Can I BEGIN the grow in 5GAL. pots?

F

FinishHIM

New Member
I would like to know why it's best to transfer from 1GAL. or/less to 3GAL., to 5GAL., etc. instead of just starting with 5GAL. from the get-go? Also, I'm going to be purchasing my pots tomorrow, is it worth spending the extra buck or two to get the Smartpots vs the traditional pots?

Thank ya ma buds.
 
W

Wilksey

Well-Known Member
One reason I like to start em' in a small container is just in case they get stretchy when they sprout. That way I can bury the stretchy stem in grow media when I transfer them, so they don't fall over.

Learned that lesson, among others, the hard way.
 
wvblazin

wvblazin

Well-Known Member
In my experience the roots get better established and the plant seems to grow faster. If you start in huge pots, the plant uses all of its energy trying to fill the pots.
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
Plants with fiberous roots recover quickly from transplant and new roots push out well. It's not a stress on the plant it's a stress on the gardener. Do it the way you want but just know that it matters little to the plant. It's not beneficial in any way to start out in 3 or 5gal pots.
It actually gets the grower used to handling plants out of their pots which is good experience and it gives you a chance to inspect the root system while your transplanting.
 
kinddiesel

kinddiesel

Well-Known Member
start them in 1000 gallon pots . the bigger the better . no need to do that stupid stuff . like some people . people think the plant has to be put into a solo cup then 1 gallon then 3 gallon then 5 gallon then the next pot . plants are not stupid they know how to grow roots. people are stupid .
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
The only disadvantage I can think of by starting in 5 gal pots, unless they are outside, is that they a more of a pain in ass to move around if needed, and watering can be a little trickier. The same goes for smart pots. If you are growing inside, a 3 gallon pot is adequate, as 1 gallon per month of growth is accurate in deciding what pot size to use. I like smart pots for outside growth, but inside the drainage is an issue. So, inside 3 gallon pots, outside 5 gallon smart pots will work nicely, in my opinion.
 
F

FlashBabylon

Active Member
I am growing in 15 litre pots and have been from seed. They were a little slow to get started but they are doing fine.

As for Jim's comments about 3 gallons being sufficient indoors, I agree, but a friend of mine would strongly *dis*agree, on the grounds that he grows monster plants with very long veg periods, harvesting 18-20 oz a plant. I think his containers are like 50 litres or soemthing stupid :D
 
blowincherrypie

blowincherrypie

Well-Known Member
Personally I usually start in solos but that is strictly for space reasons now. I used to think the roots would reach my hempy res earlier (and I supposed it may), but with the side by side the plants in larger pots gained almost a week by not transferring.
 
W

woody333333

Well-Known Member
if you start in a big pot your roots grow dowm and out so you end up w roots on the edge of the pot and the bottom w a bunch of wasted soil in the middle..... if you start in little pots and work up you finish w a big hard pot of roots.....
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
wvblazin said:
I said "In My Experience.." What may work for me may not work for you.
Click to expand...
No disrespect intended my man. Did u know that the very fine root hairs that are responsible for cation exchanges that bring nutrients to the leaves for photosynthesis are mostly found on NEW growth and root tips and those new roots form as a result of damage from transplanting. They also form faster when they are exposed to rich, fertile soil or fertile pockets in the mix.
So basically when you replant into a nice fertile mix the roots sense that fertility and explode with new growth, forming more fine root hairs and increasing surface area to bring all that nutrition to the leaves. Any damage that occurs during transplanting really doesn't stunt growth all that much because the plant makes up for lost time very quickly. That's the actual science. What I feel many new growers want though is not to disturb the plant during veg thinking it will lead to a better result and because they are uncomfortable handling the plant out of it's pot. In actuality it helps the plant to grow better when you move up from small to large pots. To put it another way, you got to man handle these bitches for best results. That isn't true with all plant species, some like Peonies don't like to be disturbed at all. Other plants with thick fleshy root systems also don't take too well to moving around and broken roots can many times kill a plant. Not so with Cannabis which has fiberous roots.
Hope that clarified things a little.
 
