Question on Planting in Soil - Newbie advice needed :)

Hi there! I read Widow Maker's "how to grow" thread and LOVED it! Great job! Had a few questions regarding soil and its benefits, opinions on it, etc...
I read Widow's soil recommendation to start in a clear plastic cup, poke drain holes in the bottom.. no problems there.. after plant grows two weeks or so to transplant to 1 gallon pot, after another 2 weeks, transplant to 5 gallon pot.
What's the best way to set up soil grow pots? 5 gal buckets? Do you put drain holes in the bottom of the bucket? Should I add Sand, hydroton or gravel in the bottom to increase drainage? Or just fill the bucket up with the Fox Farms Ocean Forrest and mix with sand or anything?

I have a large room available to use (about 20' X 30' or so) and plan to divide it in half, one side grow, the other side flower.. I'm using two 1000 watt lights (one for each side)...at the moment I have a DWC/Drip system running in grow but I like the idea of having plants in their own separate buckets to easily move from grow room to flower room... i'm open to any suggestions
Thanks again so much for the input!!
J

It's all different opinion but one shared opinion is to grow in a large enough pot for the roots to be able to spread out a little bit. I start mine in small rockwoll type containers with a dome for extra humidity. I then move to 3 gallon pots with holes already in the bottom filled with FFOF nothing else, then transplant to 5 Gallon smart pots about 2 weeks before flowering, every time I transplant I use a little B vitamin to help with stress on the roots and everything so far has worked perfectly.

Thanks so much! Newbie question, what's a "smart pot" ?

lolololool I just asked the same question

and all I would add to the ffof is some extra dolomite lime, the sand wont be much of a benefit

Smart pot is just a type of pot I use. It's great because it gives LOTS of air to the roots of the plant and drains really easy. Check them out, they are really sexy imo!

http://www.buy.com/prod/hydrofarm-5-gallon-smart-pot/q/sellerid/30885553/loc/66357/220708617.html

That price there is a little steep however. I got mine from my local hydro store for about $5.95 each.

Damn that would cost me a fortune to get new pots, but they look pretty cool tho

How do you configure a grow setup using smart pots? Do you need some sort of drainage trey to set them in? I like the concept, pick up and move easily...

Any additional thoughts out there?

ur doin indoor so drainedge isnt completely necessary just dnt overwater em they wont need to be watered as much without drainedge, if it were outdoor u do need drainedge bc if an unexpected heavy rain comes ur soil will become completly saturated and ur plant roots will be flooded with no place for the water to go

Awesome thx for the advice!