flowering in 3 gallon pots question

[onkulas]

Hi, everybody!!
At the moment i have 5 feminized northern lights in 3 gallon pots, 31 days old.
in a week or so, i want to start flowering. the initial plan was to transplant to 6.5 gallon pots (25L) before flowering but the thing is that i only have a 400w light (4x4 tent).
and i think they will get too big and crowded for the 400w to properly cover the whole bud sites

i knew from the beginning that 5 are too many, i intended to go with a maximum of 4 plants, but it's my first grow and i was afraid not all will make it. but they did ))

What do you think? will the yield be greatly affected by flowering into 3 gallon pots? the roots are showing at the bottom, in the holes. not rootbound for sure, but they got to the bottom.

I have this dilemma: go with big pots and increase yield but then the light might turn out too weak for big size and affect yield. what should I do?


here are some pics at exactly 4 weeks old. meanwhile, i topped them again (3rd time) and started some LST.
if there is need to transplant, i would do it now cause i won't like them to get much bigger before going flowering. in 5 days, when they will be 5 weeks old, i would like to start flowering

thanks!! please, comment!

 

[jarvild]

Transplant them to 3 gal and flip them. No need for 6.5 gal unless you want to veg for a couple more weeks

 

[Kcbscrogger]

They are already in 3 gallon pots, I flower in 3 gallon pots all the time without any root bound problems but it's your call. Good luck

 

[Craig1969SS]

Leave them. 3 gal will be fine in a 4x4 area. Bad mojo to transplant then flip. You'll get great bud from 3 gal pots

 

[SPLFreak808]

They look good. If you cant raise the light up i would either flower them now or veg for a week longer and keep an eye on them cola's after you flip.

 

[onkulas]

then, i'll stick with the 3 galls
thanks a lot everybody!
much appreciated!

 

[kiwipaulie]

Leave them. 3 gal will be fine in a 4x4 area. Bad mojo to transplant then flip. You'll get great bud from 3 gal pots

I disagree, I transplant all the time before flowering and never had an issue. So long as you transplant properly, I don't even find it slows them down at all.

In my current grow I went from 18l to 36l. Now I basically don't need to add any nutrients for flower.

 

[onkulas]

I disagree, I transplant all the time before flowering and never had an issue. So long as you transplant properly, I don't even find it slows them down at all.

In my current grow I went from 18l to 36l. Now I basically don't need to add any nutrients for flower.

i agree, yet my worries were not that it won't recover from transplanting but will they get too big for my 400w? 5 plants in 6.5 gallon pots under a 400w? i'm afraid it will be too much and it will be too late to do something when it will happen
my question was, if i stay with the 3 gall pots will the yield be significantly lower? i'm trying to find the right balance between light/plants size so i can get the best yield

 

[Dear ol" Thankful Grower!]

i agree, yet my worries were not that it won't recover from transplanting but will they get too big for my 400w? 5 plants in 6.5 gallon pots under a 400w? i'm afraid it will be too much and it will be too late to do something when it will happen
my question was, if i stay with the 3 gall pots will the yield be significantly lower? i'm trying to find the right balance between light/plants size so i can get the best yield

i would recommend great white mycorrizhae or vit b-1 itll help ease your transplant and also help during your first 2-3week stretch to help those roots explode to their new home id go personally to a 5 gallon veg for a week at least then flower you will gain a lil more but it shouldnt be overkill for your 400watt and should save a bit of space to i usually stay in a 3-5 gallon range for flower

 

[onkulas]

View attachment 3629294
i would recommend great white mycorrizhae or vit b-1 itll help ease your transplant and also help during your first 2-3week stretch to help those roots explode to their new home id go personally to a 5 gallon veg for a week at least then flower you will gain a lil more but it shouldnt be overkill for your 400watt and should save a bit of space to i usually stay in a 3-5 gallon range for flower

thanks! but i only have the 6.5 gallon pots so maybe it's better to stick to the 3 galls they are in now

 

[kiwipaulie]

i agree, yet my worries were not that it won't recover from transplanting but will they get too big for my 400w? 5 plants in 6.5 gallon pots under a 400w? i'm afraid it will be too much and it will be too late to do something when it will happen
my question was, if i stay with the 3 gall pots will the yield be significantly lower? i'm trying to find the right balance between light/plants size so i can get the best yield

Just get a bigger light

400w is too small imo. I'm running a bare vert 1000w fine

 

[onkulas]

Just get a bigger light

400w is too small imo. I'm running a bare vert 1000w fine

i know, you are right
it was a mistake but now i will have to deal with it for a while. the plan is to go bigger in the near future
at least it has its advantages ))) smaller energy bill, less heat etc.

 

[shizbang]

I flower in 3 gallon pots with no issue.I like to think I get decent yields considering I'm using 10 65 watt CFLs

 

[ryan1918]

Do you even need the tent, if you could get rid of that you could actually have some room to grow in

 

[onkulas]

I flower in 3 gallon pots with no issue.I like to think I get decent yields considering I'm using 10 65 watt CFLs

looks very good, man
that's the shape i also try to achieve, just bigger i hope

 

[shizbang]

looks very good, man
that's the shape i also try to achieve, just bigger i hope

 

[shizbang]

Thanks man..I've been CFL for the last couple years and I recently upgraded to a pair of Kessil h380 and I'm hoping that is going to allow me to grow plants larger in stature...

 

[6ixtynin9]

Hi, everybody!!
At the moment i have 5 feminized northern lights in 3 gallon pots, 31 days old.
in a week or so, i want to start flowering. the initial plan was to transplant to 6.5 gallon pots (25L) before flowering but the thing is that i only have a 400w light (4x4 tent).
and i think they will get too big and crowded for the 400w to properly cover the whole bud sites

i knew from the beginning that 5 are too many, i intended to go with a maximum of 4 plants, but it's my first grow and i was afraid not all will make it. but they did ))

What do you think? will the yield be greatly affected by flowering into 3 gallon pots? the roots are showing at the bottom, in the holes. not rootbound for sure, but they got to the bottom.

I have this dilemma: go with big pots and increase yield but then the light might turn out too weak for big size and affect yield. what should I do?


here are some pics at exactly 4 weeks old. meanwhile, i topped them again (3rd time) and started some LST.
if there is need to transplant, i would do it now cause i won't like them to get much bigger before going flowering. in 5 days, when they will be 5 weeks old, i would like to start flowering

thanks!! please, comment!

Depending on the length of flower time and growth rate, your plant can become root bound in the middle of flowering and yield will suffer. Transplant to the 6.5 gal, Scrog it and veg for another week or 2, then flip. Kind of a no brainer. Maximize your space and yield. Also add another light or move up to a 600 or 1000 watter. Good luck.

 

[onkulas]

Depending on the length of flower time and growth rate, your plant can become root bound in the middle of flowering and yield will suffer. Transplant to the 6.5 gal, Scrog it and veg for another week or 2, then flip. Kind of a no brainer. Maximize your space and yield. Also add another light or move up to a 600 or 1000 watter. Good luck.

all you said makes sense but not with my 400w light, i guess. as you said, with a 600 or a 1000 would make perfect sense to maximize my space and yield.
i can't change the light in this very moment so my dilemma from the beginning was:
what would give me the higher yield? 5 big plants (in the big pots) that will have spots with weak light on them, or 5 smaller plants that will get a more even and efficient use of light?
please, tell me
cheers!

 

[Yodaweed]

I would have transplanted, you could always benefit from more soil.....