Smart pots and my first time with them

G

Guest

• Sep 8, 2017

• #1

OK I have a few grows under my belt. Not great not bad. INDOORS.

I switched from 12" square plastic this time to Gro-Pro bags. 7 gallons is the listed. Square.

Im in a small indoor space and only can fit two of them. I have seeds in solo cups as of a couple days ago and a soil that has been mixed and tested.

What surprised me was the square 7 gallon bags per their website held 9 gallons of volume. I put TWO 5 gallon Home Depot 5 gallon buckets in each one and can still add at least another 2 gallons by volume of soil to each to get still be within a inch of full.

One thing that REALLY has been interesting. When I filled them to where they are I added a half gallon of water to each to simulate watering to check runoff. I didn't get any but wanted a benchmark two days ago. Today I put my re-calibrated blumat water senor in, waited a hour and stuck my fingers in and its powder dry on top for 4 inches and damp after that going down. I thought smart pots were supposed to be more uniform on dryness from top to bottom with the fabric walls.

The blumat sensor reads 93 with just soil in the bags and the lower half at least is still damp. Makes me think in hard sided pots I was still over watering and didnt know it.

And yes I know Im using way big pots for a indoor grow but I hope making that much soil available will help to keep it close to a water only grow. Im growing for quality and its just personal use so it means more than yield to me.

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2017

H

Hooter

Member

• Sep 11, 2017

• #2

I used to grow using smart pots and soil. Water until you get a good run off. When the first couple inches drys time to water again. Your lights probably drying soil which is normal. Let the pots go to the dry side and your roots will grow faster. Some growers will wait for the plant to droop before watering. Duration between watering will lessen as plant gets larger. Overwatering can cause a lot of problems. I use organic fertilizer and coco ands it's not possible to overwater. Fabric pots allow water to escape out the sides keeping everything more uniform but won't keep the soil from drying from surface temperatures.

 

J

jwm

Well-known member

Veteran

• Jul 18, 2018

• #3

My first year using cloth pots.
I'm on a bluff where winds are pretty much constant, some days gusting to 20-30mph for days on end...Seems this year it's been non-stop and couple that with hotter than mormal temps and my plants dry out w/in 20 hours!
Is this normal for smart pots, having to water daily?
I'm in 10 gallon pots.

 

H

Hooter

Member

• Jul 18, 2018

• #4

If your in coco you can water anytime but in soil you have to let it dry a little to allow oxygen into the soil for the roots. If it’s soil a good rule of thumb would be to let the first two inches of soil dry before watering. Get to know how heavy the pot is wet and dry easier that way. Sounds like a pretty harsh environment to grow in. Daily watering dose not seem unreasonable. Good Luck.

 

big315smooth

mama tried

Veteran

• Mar 5, 2019

• #5

i took over a 12 plant 50 gallon smart pot outdoor run few years back and didnt realize what i was getting into. every three days filled up a 250 water tank then skid steer it across the road where i had to hand walk 5 gallon buckets to each plant. lets just say i mastered the art of carrying two full 5 gallon buckets without spilling a drop all in the hips

 

O

Oliver Pantsoff

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 5, 2019

• #6

big315smooth said:

i took over a 12 plant 50 gallon smart pot outdoor run few years back and didnt realize what i was getting into. every three days filled up a 250 water tank then skid steer it across the road where i had to hand walk 5 gallon buckets to each plant. lets just say i mastered the art of carrying two full 5 gallon buckets without spilling a drop all in the hips

Click to expand...

Lol @ all in the hips. You're right about that one. Been there done that...

OP

 

GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening

ICMag Donor

Veteran

• Mar 5, 2019

• #7

7's aren't too big for indoors.

I'm in 25's now. And the next room I'm prepping right now for I'll have a couple 200's.

 

R

ronbo51

Member

Veteran

• Mar 6, 2019

• #8

I use smart pots in my cabinet. 22" square. One 10 gallon pot with the sides turned down 4 inches to decrease height a bit. 3 or 4 plants scrogged to an even canopy.

It is so easy to overwater and so many problems arise from it. It takes discipline and confidence to allow that soil to dry beyond where you might water, but ultimately a dry soil (within reason) runs a better plant and a better outcome.

Smart pots have made it easier to control water. Large surface area causes the top to dry while the roots soak up the moisture. The top layer will always dry faster and should not be used to judge the moisture levels below. I also like that I don't have to flood the root zone daily and wash away nutrients and drown biolife.

