pot sizes

[emmy75]

ok i first tried searching this info but the search yielded nothin specific so ill ask away now. since most people grow in pots i figure this question should get answered fairly easily. since i dont like any of the pots at the gardening store and the ones i do find are usually too big i though i would just use drink bottles for transplant stages. so i start with a 16 ounce beer cup then 32 ouncer for the second phase and then 64 ouncers for the bloom phase. obviously im just doubling the sizes. do you guys think that doubled volume gives the plant enough room for the transplant and finally the bloom.

i wanna keep my grow short and small but again allow for enough room for the plant to thrive.

how do you guys who grow small plants determine how much space is enough?

thanks peeps if you can help

 

[Clackamas Coot]

There was a point in time when I believed that 'size didn't matter' and then I tested out 7 gallon pots (Smart Pots specifically) and I found that what I held to be true was wrong.

Larger pots result in increased yields. Given that we're restricted in Oregon with regard to the 'number' of plants but not the 'size' of the plants, I grow in larger pots.

HTH

CC

 

[easy maroc]

It depends on preference really, but either way you look at it, pot size does matter. If you have a 500 gallon bed or barley 1 gallon pots for flower, results will vary. I like the idea of a high number of plants under 1 light. I will soon be fitting 45 plants in 1 gallon pots under 1 600 watt hps on a 2.25 foot light mover (pretty excited) high plants numbers = higher risk= highest reward. Its all preference man...I use pots from this company right here, they seem almost to perfect for my setup...http://www.stuewe.com/products/treepots.html (I veg in some smaller ones they have, MT38 i believe, and flower with the TPOT2's)

 

[easy maroc]

Squeeze as many plants as possible in your space, believe me, even if the plant is practically in the shade all the time, it will yield more than the soil cost to grow it in, I know a person who does high numbers and gets over 2 pounds off 1 600 hps with no light mover!

PS: Another incredible secret that will increase your results...Strip every fan leaf exactly 20 days into flower, and again at 39-40 days of flower. It allows for the highest number of plants imaginable, when you strip the leaves you will not believe how much space is opened up in the canopy. Yea may be very weiry of this (anyone would be) but the plants barley notice it (side by side comparison showed and unstripped plant in a 1 gallon pot yielded 8 grams less than the same stripped plant in the same pot) Multiply those 8 extra grams per tree which can really really add up...those leaves are meant to die when flower sets, get them out early.....your trying to grow the most buds not leaves right?

 

[headimonster]

yeah sounds like a good idea easy, but dont you think most of the nutes in the plant are being held up in these leafs that you are striping? I personally clip the tips of leaves opening my canopy, but still allowing the plant to use the nutes avail. in the leaf and to be able to continue to make sugars and energy for themselves...

 

[BurnOne]

I start seeds or clones in 16 oz. plastic cups. Then, when they have rooted good, I go to 3 gallon nursery pots until harvest.
Burn1

 

[emmy75]

well i kinda got my question answered.

CC: I understand why you use 7 gallon pots but that is way tooo big for me. I think the largest pot ive used so far is perhaps a 3 gallon which was still too big. I dont want to deal with the soil to fill it and I am not vegging as long as i used to.

B1: again a three gallon pot is too big.
but thats interesting that u go from 16 ounces to over a 350 ounce container.

but overall it seems that just doubling the size of the container for three stages may not be enough space. perhaps ill start with a 16 ouncer, 64 ounces then 1 gallon.

thanks for your

 

[habeeb]

look at hydro, roots are twice the size, but are the plants, no

 

[headimonster]

but are the buds twice as dense....yes...bigger roots - better foundation...its like building a house - you want a sturdy foundation b4 u can build on top of it right?

 

[easy maroc]

Hello all, wow lot of replies since yesterday. headimonster, I understand your concern about the stripping of all fan leaves, they catch most of the light the plant uses, as well as store and provide nutrients. But think about veg stage, and flower stage. 20 days into flower all the leaves the plant produced in veg, naturally start to die so all the energy may be focused on the main stalk (bud growth) Even though all leaves may be rich/healthy and green @ day 20 of flower, by stripping all of them, it gives the plant such a jump start to focus all energy on just the stalk. Even after i stripped every fan leaf i thought I should, about 5-7 days later the smaller fan leaves left on the main stalks become dominate and they will help the buds finish very nicely. This method opens an unbelievable amount of space in a tight canopy, it really aids in trimming after harvest as well. Again it is a drastic measure, maybe try a controlled experiment with it on 1 of your plants, I can guarantee an increase in yield.

