3 gal vs. 5 gal

[Chemichael]

its all about balance. I think 3-5 indoor and you wont go wrong- After fully inspecting the rootball of my last 2 chops, the only thing that came to mind was- damn wish these were in 5 gallon pots. They would have utilized the space- and not gotten too much bigger- maybe heavier - bushier- which is good!

After seeing the fast root growth from seedling to 1 gallon to 3 gallon- the 5 for me is a no brainer- easier to clamp lights onto bucket also - easier to move- wont ever break- just a little heavy.

I am also using fabric pots - but I am watering more with those right now.

[rockman]

Chef, I agree completely...the 5 gallon seems nicely suited for the powerful root growth that cannabis can make! I would bet the harvest responds as well. 🌻 Time for someone with controlled conditions and multiple plantings to do an experiment on the exact difference, if any, between 3 and 5 gallons.🌿

[Chemichael]

on a grow for grow im sure things will vary- I do have at least one widow in a 5G and several in 3G. Lets see what happens I can tell you if I thought it was a good idea to transplant 3 -4 weeks into flower- they would be in 5 gallons already... but we live and learn

[Wildfan76]

5 gallon it is then lol

[r3m1]

here is one of my plants in a smart pot. its about 3 weeks old in the pic, it was just a stick standing 16 inches with a few nodes at first. honestly i pick my pots up to tell if they need to be watered, the weight is dramatic in change from dry to wet. these pots have great tie down points as well.

[Flockshot]

I started with smart pots, and after seeing my root autopsy results I have no intention of changing until I get confident enough for dwc.

[Flockshot]

Good, that means that neither of them is rocket science. Just need experience.

[kingfish]

The only downside to DWC in my area is power outages. We get them in winter. Sometimes for a couple of hours or more.

[Wildfan76]

I have everything for DWC, I'm afraid of killing the plant cause I fucked up on the nutes, soil seems more forgiving in that sense. and the nute thing is all that is keeping me from hydro

[Wildfan76]

thanks for the input everyone, Ive grown in 3 gal fabric smart pots, and my roots were at bottom, I am going to try 5 gal pots this time, but using coco loco on top of kind soil 50/50 I don't plan on using nutes, I did fine last time without them, hoping in some way bigger pots will help. I veg my plants til there about a foot tall then I switch to 12/12, I use LST to keep the plants in check since I have LEDs gotta watch the light burn. I do have a taller tent that goes up to 7 ft, probably should use that one lol, but I could only get maybe two max in there. I'm thinkin 3 plants for my tent should be ok, right? lol the strain is white widow from nirvana seeds, 3 out of 3 sprouted, going to start them off in small pots.

[insomniaczzz]

I'm recommending 5 gallon Home Depot paint buckets with drilled holes. The side had great grooves to latch training wire and plant string. It's sturdy. No issues with drying out too soon. Very deep size. Higher than 5 g fabric pot. Could Be issue if growing untrained sativa. Otherwise more room for roots bigger plant and bigger yield potential if proper light coverage.

I have a slew of small to 3 Gallon pots. My plan is they all get upgraded to 5 no matter what and I'm looking at a 7 gallon now to experiment.

I like the hydro idea. Perhaps next seasons grow cycle I'll plan for that. For now I'm knee deep in dirt

That's what we used. 5 Gal paint buckets from Ace Hardware. Holes drilled in sides, just above the floor of bucket. Except if growing an auto that is supposed to stay small, I will skip the 2 gal and go directly from solo cup into 5 gallon bucket. 2 gallon bucket should support a small to medium auto I think. Too many buckets that have only been used one time to change, at least for now. I like using good quality soil too, because no feeding needed until start of bloom cycle. Now that may change as I am planning on topping and fimming that I didn't do last time. They will star in veg cycle longer, so may need to start nutes earlier. Hopefully I will be in tune with my plants enough to be aware of their needs.

[Chemichael]

If you care enough, you will be there for them. I have to take a photo of a totally screwed up main cola branch - that pretty much looked like it was falling off... its thriving without me really doing anything - just to show you a little paying attention goes a long way.

Autos are really tricky still IMO. I see people plant 2 at a time and cull the weakest. I think thats a solid plan- I never really see 2 autos at the same pace- ever. Im going to try and land them in 5 gallon fabric. Im mixing my own dirt- organic home depot or lowes with perlite- so far no issues is will stick with that- maybe get better soil soon- since im not recycling any soil at this time-

[LuckyAcres]

Reading some of you about the Home Depot buckets. I use them to water my plants. But...are any of you concerned about the plastic from the buckets leaching into the soil, between salts in nutes and heat from the lights, therefore leaching into the buds. I'm no trained scientist but a friend had raised that issue when I was considering using old plastic trash cans cut in half to grow outdoors. Curious to hear what you guys think. Maybe it's a no issue at all.