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pot size for autos

stoned-trout

if it smells like fish
Veteran
what does everyone recommend for pot size for autos??? has anyone found the point of diminishing returns in regard to soil volume???...looks like I will be trying several varieties real soon and I am an auto idiot !!! total newbee////...thanx .. yeehaw...looking to see how far autos have come since I smoked some when they were first put out...
 

corky1968

Active member
Veteran
I've never grown autoflowering plants so this is just a just guess on my part.

I don't think I would use anything bigger than a 6 or 8 inch pot on one of these.
The reason I say this is because I have grown regular plants for 3 to 5 months
in pots of those sizes quite easily. So with autoflowering plants not going
3 to 5 months I suspect all would be fine.

Next year, I'll probably try 20 to 30 autoflowering seeds in the outdoors to see what these are all about. :tiphat:

Cheers people.
 
Pot size makes a huge difference for autos in my experience. I use 5 gallon buckets with 1 or 2 plants in each. Coco, promix, coco chips, coco birds nest, or perlite 'hempy buckets'. Yield about a g/watt in big buckets. Unless you want to do a sea of green in small pots...
 

Tynehead Tom

Well-known member
I'm growing my first autos and kinda wondered the same thing.
I decided on putting them in 18 gallon totes, 2 to 3 to a tote.
they are still germinating tho so still have time to make different plans.
I thought about a planter box 18" wide, 4 ft long 2 feet deep and just plant them in a row.
we'll see.
 

HereIgrowagain

Active member
I use 7 liter pots. They are approx 7" square at the top tapering down to roughly 6" at the bottom, 10" tall. This allowed for a great formation of roots in coco and no escapees through the bottom. Good luck! :tiphat:
 

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
We use 5 gallon, some 3 gallon for smaller strains. If you are growing larger autos....5-7 gallon.
 
I'm growing my first autos and kinda wondered the same thing.
I decided on putting them in 18 gallon totes, 2 to 3 to a tote.
they are still germinating tho so still have time to make different plans.
I thought about a planter box 18" wide, 4 ft long 2 feet deep and just plant them in a row.
we'll see.

Totes work well, done that. The only issue is that the different phenos might want to be fed differently... And you can't do that with multiple plants in a tote. But mine came out great that run... You'll be fine.
 

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Totes work well, done that. The only issue is that the different phenos might want to be fed differently... And you can't do that with multiple plants in a tote. But mine came out great that run... You'll be fine.

Any salt build up in totes from fertilizer/water?
 

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I don't recall. I had good drainage and could flush them easily in the bathtub. Lol

Good thinking, Born!


Heard some with fabric totes have that problem.


May invest in airpots next year. Still very old school after working in commercial nursery a few years and using tree buckets for decades.


@ stoned trout....hell, you're not a newbie!!! Just don't compare photos with autos otherwise you'll be in for a disappointment because of size...yield is so subjective....allowing good root growth, perlite, we found works wonders. Born Loser can advise you on DWC....a pro!!


PLUSES ++++....quick harvest, great product whatever you are going to try. Found larger autos aren't quite as potent as medium sized, but again, it all depends on the genetic profiles.


Good luck!
 
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stoned-trout

if it smells like fish
Veteran
airpots blah...milk crates and fabric...but those are all full already...I have several options for the plants ..shopping cart ,,,soil tub 40 gal,growbags,5 gal buckets...yield has never been a factor with me ..even with sour bubble I got decent harvests...quality over quantity...and if the quality aint there, I got some older folks that complain my stuff is too strong that would prob like weaker gear...I have no expectations...yeehaw...btw I generally grow smaller plants so yield prob wont be too much different
 

MileHighGlass

Senior Member
I grew lowryders a while ago (At the time they were the only auto on the market) in 3 gallon pots with pretty good results. I also tried some lowryder crosses outside and they were about the same yield as in the 3 gallon pots.
 

Tynehead Tom

Well-known member
I took the 18 gallon rubber made totes , 5cm from bottom I drill 3 spaced out 1/2" holes at each end and 4 down each side. On the bottoms I drill lines of 4 holes then 3 then 4 then 3 right across the bottom in rows about 8cm (3inches) on center.
Then I take plastic window screen material cut big enough to fit the bottom of the tote and enough to cover all the holes. I lay the screen in and carefully fill with medium to keep the screen tight against the inside of the tote.
allows for excellent drainage and some air as well as the screen keeps root bugs ect from having easy access. Next year i'll be using beds in the ground that I am preparing this year with a mix of organics that will cook right thru till next spring and be prime for next seasons planting ;)
 

dickcorn

Active member
Big pots and strong lights make make for big autos. I've grown few auto strains that wouldn't benefit from 5+ gallons. The taller the container the better. But not restricting there growth can add 7-10 days to finish time easily so keep in mind. Good luck on your grow!
 
Big pots and strong lights make make for big autos. I've grown few auto strains that wouldn't benefit from 5+ gallons. The taller the container the better. But not restricting there growth can add 7-10 days to finish time easily so keep in mind. Good luck on your grow!


Couldn't agree more. And I think getting them into a big pot QUICKLY helps. I have some that are over 3 feet tall in 5 gallon buckets. Huge and branchy. Way taller than others that were transplanted later. Blasting them with light trippled their size in stretch.
 

neongreen

Active member
Veteran
I keep hearing people on here saying deeper pots are better for autos than wider/shallow pots. So this year I've swapped my wider/shallower 10l pots for taller/deeper containers of roughly the same volume. So far, my first round of autos this year if anything seem smaller than I've had in the past, so I'm not convinced it makes much difference. However we have not had much sun, but lots of rain/cloud instead which has probably resulted in smaller plants.

Hopefully my third round of autos (sown a few days ago in standard square 4" pots) will provide a clearer comparison...
 

Bud Green

I dig dirt
Veteran
A whole lot cheaper than smartpots is those black cloth grocery bags you can buy at Walmart (the ones you use if you're "green" and don't wanna use those stupid plastic grocery bags)
They cost $1 apiece the last time I bought some.
Put them in a plastic milk crate to carry them around.
They hold about 4 gallons of soil..
I'm getting ready to try them on some autos this week...
 

Slim Pickens

Well-known member
Veteran
I keep hearing people on here saying deeper pots are better for autos than wider/shallow pots. So this year I've swapped my wider/shallower 10l pots for taller/deeper containers of roughly the same volume. So far, my first round of autos this year if anything seem smaller than I've had in the past, so I'm not convinced it makes much difference. However we have not had much sun, but lots of rain/cloud instead which has probably resulted in smaller plants.

Hopefully my third round of autos (sown a few days ago in standard square 4" pots) will provide a clearer comparison...

Like neongreen,I have read the same thing.Deeper is better and all that.I would think,that if that is true,tree pots might be a good choice to grow in.Might be worth a try if someone wanted to document a trial.
 

big teej

Member
I would use smartpots. Size depends on outdoor/indior grow. I would use a 2-3 gallon for indoor and a 5-7 gallon outdoor. But i always reccomend bigger pots because just in case your plants want the extra room, they have it.
 

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