 

[easy maroc]

Check out the "size does matter" thread on this site....somewhere around the 6th or 7th page there is a dude "jrosek" Who demonstrates this method...its absolutely amazing

 

[headimonster]

well im certainly not going to critique without experimenting, ill try it out on a side by side comparison - it be neat if someone posted pics...or post link to that thread page.

 

[Marquis de Sod]

my "friend" has plants started in a 3" then into a deeper one about 6" deep. i left some in that sized contained and put others in a 6" round x 6' deep. both have been in flower since 1/18. the ones i put in the bigger pot are half again as tall. but not so much putting them in i 8" container. what helped the most weirdly is the ones in the 14" deep pot that is 6x6 square at the top. it's a tree pot. the plants in there are twice the size of the ones in the 6" deep x 6" round. it's unreal. the roots can't be takin up all that space, so why? i don't know. so i say go for deep, not necessarily gallon size. i just bought some 4x4" square tree pots that are 12" deep. instead of only 4 6" squares in a milk crate, i get 9 4x4"s, i am hoping to get the same size plants as, i mean ,,,my FRIEND, hopes to get the same size plants as in the 6x6 squares. they are 2" closer to each other tho. was thinking of removing the middle one in the milk crate with 9. jrosek's 2/3 perlite and 1/3 vermiculite rocks!! my bud uses about 3/5 perlite 1/5 vermiculite and a small scoop of organic compost. just ph'ing the water with Flora Nova one part, and watering everyday about 10oz. they are kickin butt. as far as clones, if i put them in a 1" pot or a 4 " one they don't care, they grow about 6" about the same in either. on the other hand, we gotta med clone and i'm puttin it straight into a 5 gal bucket cause it's gonna be a momma, so i'm not takin any chances.

 

[JerseyDutch]

Get square pots or grow bags. They can be placed together with the most density. I root/veg in 16oz cups, and go to 3.4l pots or 2gallon bags depending on strain. I have flowered in 2l pots, and there seems to be a noticeable drop in plant size from the 3.4l's. I will keep sativa dom seedplants in 2l's to keep em manageable.

 

[killa-bud]

get grow bags there on the cheap and u can keep reusing them
good luck

 

[foomar]

This was a very short vegged clone , less than five days from planting , in a 0.3 litre square pot and soil based compost.
Hard to hand water this small , twice per day without fail or death comes quick.

Yield was 21 gramme dry , other crosses ranged from 15 to 25 gramme and many proved unsuited due to the cramped roots.
Its also a good way of finding hermies , restricted rootball makes them show easily.
Some crosses freak out under these conditions but are stable under more normal regimes , diesels and blueberrys have been amuseing and stable sativas do best.

Density of 6 - 9 plants per foot gives a reasonable overall return and is more than from a single plant in a much larger pot under the same light takeing the same space for a longer time.
The short height makes them suitable for florescents as most reach 14 - 16 inches and can be bent sideways if needed.
Properly dialed in and drip watered they could do more , i dont add nutes and rely on what is in the JI compost used once.

They finish a week faster than a full size plant as well , 52 compared to 60 and are ready and harvested complete rather than in stages.




Standing the pots in wet hydroton makes watering easier but involves more work and mess , now use 0.8 or 1.8 litre pots with sucess and less worry about watering and less moisture stress to the plants.

Not best practice if plant numbers are an issue locally but cannot keep below 100 myself anyway counting veg and clones.

 

[sunnydog]

how do you guys who grow small plants determine how much space is enough?

Hello Emmy 75.

I would recommend you work up to the biggest pots you can ultimately fit best and comfortably.

I am starting to think the smaller pots will get you vegged OK, but peter- out towards flowering.
I have been using a number of diff. pots, from 1s-2s-3s-to now some 5s for the biggest ones.

I can keep plants under low light in 3oz cups for a long time, I just toss a pinch of Guano on top now and then. Watering is a headache, though.

 

[Hammerhead]

I have tried pots round/square,bags,smartpots and airpots. The best yielding and quality buds So far have been bags and Square pots. I'm flowering in a smart pot now. I have 2 strains going into the airpots. The black and super Lemon Haze. Yield and quality has yet to be determined in the smart pot. The airpots are in veg now for at least 3 more weeks.



AIRPOTS

 

[charlesweedmore]

i will begin in 16 oz. plastic cups,after first 10-15 days, i will transplnt them into 1 or 2 gallon pots..
after vegging they would go to their last pots that 4 gallons or bigger than..

but i dont know if i should square or circular pots

 

[magiccannabus]

Stripping off all the fan leaves is a good way to kill a plant. It's okay to open up the canopy some, but stripping them ALL? I wouldn't trust that, sorry.