SCROG Pot Size?

[T.C. Bosby]

In a 3' x 3' tent I plan on doing a 4 plant SCROG. I've decided to go with soil. What size pot would you recommend? I was thinking about going with a 3 gallon Smart Pot. Or do you think I could go bigger, like 5 gallon?

 

[JavaCo]

You could fit Four 15 gallons in a 3 x 3. But that's a lot of water when they are thirsty. Plus it wouldn't leave room for anything else on the ground like a fan or a dehumidifier. I would go with 5 gallons or 7 gallons if it was me. Here are the Smart pot Dimensions

Smart Pot Dimensions:
1 Gallon - 7" x 5.5"
2 Gallon - 8" x 7"
3 Gallon - 10" x 8.5"
5 Gallon - 12"x10.5"
7 Gallon - 14" x 10.5"
10 Gallon - 16" x 12.5"
15 Gallon - 18"x14.5"
20 Gallon - 20 x 14.5"
25 Gallon - 21" x 16.5"
30 Gallon - 24" x 16.5"
45 Gallon - 27" x 18"
65 Gallon - 32" x 18"
100 Gallon - 38" x 20"
200 Gallon - 50" x 24"

 

[T.C. Bosby]

Thanks! Having the dimensions is really helpful. Let's say I went with 7 gallon. When transplanting from a clone in a solo cup, should I transfer to a smaller size before putting it in the 7 gallon?

 

[DoctorFrost]

The bigger the pot size the better in my opinion. But what is most important is how much light are you using in that 3x3? A good estimate for soil size is one ounce per gallon of soil. So if you have a 600 in there many get around 1 pound off one, but lets say you max it out at 1.5 pounds that would be 24 oz divided by 4 = 6 gallons. And it doesn't hurt to have more soil either, it helps the plants grow even bigger in flower from my experience, especially the sativa dominant ones which is what I like. So I would go with a 7 gallon pot since you have plenty of room. Maybe even 10s , I like big pots. I have tried both the Smart Pots, and the Root Pouches and personally prefer the Root Pouch more and they are a lot cheaper then the Smart Pots on ebay.

And as far as transplanting your clone, I have done it both ways. The results are fairly similar but I think it may be a little better for growth if you put it in another smaller 1-3 gallon pot before the bigger 7 gallon smart pots. I have put them straight from a solo cup into 15 gallon pots before and it wasn't much different. So if you don't have the pots on hand or just don't feel like messing with it then go ahead and put it in the bigger pot. But with having both options, I always put mine in 1-3 gallon pots before transplanting to their final resting place. One last thing, if you plan on going bigger in the future then get bigger pots and don't put a much soil in them. Meaning you could get a 10 gallon pot and leave a 2-3" gap at the top with no soil so that it would only be like 7 gallons. It makes watering a lot easier and gives you room to grow in the future.

 

[JavaCo]

Thanks! Having the dimensions is really helpful. Let's say I went with 7 gallon. When transplanting from a clone in a solo cup, should I transfer to a smaller size before putting it in the 7 gallon?

You can a lot of people do it that way. Personally I just put them in the pot I am going to flower with and just water the inside where the plant is when they are small, leave the outer edge dry. That way they can breath better till they get bigger. Plus you won't be putting the plant through any transplant stress that way.

 

[Kevin the Great]

The bigger the pot size the better in my opinion. But what is most important is how much light are you using in that 3x3? A good estimate for soil size is one ounce per gallon of soil. So if you have a 600 in there many get around 1 pound off one, but lets say you max it out at 1.5 pounds that would be 24 oz divided by 4 = 6 gallons. And it doesn't hurt to have more soil either, it helps the plants grow even bigger in flower from my experience, especially the sativa dominant ones which is what I like. So I would go with a 7 gallon pot since you have plenty of room. Maybe even 10s , I like big pots. I have tried both the Smart Pots, and the Root Pouches and personally prefer the Root Pouch more and they are a lot cheaper then the Smart Pots on ebay.

And as far as transplanting your clone, I have done it both ways. The results are fairly similar but I think it may be a little better for growth if you put it in another smaller 1-3 gallon pot before the bigger 7 gallon smart pots. I have put them straight from a solo cup into 15 gallon pots before and it wasn't much different. So if you don't have the pots on hand or just don't feel like messing with it then go ahead and put it in the bigger pot. But with having both options, I always put mine in 1-3 gallon pots before transplanting to their final resting place. One last thing, if you plan on going bigger in the future then get bigger pots and don't put a much soil in them. Meaning you could get a 10 gallon pot and leave a 2-3" gap at the top with no soil so that it would only be like 7 gallons. It makes watering a lot easier and gives you room to grow in the future.

Getting a bigger pot and not completely filling it also has the added advantage of being able to be topdressed in the future if needed. I've topped with earth worm castings about halfway through flower with great results.

 

[DoctorFrost]

Java, that is a good idea I may try that out. I don't know why I never thought about leaving the outside dry.

Kevin, worm castings are the best thing to use for growing IMO. I put so many castings in to start with that I never have to top dress but everything stays healthy up until chop day, and if I didn't want to I wouldn't have to feed them at all the whole time. I am surprised more people don't use a lot of worm castings like I do. Everyone acts like certain strains are finicky to grow or you need to have it dialed in etc but I have grown tons of different strains since switching to Pro Mix HP/BX with added perlite, a cup full of lime per each 15 gallon pot, and a crap ton of worm castings. I have never had any deficiencies like this and it is actually hard to get the plant to fade towards the end of flower. And I reuse my soil over and over with just adding some lime and more worm castings each time and the occasional extra bag of perlite. It dries out very quickly and needs watered almost every day - 2 days tops but the roots grow very quickly like this and the plants love it. I think having big pots might help keep the plants healthier later on in flower as well since they don't get root bound and there is still extra nutrients left from the excess soil.