simple.
If you are new to soil and have an average-size place to grow, I would recommend five-gallon pots filled with a basic soil recipe. Keep it simple.
speedwell68
Well-Known Member
I'm in 3.5 Imperial Gallon Pots and they are just about right.
Weedvin
Well-Known Member
10 gallon.
Masterdank420
Well-Known Member
Yield is pretty dependent on the size of plant you grow. The size of the plants is directly related to the mass of roots it has. If you got a small pot then expect a small yield. This is assuming the rest of the environment is optimal of course.
Did 5 and 10 gallons for organics. Amended soil and top dressings later. Only liquid ferts i used on those grows were KNF recipes made by myself.
Now because of circumstances, i'm doing 3L pots or about 3/4th of a gallon pots. Don't know how big buds can get in that pot size, but so far i have no deficiencies.
Only a few top dressings up to this point, and a insect frass brew.
Maybe these little pots will require more frequent or intense feedings for the remaining weeks, don't know yet, but it was an assumption i made from the beginning: the possibility of needing more liquid feeds compared to bigger pots where i mostly let the microbes do their thing.
I mean, it seems to be doable in every pot size, but 10 gal can be a good place to start.
Now because of circumstances, i'm doing 3L pots or about 3/4th of a gallon pots. Don't know how big buds can get in that pot size, but so far i have no deficiencies.
Only a few top dressings up to this point, and a insect frass brew.
Maybe these little pots will require more frequent or intense feedings for the remaining weeks, don't know yet, but it was an assumption i made from the beginning: the possibility of needing more liquid feeds compared to bigger pots where i mostly let the microbes do their thing.
I mean, it seems to be doable in every pot size, but 10 gal can be a good place to start.
Masterdank420
Well-Known Member
If you use organic teas you'll avoid the plants dying out on you before harvest. You'll even get something to smoke. Although you will have diminished yield using smaller pots. And watering will have to be done much more often.
BlandMeow
Well-Known Member
The roots that grow underground are as big as the tree.
If your canopy is massive after a long veg, but you are in small pots, you'll def run out of gas in the soil without amending. If you keep your veg time short you could transplant into a 5 gallon and flip right away. This would allow the roots to extend out into the fresh soil during stretch.
I have a 3x3 tent with a single 10 gallon plant taking up half a scrog net and two 5 gallon taking up the other half. The smaller pots are definitely more work. Next run I'm going to do four 10 gallon pots and basically take up the entire floor of the tent. Considering doing a single 3x3 living soil bed as well... Need to do some reading here in the organics section.
If your canopy is massive after a long veg, but you are in small pots, you'll def run out of gas in the soil without amending. If you keep your veg time short you could transplant into a 5 gallon and flip right away. This would allow the roots to extend out into the fresh soil during stretch.
I have a 3x3 tent with a single 10 gallon plant taking up half a scrog net and two 5 gallon taking up the other half. The smaller pots are definitely more work. Next run I'm going to do four 10 gallon pots and basically take up the entire floor of the tent. Considering doing a single 3x3 living soil bed as well... Need to do some reading here in the organics section.
I genuinely appreciate the advice and comments. Currently in the Autopot XL which is about 5.5 gallons of coco or 25 litres. Was thinking about using this but not auto feeding. I have some slightly larger pots about 9 gallons or 44 litres. Given the consensus, either will be suitable. That's the confidence I needed as I would say 6 pots fit in the room. I am now a bit more fascinated by organic vs chemical.
waterproof808
Well-Known Member
You could also consider using a Geopot or just building a soil bed the appropriate size.
Clusterfuck Tuesday
Active Member
For a living soil grow, veg through flower, I’d go 7-10 gallons. If your going to be feeding nutes as well, then a 5 gallon is perfect. I’ve done autos in 3 gallon living soil bags, but I would have to top feed going into flower - definitely not water only ina small bag.
myke
Well-Known Member
Start cooking your soil now,even a basic recipe works well but it needs time. 10g minimum for size.