 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club

Veteran

• May 17, 2019

• #9

Do any of you guys cut holes in the bottom of the bags?? I made some grow pots outta landscape fabric last yr, I didn't have much money to buy that thick stuff. But I've got several different kinds and brands of grow pots im getting ready to transplant some plants into outdoors.

 

Ibechillin

Masochist Educator

• May 17, 2019

• #10

Healthy roots should be able to grow right through the bag into the ground.

 

AgentPothead

Just this guy, ya know?

• May 17, 2019

• #11

I had 3 plants outdoor last year in cloth pots and all three grew through the bag into the ground. That crunching/ripping sound when you lift them up at harvest is almost sickening.

 

Ibechillin

Masochist Educator

• May 17, 2019

• #12

AgentPothead said:

That crunching/ripping sound when you lift them up at harvest is almost sickening.

Click to expand...

Instant feelings of guilt and shame just overwhelmed me reading that lol. Im only filling my 30 gallon fabric pots 12 inches deep to encourage the feeder roots to take up all the space and water roots to penetrate the ground.

 

AgentPothead

Just this guy, ya know?

• May 17, 2019

• #13

Ibechillin said:

Instant feelings of guilt and shame just overwhelmed me reading that lol. Im only filling my 30 gallon fabric pots 12 inches deep to encourage the feeder roots to take up all the space and water roots to penetrate the ground.

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Does that work good adding less dirt so they become root bound faster? I never thought about that. And yeah the feeling I can only describe it as "gutwrenching". Just remembering the noises and I feel sad inside.

 

Ibechillin

Masochist Educator

• May 17, 2019

• #14

The feeder roots reside in only the first 12" of soil and full root system rarely beyond 16 inches, 24 inches at the most. So Im experimenting with focusing them predominantly in the fabric pots with a well draining soil mix to get optimal oxygen, so I can feed daily or multifeed outdoors. I grew in hydroponics before attempting soil and Ive been researching heavily a way to grow hybrid style with the benefits of both.

Wider pots or more soil? thread:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=344347

I posted ^this thread awhile ago that explained my observations and ideas on root anatomy and conditions for optimal growth.

 

zachrockbadenof

Well-known member

Veteran

• May 17, 2019

• #15

I just finished up a grow with 6 plants 3 in 7gall fabric pots, and 3 in 5gallon plastic- they were under '2' 315 cmh, and moved around regularly.. the object was to see if they grow faster, healthier, quanity ...etc...

they are curing now but from the looks of it, they grew at just about the same rate....actually maybe a touch faster in plastic... I will weigh em in a week or so, but the output def looks to lean to plastic...

 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club

Veteran

• May 17, 2019

• #16

AgentPothead said:

I had 3 plants outdoor last year in cloth pots and all three grew through the bag into the ground. That crunching/ripping sound when you lift them up at harvest is almost sickening.

Click to expand...

I know they'll grow out the bottom, im just wondering if anybody/ im sure probably cutting some holes in the bottom. I'll probably try it with one pot and see if it works better or not. I guess we can only wonder until somebody speaks who's tried it lol.


Yea I hate trying or wanting to move the pots around and pulling roots outta the ground. That's why I was thinking of cutting a drain hole or so in the bottom. The plants i don't plan to move outdoors I'll still did a nice hole for roots to get into once they grow out the bottom. I really like plastic, but im gonna be testing a few different fabric pots in my upcoming outdoor thread. Ive got some smart pots with the handles, they seem to be easier to move or course. Good luck outdoors everyone, be careful if guerilla growing, keep you some fresh water for yourself it can get hot!!

 

wvkindbud38

Elite Growers Club

Veteran

• May 17, 2019

• #17

zachrockbadenof said:

I just finished up a grow with 6 plants 3 in 7gall fabric pots, and 3 in 5gallon plastic- they were under '2' 315 cmh, and moved around regularly.. the object was to see if they grow faster, healthier, quanity ...etc...

they are curing now but from the looks of it, they grew at just about the same rate....actually maybe a touch faster in plastic... I will weigh em in a week or so, but the output def looks to lean to plastic...

Click to expand...

Ive been thinking of switching to fabric pots indoors. But it's hard to when plastic pots have always treated me so good. I usually do 5gal buckets indoors and get huge plants, I'm maybe gonna test it out like you have and see if 7 or 10gal fabric pots work out for me indoors. Ive been thinking of cutting holes in those totes like you get to store things in. You can get almost any size/gal that you'd want. But it's hard to keep the fabric pots from drying out, it doesnt seem like I'm watering as much in the summer outdoors with plastic. I'm gonna give these fabric pots hell and plant everyone I've got for this season. I'm going be transplanting some stuff into fabric pots within the next few days.