didnt have 4-5gal buckets laying around...had the pots i used...and still far from a waste of soil...and 7ft aint shit..i only veg'd for 6ws..no big deal...aparently soil cost is an issue for your shallow pockets...not everybody is on your limited budget to consider filling a pot with soil a waste....
i understand...but like i said...i already had the ones i used...why go buy buckets...id rather have the wide mouth pots i used...and its only 4..they veg'd for 5wks in 3gals and one in the other...mainly to adjust to transplant....i also have an outdoor grow(its posted)had plenty of extra soil just laying around.....and my plants are big,healthy and thriving...lol...so far from a waste...but to each is own!I mean 16 gallons is prolly pretty excessive but given the situation I think I might have done the same thing if it was either that or leave them in 3 gallon pots. Well I prolly woulda just spend $5 to get some 5 gallon pots but still. Mine are in 3 gallon pots and they have been root bound since the second week of flower, makes me really wish I put them in 5 gallon pots before they got all tangled up in my ScrOG screen...
To quote Edd Rosenthal's growers handbook "Indoors, Plants growing in containers should have a root space of 3-5 gallons per sq. foot of the canopy space the mature plant is to occupy."
Im not sure about the planned canopy size of OPs grow but they might fill 2 sq foot each considering that he is scrogging them (should consider adding some suplemental light if you do want to go that big though) so he's still a bit over 5 gallons per sq foot but not too far off. Next time id get some 5 gal pots or atleast use 5 gal pots to transition them into the 16 gals. Just my 2 cents.
Hey man I wasn't tryin to hate on your grow. I get where your coming from with the biger pots I honestly think you are both right. Yes you could have used smaller pots AND yes using big pots doesn't hurt if you have the soil. I was just givin you some info from my growers handbook to try and help. No ones too good to keep learning.