Coco pot size:Less is more?

[stefanosstef]

Hello members, first post!

I've been searching the last 2 days for what pot size should I transplant my autos in.I found something weird.Although some suggested similar sizes as with soil a minority suggested that less is more, that the bigger pots-bigger plants isn't true for coco.Some even used 1gallon pots for non auto plants

I want to take advantage of coco and water it as hydroponic, 2-3 times a day.So I'm between 3L or 6L air pots.

I suddenly remembered a friend of mine who sweared he saw huge plants in very small pots in a friend's house.Coco never crossed my mind.I feel like it's a secret most of us don't know because we treat coco more or less like dirt, which is what I did in my first coco grow and got soil results.

What size do you suggest for my autos?3L, 6L or bigger?They will be transplanted in these pots on 3rd week (I've already started them in 0.5L-1L pots).

Other info:400watts hps, 6 plants in closet.

 

[sourpuss]

Coco doesnt require as much pot size as soil. Ive grown small plants in 1.5 and 2 gal in coco. No prob. Nice yields. I find the smaller pots require more waterings. Unlike soil it should not dry out between waterings. Will u b able to water 2 to 3 times a day everyday? Smarter to give yourself some leeway.

In a 1.5 gal, I must water everyday in flower. Thats for a small plant. If I forget the plants will suffer big time. Imo 1.5 is the smallest youd want to go. Multiple feeding can b done, use a airy 50 50 coco perlite mix.

 

[sourpuss]

In terms of drying out. The ph can swing the drier the med gets. Better yields and health if its kept moist.

 

[stefanosstef]

Thanks for the reply.That's my goal, to keep them moist and dripping to take advantage the coco as a hydroponic medium even if that means to water them 3 times a day.I'm also gonna mix perlite in coco, up to 50%.

So you suggest the 6litre pots?I want them to be able to dry, say, twice everyday.The strains are autos and I'll be using air pots.

 

[Green lung]

here is a 2.2 gal coco hand watered twice every 24hrs


watering times depend on how is hot your closet, How much perlite/coco mix(more perlite faster it dries out) I like straight coco, how much root mass you have(coco plants love for the roots to fully explore the coco before you flower)


!-3 gals is best IMO


this 2.2gal

 

[Green lung]

 

[stefanosstef]

View Image

Totally unreal plant!Unbelievable.So what size should I use for my autos?They shouldn't need as much as a 3-4 months plant.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

If you're only vegging for three weeks (oh you have autos, no matter I think) and you have automated watering under 400 watts then one gallon pots will be fine. I grow under 400 watt lights in a flood and drain system using one gallon Root Maker containers of coir. I flood twice a day. I bought some three gallon containers (next size up) and haven't used them yet and won't unless I get more powerful lights and switch to a vert doughnut system.

 

[sourpuss]

Nice plant, what's the strain?

 

[Elmer Bud]

View Image

G`day GL

Nice plant .

One detail ? Did you take note the OP is asking about Autos ?
Friends tell me Autos will begin to flower as soon as the roots hit the bottom / sides of the pots .This is why it is recommended to repot into their larger flowering container or directly into the ground .




Thanks for sharin

EB .

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

One detail ? Did you take note the OP is asking about Autos ?
Friends tell me Autos will begin to flower as soon as the roots hit the bottom / sides of the pots .This is why it is recommended to repot into their larger flowering container or directly into the ground .

Really good point. I remember a post here by someone who'd experimented with this and found that the plants grew best in deep pots. Width didn't seem to matter. The critical moment was when the roots hit bottom. He got his best results with long narrow treepots.

 

[Gelado`]

Deep pots are definitely better since cannabis likes deep roots. I use 1 gallon Smarts with 40% peat, 50% coco and the rest is perlite. I use a lot of worm castings since the plants love 'em! You can keep your pots well hydrated with Blumats too--they work a treat!

One gallon Smarts were fine for my autos, but I'm tempted to go up to two gallons because my current growth is explosive.

My setup is similar to the OPs; 400W HPS, 100W of 3W Leds, and seven plants.

 

[Elmer Bud]

No Auto exp .

No Auto exp .

