Possible (ideal not required) Pot sizes for a 4'x4' tent @ 600w MH/HPS

Hi All,

We have 6 plants that are currently in solo cups. The roots are just starting to make it down to the holes in the bottoms of the cups. So we don't think they are root bound yet.

Would 3 gallon smart pots be ample size for the remainder of the grow?

We bought both 1 gallon and 3 gallon smart pots and originally thought we would transplant from solo to 1 gallon and finish in the 3 gallon. Now we are thinking going straight from solo to 3 gallon, as this would stress the plants out less.

The tent is 48"x48"x80"
600w MH/HPS
Medium coco premix

Any thoughts? (six 5 gal smart pots are just a $10 purchase away...).

I am using 5x 7g smart pots in a 40"x40" tent. I would recommend using the biggest pots you can fit. Also, I've read that going right into the final container results in quicker growth. Like you said, less stress on the plants.

I have a 3x3 and it fits 4 x 3g pots snugly with all in full bloom. 6 x 3g I think would be a good fit. You might be able to fit more but with 600w of hps you'll lose around the edges so you don't want to really pack them in.

if you go with 7 gallon pots i wouldn't try to fit more than 4 in a 4x4. you can get a fifth one in the middle, but they're crowded then, and don't fill in as nice as they would have with 4. i think anything you would gain with a 5th plant would be pretty much negated by the crowding.
i personally like to up pot at least three times before the final pot, but its not necessary. i have learned that smart pots are good for final pots, but they're not good for transitional pots, they do too much damage to the roots, which grow right into the fabric.

This is a 4x4 with 4 30L pots (7.9 US gallons) in veg. You really dont want more than 4 id say when you take stretch into account.