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3 gal vs. 5 gal

Wildfan76

Wildfan76

New member
Starting my next grow, using kind soil and coco loco for potting medium, and Ive used 3 gallon pots, but have heard that 5 gallon is better. My tent is 5 ft high, 4 ft long, 2 ft deep, Ill be growing white widow from nirvana seeds. I have 2 P300 LED lights in the tent as well, just trying to increase my bud density and yields overall. I know longer veg equals higher yield, but still curious on the 5 gallon pots being better over 3 gallon pots, or its it all just a myth? lol
 
Hey wildfan, the bigger the pot the bigger the roots the bigger the plant and yield. I think that's basically it. Things to keep in mind. Was the previous grow rootbound? do you use a scrog? Root booster? How long in veg? Stretch of the strain you grow? Sorry didn't mean to throw a bunch of questions back at ya 😬
 
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Bigger is better, right? Not always...

I grow in 3 gallons in my 4x4x6.5. It's still in progress but here they are from a few days ago. Kindsoil isn't cheap and I think a 5 gallon is overkill for your tent.
 

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I thought we could get away with 2 gallon buckets, but they became root bound about one week after switching to 12/12 cycle. Transplanted into 5 gal buckets. The roots were all twisted round and round the bottom of the bucket. They thrived after the transplant. Final height of our plants was about 3 1/2 feet.

Question - will topping plants and more aggressive defoliation help to keep the root system smaller? Will keeping plant smaller and lower to ground prior to cola growth still maintain a healthy root system, without the roots growing faster than the plant?

I sometimes wonder if this is why we had such massive root ball, because we left the plant do it's own thing when growing. After we harvested and emptied soil from the 5 gallons, roots were as you would expect. Small spidery type roots had made their way to the edge of bucket, but did not become root bound second time. I'd love to be able to use only 2 or 3 gallon buckets.
 
You need more room with soil. You can get away with smaller pots in coco.

The roots are going to grow despite what's happening up top. Whether you top them or train them, the roots will keep growing.
 
I've never grown in coco. I do like soil because of nutrients it provides. We did not have to add any nutrients until we started bloom cycle. I guess everything has a trade off.
 
Nice plants nugs! Will look into kindsoil. My observation "in the field" has been that of 2 plants of the same species, the one planted in the ground will most likely end up bigger and taller than the potted one. Is it because the root system has more space or because it has access to a wider area of nutrients? Or both? Not sure.
 
When it comes to pot size, this is what I've noticed:

Seedlings grow faster in smaller pots

In fact, you'll get the fastest growing seedlings if you start them in solo cups, though you need to transplant by the time the leaves hit the edges of the cup. If you transplant them in time they'll never get rootbound, but if you wait too long and they get rootbound they'll start growing slower/staying smaller/getting deficiencies.

If you start seedlings directly in big pots they tend to grow more slowly at first, though once they get their stride they'll grow as fast as any other plant.

Plants tend to get bigger in bigger containers, and tend to stay small in small containers

I agree with everyone else here that bigger roots support bigger plants. If you keep a plant in a tiny pot it will stay small no matter what else you do.

I also agree that you can get away with a smaller pot if you're using coco (and even more if you're growing in hydro) since the plants are getting all their nutrients directly from the water instead of having to "seek" out nutrients in the soil.

Fabric/air pots can help prevent plants from getting rootbound, but need to be watered more often

If plants outgrow regular pots, the roots get wrapped around the edges, and they become inefficient at getting water and nutrients from the middle, causing the plant to be rootbound.

One way to prevent plants from getting rootbound is to use fabric pots ("smart pots") or air pots (pots with a bunch of holes on the sides). These let air in from the side which "air-prunes" the roots (kills any roots that are wrapping around the edges) and that prevents the plant from getting rootbound.

The problem with fabric/air pots is the air from the sides dries out the medium a lot more quickly, so you either end up watering twice as often, or need to upgrade to a final pot size that's twice as big so you don't end up watering all the time.

So each strategy or method has their pros and cons! If you want to go really crazy, you can grow hydroponically with the roots floating in a reservoir of water and you don't have to worry about transplanting or container size :)
 
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
 
My two cents....I've been using the 5 gallon smart pots, and the size of my autos has been quite impressive (I'm growing 1 at a time, space is not an issue). The roots very quickly reach bottom and sides of pot, and I'm very happy with harvest size! 😊 I would not go smaller pot size unless it is shown to get better results. 🌱🌱
 
Have 3 gallon pots in DWC and i like it because i dont have to worry about transplanting. The con being higher chance of root rot, but nothing a little hydroguard cant cure!
 
I use the following as a guide for pot size in a 5ft tent.
1 gallon for every 12" final growth and each month in soil.
So, If I am looking for a 24" auto which take 2 months to grow- I would use a 2 gallon container-and increase if needed-next grow
If I was to LST a 36" sativa which has a long flowering time- my final pot selection is 3 gallons.
It's all about balance with light/tent size etc.
 
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.
 
i use a roots original mix with coco. 50/50 mix but i also use the smart air pots, with 30% more coco at the bottom. 5gal pots to a 7gal pot at final transplant, which i need to transplant three plants this weekend, already at they have only lived 3 weeks in the 5gal air pots, roots where showing at bottoms by end of week one.
 
i use the air pots now and i am watering about 2 days from last water/fed. ive noticed they don't dry out that quick at all from the sides as much as i thought they would.
 
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