wvblazin

wvblazin

Well-Known Member
I only transplant once and only used the plastic cups this year because I ran out of pots. (Bc I tripled my numbers this season) I noticed that the plants in the plastic cups, even though germed at the same time and the same strain, grew faster than ones planted into the bigger pots. I assumed that it was because they established their roots faster or something. It was just an observation that I recorded in my personal grow journal. I also noticed that the freebies I got (Strawberry Blue) was germed a week later than some of the others but has blown away all of my other strains as far as growth. Hopefully she is a good yielder. You're right about new growers not wanting to disturb the roots or anything. I can remember years ago when I first started growing my own buds, I was afraid to do anything other than water them but with my veggie gardens it didn't bother me so much.

dannyboy602 said:
No disrespect intended my man. Did u know that the very fine root hairs that are responsible for cation exchanges that bring nutrients to the leaves for photosynthesis are mostly found on NEW growth and root tips and those new roots form as a result of damage from transplanting. They also form faster when they are exposed to rich, fertile soil or fertile pockets in the mix.
So basically when you replant into a nice fertile mix the roots sense that fertility and explode with new growth, forming more fine root hairs and increasing surface area to bring all that nutrition to the leaves. Any damage that occurs during transplanting really doesn't stunt growth all that much because the plant makes up for lost time very quickly. That's the actual science. What I feel many new growers want though is not to disturb the plant during veg thinking it will lead to a better result and because they are uncomfortable handling the plant out of it's pot. In actuality it helps the plant to grow better when you move up from small to large pots. To put it another way, you got to man handle these bitches for best results. That isn't true with all plant species, some like Peonies don't like to be disturbed at all. Other plants with thick fleshy root systems also don't take too well to moving around and broken roots can many times kill a plant. Not so with Cannabis which has fiberous roots.
Hope that clarified things a little.
Click to expand...
 
DonAlejandroVega

DonAlejandroVega

Well-Known Member
FlashBabylon said:
I am growing in 15 litre pots and have been from seed. They were a little slow to get started but they are doing fine.

As for Jim's comments about 3 gallons being sufficient indoors, I agree, but a friend of mine would strongly *dis*agree, on the grounds that he grows monster plants with very long veg periods, harvesting 18-20 oz a plant. I think his containers are like 50 litres or soemthing stupid :D
Click to expand...
"they were a little slow getting started..." yes......and time is money. and yield.
 
F

FlashBabylon

Active Member
I wasn't for a moment suggesting the OP should start in giant containers, I was merely stating the facts about my grow. That is, they were slow to get started but are doing fine now. I kinda wish I'd done the whole potting-up thing, but what's done is done and it set me back about a week at first.

The opinion here seems to be divided so I thought I would shed a little first hand experience on the problem.

Question, to what extent does transplanting slow down growth vs them being put in a larger pot? I would be interested to know if anyone has any side by side comparison experience, whether potting up vs not potting up, or, say, 5 transplants vs 2, that sorta thing.
 
nflguy

nflguy

Well-Known Member
This is another one of those questions where there's apparently no wrong answer. I think its up to the grower if he wants to start out in a pot different than his finishing pot. Personally I use 5 gallon containers from seed to harvest and .......(drum roll please)..... There's never been an issue! Now, before all these pro-transplant geniuses get their trichs in a tangle let me say that this is only my opinion and it works for me
 
DonAlejandroVega

DonAlejandroVega

Well-Known Member
nflguy said:
This is another one of those questions where there's apparently no wrong answer. I think its up to the grower if he wants to start out in a pot different than his finishing pot. Personally I use 5 gallon containers from seed to harvest and .......(drum roll please)..... There's never been an issue! Now, before all these pro-transplant geniuses get their trichs in a tangle let me say that this is only my opinion and it works for me
Click to expand...
if it works.......roll wit it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top