SOIL Does Container-Shape Matter?

[AccidentalGardener]

My first go at this, I used 5 gallon containers that are tall and narrow. When I went to get more, they only had the ones that are squat.
I'm in a 2x4x5 tent. My 2nd run is 3 clones (strain IDK Brain-Eraser, lol) in 1 gal pots until they bulk up a bit.

Is there any scientific reason to choose one container shape over the other? Except if I need those 3" of clearance when things get interesting....

The first grow happened without planning, so I'm trying to anticipate what I'll need to do next instead of trying to fix what I broke.
It's easier when you don't break it, lol.

[Gjourney101]

Honestly no. As long as the roots have space to expand. I will say that a deep AND wide pot allows for root expansion while tall and narrow is almost like a tunnel, less horizontal expansion

[JDU]

I like the squat ones myself.
I have (4) 7.5gal shorts that are my faves b/c they give me a little bit avail hight over a normal 5gal pot.

[SoOrbudgal]

Yep me too JDU cept mine are 10gal outdoors but i love short squat. When i did have taller ones they blew over outside wider base outdoors for me.

[JDU]

Good point Budgal!!!!
I HATE waking up to tipped plants outdoors!!!!

[JDU]

But to answer your question succinctly- No. The shape of a pot has no bearing on anything. You can fabricate an octagonal pot, square, triangle.... even some funky artistic centerpiece to keep a clone mother as a houseplant.

[JDU]

Hell I just remembered one of the last GWE emails featured a monster plant bein grown in a kiddie swim pool!!!!

[dphipps1020]

Sounds like you got your answer about the shapes of your pots. I just went through this same thing. I bought more fabric pots a few weeks ago and just decided to use them last night. I pulled them out and opened one up and noticed it was wider and shorter than my first set. Wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't bought trays for the size of the first ones, the fatter ones don't fit. Anyway, I like the fatter ones because it's a little easier to water once the plant gets bigger. Just my thoughts.

[AccidentalGardener]

Thank you all for the input!
I have 3 of the squatty ones so my ladies-in-waiting will get those when they need to slip into something a little more comfortable.
I get the blowing-over thing if you grow outside for sure. Plenty of my beauties from other parts of the flora world have been in wind-tipped pots. There is nothing sexy about a 5ft cosmos with a 2" trunk, repaired with duct tape and a splint, 5" up from the bottom. Its a drag. I can't imagine if my pot plants got kilt that way. Totally makes sense for shorter outdoors. All my plants will be indoor plants. It's kinda like having indoor cats. You feel sorry for them until you see one run over in the street and then you say, "I think my cats are indoor cats now." Prevention is better than cure. Or being a necromancer.

As long as they are all in the same size when they go to flower I should be able to tell if something hinky is afoot.
I can't shake the mad-scientist part of this hobby. Everything is an experiment. Worked in a medical lab for 13 years.
Being able to repeat an experiment with the same results is a good thing

Again, thank you <3

[Gjourney101]

If you think about it, planting them in the ground makes the entire earth their container. Wild.

Time for another dab. Cheers.

[AccidentalGardener]

Lol. Up here in the wilds of the wet-side of WA, I'm having trouble growing decent dandelions outside. And the neighbors pick my flowers.

[Gjourney101]

Those scallywags! Stealing flowers is of no good to us. We will kindly share, all you have to do ia ask :/

[AccidentalGardener]

They do ask. There is enough for everyone usually. Not this year tho. It has been a wild one. The neighbors don't need to know I'm growing any other flowers - really ugly ones that smell fabulous. Lol. Misdirection, my friend!