Masterdank420
Well-Known Member
i started using nutrient salts but quickly got fed up of the work. Thats why i switched to organics. Let the microbes do the work and amend the plants as needed. Requires a bit more intuition though compared to hydro or even a nutrient salts soil grow.
I decided to quite applying intuition as part of the management of my grows about 15 years ago. Apparently according to my wife my intuition is faulty anyway so I just let the plants figure it all out on their own.
VincenzioVonHook
Well-Known Member
I think the "roots as big as tree" quote is a bit off these days. I grew my second potted plant in an amended Coco based organic potting mix in a 2.5 gallon pot and she filled a 2x4 tent pretty well on its own.
If that old saying was true none of my plants would have been more than 8-9" tall as they were all in 20-25cm pots.
BlandMeow
Well-Known Member
Yeah she did!
kratos015
Well-Known Member
This. Truth be told, people don't make as much use of their 5 gallon or more sized pots.
Consider roots in a solo cup; we've all checked roots too early (breaks apart), or too late (rootbound).
With roots, its mass we should care about and not size. Lets take the following example.
Consider a fully rootbound 2g pot vs a half way full 7g pot.
I can yield 2.5-3.5oz from a 2g pot, translates into 1.25-1.75oz per gallon. We'll say average 1.5oz per gallon.
I can pull 6-8oz from a 7g pot, translates into 0.85-1.14oz per gallon. We'll say average of 1oz per gallon.
Now, assume a 4x4 tent. 4x4 tent can fill either 4 7g pots, or 16 2g pots. Lets compare the yields of both scenarios using the numbers from above.
4 7g pots = 4 plants in 7g pots, 1oz per gallon. 7 x 4 = 28g x 1 oz = 28 ounces.
16 2g pots = 16 plants in 2g pots, 1.5oz per gallon. 16 x 2 = 32 gallons. 32g x 1.5 oz = 48 ounces.
Or 32g x 1.25 oz = 40 ounces.
Or 32g x 1 oz = 32 ounces, still an extra QP compared to 7g pots.
You can yield almost double by using smaller pots. The reason is because many people underestimate just how much soil is truly being used by the plants and their roots.
I've had root masses in 2g pots that were like literal bricks, there was that many roots in the pot. They had to be watered twice a day, and the watering took forever. There were so many roots in the pot that the water could barely even flow through!
Compare that to a 7g pot that isn't near as root bound. In fact, attempting to transplant this 7g pot will likely result in a broken root ball because there aren't enough roots in that 7g pot to hold together the 7g of soil in the pots.
Which plant will drink more water and consume more nutrients? The 100% root bound 2g pot or the half way root bound 7g pot?
7g pot is more likely to experience issues related to overwatering and root rot. The 7g pot will only need to be watered 2-3 times a week, and fed one a week.
The 2g pot though? Needed to be watered 2-3 times a day, and had to be top dressed/amended twice a week.
If the 2g pot eats and drinks more than the 7g pot, it stands to reason it will yield more too.
I've since begun phasing out anything larger than 2g pots. I don't have to veg as long as I did with 7g pots and yield more because I can fit more plants and have a tighter canopy as a result. Easier to move them around too. I can grab 4 of the 2g pots using both of my hands. I can only grab 1 of the 7g pots using both of my hands.
Do the side by side and see for yourself. The 7g pots will require 4-6 weeks longer veg than the 2 pots will. And even if the 7g pots receive the extra 4-6 weeks of veg, they'll still likely not yield as much as the 16 2g pots.
Furthermore, in the span of a year, the extra veg time for the 7g pots results in less harvests. Resulting in even less weed for us!
That extra 1 month of veg time, multiplied by 3 harvests in a year, results in a loss of 3 months due to extra veg time.
That 3 months you lose from vegging, could have been another harvest. Not only do the smaller pots yield more, but they'll provide you with an extra harvest in a year compared to the 7g pots.
Electric bills are cheaper too, because that's 3 months the lights are 12/12 instead of 18/6 or 24/0.
Regards.