G`day CR

Yep I use tree pots for my regular seedlings .
They are around 17 cm / 6 1/2 inch deep and 3 inch /7.5 cm wide at the top . I`m finding I can grow them a little longer in the deeper pots before transplant .Seems the roots want to grow down and establish before growing laterally .
But like I said earlier the OP was askin about Autos . I`ve never grown any . Looking fwd to trying some this Summer .
But the guys I know who do, tell me getting root bound can negatively effect yields . Ie they stop growing and begin flower straight away . Now if thats in the 1st few weeks . The plant yields a cpl of grams and is a waste of time and energy .
Coco definitely allows for smaller pots if feeds are kept up in regular grows . Autos ...


Thanks for sharin

EB .

 

[Gelado`]

The guys on Autoflower.net would tell you to germ right in a one gallon pot--no transplanting with autos.

BTW, you'll be looking at right around three months, even with autos. IMO the only benefit to me, as an indoor grower, of running autos is that I can flower and finish them while vegging moms and then clones under the same light at 18/6. IMO their real benefit is outdoors, where they will be done in three months, regardless of light cycle, as long as it doesn't get cold.

As for coco, my local nursery uses straight coco with pelletized biorganic fertilizer for the farm industry and worm castings. Everything is mixed up and watered through, and you don't need to feed again until harvest. Pretty cool.

 

[stefanosstef]

I've heard I should have planted them directly in their final pots but transplanting suits me better because:
1.I've noticed no difference in yield.It's low anyway.
2.I can use my 250 metal halide which can cover the space of small pots the 2-3 weeks they are vegging.

The situation is that they are in 1L pots now (13 days) and by the end of the week I should decide and buy the final pots.Transplanting them is gonna slow down, even by a few days, the rooting so I'm thinking if it's better to get the 3L pots (less than 1gallon) so the roots will hit bottom faster.But I'm worried:

1.If 3L will make them rootbound.Maybe the airpots will help preventing that?As I said before, multiple feedings daily aren't a problem.
2.Are airpots any good?I've read here they act like a bug nest.I can't imagine having this problem indoor though...

I can't find an easy answer to any of this though (especially for autos).It seems that a few know how to treat coco as a true hydro with small pots and multiple feedings.

Btw the strains are:1xAmnesia Haze auto, 2xBlueberry auto, 2xVertigo, 1xPolar Light #2.

 

[Gelado`]

A proper transplant won't slow them down at all--I potted up from a one gallon to a five gallon and my auto yielded well (for an auto). I grew an automatic White Russian. Great smoke. If you screw up the transplant then growth will be affected.

Airpots are good--my preference is Smartpots, just because they're more convenient to use. Airpots will aid bugs in infesting your plants if you have bug issues (e.g., root aphids). If you don't, then there's nothing to worry about.

Nice lineup btw!

 

[stefanosstef]

A proper transplant won't slow them down at all--I potted up from a one gallon to a five gallon and my auto yielded well (for an auto). I grew an automatic White Russian. Great smoke. If you screw up the transplant then growth will be affected.

Airpots are good--my preference is Smartpots, just because they're more convenient to use. Airpots will aid bugs in infesting your plants if you have bug issues (e.g., root aphids). If you don't, then there's nothing to worry about.

Nice lineup btw!

Yeah that's true about transplanting.Only once it stunned the plants for 4-5 days, the rest I found no bad effect.Are growing in coco too?

 

[stefanosstef]

The biggest is this (amnesia haze), but there is some leaf curling.It happens in almost every grow.I've stopped looking for the cause, it could be ph issues.

I water with deionized water.Per litre of water I add:
1. 0.67ml Biobizz alg a mic
2. 0.67ml Biobizz bioheaven
3. 0.25ml Hesi coco
4. Ph down solution

I used the last drops of my ph measuring kit to standardize the doses.After the above the ph is 5.5-6.

To be honest I'm a bit afraid to use only 3L pots but I didn't get a definite answer on autos specifically so the problem is still open.

I see the forum is lacking in grows with coco and small pots so I will be posting a picture of their progress every week.Thank you everyone for the opinions so far.

 

[RonSmooth]

IME, you dont even need to be feeding such a young seedling.

 

[BigSteve]

The bigger the pot the more bud you get. It's most apparent in coco because the growth is so major.

You can transplant a clone in to a 15 gallon pot and in about 20-30 days veg have a plant ready to produce pounds. It's easier to have big plants than a million small ones.

Here is a 5 gallon pot. With about 3 weeks veg from clone. I topped it once. I will be chopping in a day or two. I REALLY wish I had put in a 15 gallon pot like I normally do. I would of got waaaay more.