Sweet Spot for Autos

[ThePhiloStoned]

So I've been thinking a lot lately on what the sweet spot would be on container size for most autoflower strains...I know a general rule of thumb for photoperiods is a gallon per month of total growth, autoflowers are generally 60-120 days of growth which is 2-4 months of total growth...so does that mean that you won't get any extra yield exceeding 4 gals, or at least hit a point of diminishing returns when it comes to soil volume vs. floor space vs. yield? Or is there some other mitigating factor I'm not considering? My thoughts are using Superroots Air-Pot #5's would suffice to get me a close to max yield without eating up/wasting floor space (they are supposed to be 5 gal equivalent, by virtue of design, but actually hold 3.3 gal) am I going to see an increase in yield worth the grow space going bigger than that or would the gains be negligible?

(WE FOUND THE SWEET SPOT ON PAGE 2 POST #16)

 

[pop_rocks]

these are interesting questions
i have a couple autos growing in 5g container and it seems to be doing very well
im new to growing autos but have been very happy with what im seeing so far but maybe they could be even better
i dont know how much of the volume the have utilized but i think the tap root like the room to grow
would it have been even better if i had put them into larger buckets?
assuming light and space is not the limiting factor, i wonder how much of an increase you would realize from a larger growing container?
where do we start hitting the point of diminishing returns with container size?

 

[aridbud]

Too small a container definitely impacts yield/growth. 5 gallon works great, unless it's for a micro PC grow- then ~2 gallon container.

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

...I think the tap root like the room to grow...

The taproot does seem to be the secret sauce when it comes to these autos, it makes me wonder if a taller skinnier pot might be of some advantage giving that taproot an extra head start on depth.

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

...it makes me wonder if a taller skinnier pot might be of some advantage giving that taproot an extra head start on depth...

For instance, I have this PVC Coated Vinyl Mesh fabric at the house, the kind of stuff a Radicle Bag is made of...I could sew my own custom pot that was like 9" in diameter, and 18" tall, which would hold about 5 gals, be air-pruning, only take up 9" of floor space & give the taproot a whopping 18" of headroom to explore, whilst only using 5 gals of actual soil...idk, just a thought.

 

[Deke]

For instance, I have this PVC Coated Vinyl Mesh fabric at the house, the kind of stuff a Radicle Bag is made of...I could sew my own custom pot that was like 9" in diameter, and 18" tall, which would hold about 5 gals, be air-pruning, only take up 9" of floor space & give the taproot a whopping 18" of headroom to explore, whilst only using 5 gals of actual soil...idk, just a thought.

Id like to hear some others thoughts on this as well.

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

it is all about the medium and environmental factors in the first 3-4 weeks when you are able to manipulate the yield of the autos...
if you fail.. you will end up with a gnome, dwarf low yielding small shit

autoflower in clay dominant natural soil:

autoflower in clayPEBBLES:

now explain it, why the natural one reached only 15 cm and the hydroton one grew over 2 metres?

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

now explain it, why the natural one reached only 15 cm and the hydroton one grew over 2 metres?

Well, not being an expert, if I had to guess I would say the natural clay dominant soil it a little too tough for those roots to explore & expand well, whilst the hydroton requires no effort at all to explore...just a guess.

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

yes, very nice idea
and with the rest of the factors from temperatures, to humidity it is just the same, the difference between- minimum- optimum - maximuum- excess--

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

yes, very nice idea

So what are your thoughts on deeper containers, to give the taproot more room to explore?

 

[AgentPothead]

If I remember correctly, aridbud suggested deeper pots when I was asking a bit ago for autoflowers. Cause I think, like you say, the taproot super important with autos.

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

yes i ve seen the best results with one plant best yield ratio with dwc this is no question, also the topfeed systems can end up as dwcs if the roots can reach the watertank placed under them.
you can see we suggest an optimally designed pot called palmpots which has a higher shape than the average pots in the same size

 

[pop_rocks]

The taproot does seem to be the secret sauce when it comes to these autos, it makes me wonder if a taller skinnier pot might be of some advantage giving that taproot an extra head start on depth.

i have these containers that were for rose bushes that are just like what you ar describing
they are kind of narrow but very tall, more like a tall rectangle and a square
i agree with stoned' that the medium is also important as whipedmeat mentions
i find clay soils to be kind of heavy and need a lot of amendment, not just to add nutrients but to loosen them up a bit
hydroton is a great medium and allows the roots to expand very quickly, plus you have way more control over the feeding cycles
how did you feed your plant whiped?

 

[aridbud]

Large Tidy Cat (35 lbs) kitty litter pails do well, drilling holes in bottom and sides near bottom.

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

Large Tidy Cat (35 lbs) kitty litter pails do well, drilling holes in bottom and sides near bottom.

What's the volume like on those?

 

[ThePhiloStoned]

How about these? They look like they might do the trick...

247Garden 4-Gallon Tall Aeration Fabric Pot/Tree Grow Bag (Black w/Green Handles 14.5"H x 9"D)

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

how did you feed your plant whiped?

r.o. water, ghe Floranova grow & bloom, mineral magic, diamond nectar, ripen, bio roots, delta 9 of cannabiogen, superthrive, bud candy. and florakleen 2 times through the cycle.
24\0 constant irrigation, airpumps on also 24\0
pH: 5.5-5.8~
EC: 0.6-2.5 mS

and to compare the soil with the above mentioned 18\6 to 12\12


and yes same variety all are mazarilla the beast

 

[Vesnican]

How about these? They look like they might do the trick...
View Image
247Garden 4-Gallon Tall Aeration Fabric Pot/Tree Grow Bag (Black w/Green Handles 14.5"H x 9"D)

Autos always appreciate tall pots. I switched few years ago from common buckets to tall pots and the difference is significant. My current Gorilla autos (urban legends) reached 130cm and 140cm respectively, see two plants on the right hand side on picture below.

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

Vesnican did you make a ditch for the pots ?or it s an optical illusion ?

 

[pop_rocks]

beautiful garden man!
the difference between the soil example and the ones grown in hydroton is astonishing
it looks like they really like the medium and your feeding

those fabric containers look like they just might be the thing philostoned