Auto pot size?

[Pmoe90]

Just curious what's the best pot size for autos 3 gallon or 5 gallon? Would be using fabric pots.

[KTM690]

I'm using 5 gal but 3 would work I'm sure

[Weed Pharma]

Depends on the medium- If I am using coco/perlite then a 3 gallon pot works as well as a 5 gallon.
In soil type medium a 5 gallon pot works best.

It will also make a difference on your light/tent size.

It's always the weakest link with growing and keeping things in balance will give you the best overall yields.

[ZigZag]

I'd agree. At the moment I have 4 plants in 5 gallon planters and 2 in 3 gallon planters. One of the Meltdown's is in a 3 gallon and the other in a 5 gallon_ both are very much the same size. They are in an aerated coco medium that drains well. I feed them frequently and the one in the 3 gallon planters dries faster_ it needs more nutrient water and more often than the plant in the 5 gallon planter simply because there is less to "eat" in the smaller planter but it needs the same nourishment that the plant in the larger planter. Both plants are doing well. Space can become an issue too- which is the primary reason I'm using two of the smaller planters.

[Doubledealing72]

I've had great results with 3 gallon pots

[Pmoe90]

I would be growing in coco. Was just seeing if there was a real difference. My tent space is 4 ft by ft. Trying to see how many I can grow at once.

[ZigZag]

How many plants you can grow in a specific space will also depend on if you train them and what methods you decide to use and what strain they are....a three foot tall plant could produce a canopy that is 4 feet across or half that. Lots of options....since you're growing autos then they are probably feminized so you won't need any extra room to raise a few males you'd end up eliminating anyway....

[Canuck147]

Only difference is your plant will take a bit longer to fill out her roots in the 5 gallon.

[Pmoe90]

Appreciate all the info. Wasn't sure if a 3 gallon pot would impact the yield on the autos. None of the plants should get over 4ft. Didn't know if this mattered or not. Prolly just gonna go with the 3 gallon so save some space.

[Potted]

Good choice imo 3gal. Is good for most autos👍

[ZigZag]

I think you'll do fine with the 3 gallon planters as well. Most autos I've grown have been between 2-3', most of which I topped once and then only LST. You might start with LST only because toping them can put them behind....even though they are programed to start flowering after a specific time topped plants will probably be shorter and may take a week or more to mature to harvest, but you'll probably get better yields and a plant thats topped above the third node is easier to train with LST afterwards, My opinion anyway.

[Pmoe90]

Will a 4ft auto still do well? Not sure if any of them will reach that tall but if so the yield shouldn't be affected correct?

[ZigZag]

I've never had an auto that got 4' tall and I think you can keep it down to 3' or less by using some LST. Especially if you top it just once after its started forming its third set of 3-5 bladed leaves. But only if it looks strong and healthy. This makes it much easier to train and keep as low as possible. If your strain is a 56-63 day one then you should be fine topping it once. Instead of topping you could try FIMing_ it is a little less aggressive and plants seem to recover a little faster and it will result in a multi topped plant as well. That has worked well for me with auto's too. If you don't train them at all then they will for sure be taller with basically one large center cola and then smaller ones on the branches below. If you train them you'll get multiple colas on a single plant_ they may not be quite as large as a single cola but they will provide more product in the end_ so your yield will be affected by whatever training method you choose...or not. A taller plant will not necessarily produce the same or more product than a shorter well trained plant will.
Happy growing!