Pot size - Bigger Isn't Always Better.

I thought maybe some people would find this interesting. I've been experimenting with different pot sizes, trying to figure out which are best for my application, with some surprising results. I veg for about 5 weeks, then move to bloom, and when they finish they average 3-4 feet tall. I've used 2 gallon, 3 gallon, and 5 gallon pots so far, and came up with the same exact results from each. They all grew to the same size, and all yielded the same at harvest. All the bigger pots do, are take up more room and soil. As long as you feed them properly and keep everything monitored(PH, watering, etc...), they do perfectly fine in the smaller pots, and I never had a problem with them becoming rootbound.

I plan to stick with the 3 gallon pots from now on, because the 2 gallon pots dry out rather quickly(water every day), and the 5 gallon pots take up extra space and soil. So, as long as you're not planning on vegging for 6+ weeks, I thought some people might find that info useful. It's also good to know that, if you are trying to fit more pots in a small space(like a closet).

did u feed the ones in the bigger pots more then the others?? cuz it had a bigger healthier root system so it could probably handle more water and nutes then the others

my boy grew in a 20gallon sized pot and that shit was a beast..it filled out the whole circle of the pot and it was hella wide but thats a 20gallon pot not a 5gallon

More food doesn't equal a bigger plant. They were fed exactly what they required,(no deficiencies, or overfert) and they all grew up healthy, and ended up to be the same size and yield.

The results might be different if the plants were given wide space to expand, with no other plants around them. The way I tested this, I was growing a bunch of plants that were fairly close to each other(about 14 inches apart, stem to stem).

space probably was the issue with ur grow then but like i said the more roots the more food it needs..common sense

u probably just didnt feed em enough water and nutrients

bigger pots = bigger plants

yeah bigger pots will equal bigger plants. Not just MJ, but with almost any kind of growing plant like tomatoes or even pansies. African Violets too. It probably had something to do with your feed cycle or light.

I have a really nice regular garden and vegetable garden and I use containers for herbs and whatnot too.

That's what I thought, too. Seems that as long as you feed and water them properly, they don't need any more than 2 gallons to contain the root mass of plants that are vegged for around 3 weeks or less. I didn't try anything bigger than 5 gallons, but I'm still convinced that the room saved by using the smaller pots let you add extra plants, and that's more valuable than using the space for the bigger pots..

daleh717 said:

bigger pots = bigger plants

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SunnyDaze said:

yeah bigger pots will equal bigger plants. .....

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so why does hydro work w/ such small pots?? the plants will only grow enough roots to produce the water & nutes the plants need.
take 2 clones & put 1 in a 5 gallon pot& the other in a 2 gallon pot.feed & water equally. both plants will grow to about the same size.or try underfeeding the 5 gallon while giving the other enough food & water.the smaller pot will grow a bigger plant while the underfed 5 gallon will become rootbound sooner.
I use 5 gallon pots only because I dont have time to tend the garden every day.

^^Finally, someone who agreed with me. Thank you. I was thinking the same thing, about the hydro example. As long as a plant has enough room to grow the roots that it requires to keep itself healthy, the growth won't be restricted. Those plants in the 2 gallon pots weren't rootbound, so logic would tell me that the pot are plenty big. Any smaller though, and you'd have problems with them becoming rootbound.

jawbrodt said:

^^Finally, someone who agreed with me. Thank you. I was thinking the same thing, about the hydro example. As long as a plant has enough room to grow the roots that it requires to keep itself healthy, the growth won't be restricted. Those plants in the 2 gallon pots weren't rootbound, so logic would tell me that the pot are plenty big. Any smaller though, and you'd have problems with them becoming rootbound.

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my plants were big, but stopped growing, i added an extra 5 gallon pot under the 1st (i cut the bottom out) and they doubled in size...

im doing it for them all... the size really isd worth the xtra for soil

i agree everyone is so worried about a big root sytem its not like we are growin 20 ft trees that need a big root system a would rather have the plant focus on growin foliage and buds i mean roots "healthy" roots are important but why if the plant is only gonna live for 4 months on the average why worry about a big root mass imo

I humbly disagree. my autos go in a 3 gallon and my regulars go into 5 gallons.

I humbly disagree as well, but have been watching this to see what others think and why?

the only thing that makes me think a big root mass isnt so important is look at the plants some people can grow in 16 oz party cups or 1 gallon pots im not educated in any way about this but it seems to me that if a huge root mass was so important this wouldnt be possible i think some of it all depends on the grower and what he is using to grow with

hahaha Im glad this is a peaceful community of stoners. I humbly say if your gonna grow for longer, your gonna need a bigger pot but ""why if the plant is only gonna live for 4 months on the average why worry about a big root mass imo "" .

i agree with you, peep this

she had NO PROBLEMS AT ALL

That is just SICC