So what is a Good Sized Pot for an Autoflower

This is my first year ever growing autos (I've got a couple outside). I was advised that a 5 gal was a waste of medium, and 3 gal are optimum. Appears to be correct so far.

I grow my indoor plants in 3 gal pots, and I veg for eight weeks. The autos are so very much smaller than my indoor photos, I couldn't see anything more than 3 gal adding any benefit (so far that is, with the strains I've got going at least).

spek9 said:

This is my first year ever growing autos (I've got a couple outside). I was advised that a 5 gal was a waste of medium, and 3 gal are optimum. Appears to be correct so far.

I grow my indoor plants in 3 gal pots, and I veg for eight weeks. The autos are so very much smaller than my indoor photos, I couldn't see anything more than 3 gal adding any benefit (so far that is, with the strains I've got going at least).

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5 gal, less watering

It is going to depend of a couple of factors... 1st is are you growing organically in soil or are you growing in coco using synthetic nutes... Organic soil you will want a little larger pot. If growing in coco 1-3 gallon pots is big enough.

2nd it will depend on your genetics. If you are growing in soil, there are 3 sized pots that are generally used... 3,5,&7 gal. Genetics that stay small, and finish fast you are probably wasting soil if you are using larger than 3 gallons. If you have autos that are known to get big and take longer to finish... Then you may possibly benefit from a larger 7 gallon pot. For everything in between there is a 5 falling pot. The 5 gal is a good size if you don't know how big your plants will get.

wil2279 said:

It is going to depend of a couple of factors... 1st is are you growing organically in soil or are you growing in coco using synthetic nutes... Organic soil you will want a little larger pot. If growing in coco 1-3 gallon pots is big enough.

2nd it will depend on your genetics. If you are growing in soil, there are 3 sized pots that are generally used... 3,5,&7 gal. Genetics that stay small, and finish fast you are probably wasting soil if you are using larger than 3 gallons. If you have autos that are known to get big and take longer to finish... Then you may possibly benefit from a larger 7 gallon pot. For everything in between there is a 5 falling pot. The 5 gal is a good size if you don't know how big your plants will get.

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I agree with this but I would add to this light size. Small light small pot. Large light large pot. I used 5 gallon on my auto and it’s 30” around now. So yes big pot + big light = huge auto.

Five gallon every time, Dont believe what breeders or anyone tell you about size. Ive had "dwarfs" reach the ceiling and "sativas" barely hit two feet. Some plants hardly throw out roots while others especially super autos can almost become root bound in a five gallon bucket. My big autos can suck up a decent amount of water so its good to have the spare capacity so you dont have to constantly water your plants during those late flower summer grows.

Wattzzup said:

I agree with this but I would add to this light size. Small light small pot. Large light large pot. I used 5 gallon on my auto and it’s 30” around now. So yes big pot + big light = huge auto.

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Agreed... If you have poor lighting... Like you are growing autos in a small cabinet with a few cfl bulbs... There is no point for a big pot...

shackleferd said:

Five gallon every time, Dont believe what breeders or anyone tell you about size. Ive had "dwarfs" reach the ceiling and "sativas" barely hit two feet. Some plants hardly throw out roots while others especially super autos can almost become root bound in a five gallon bucket. My big autos can suck up a decent amount of water so its good to have the spare capacity so you dont have to constantly water your plants during those late flower summer grows.

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Listen to this guy. His way is the ONLY way and everyone else is matter of factly wrong XD what a clown. In coco you wouldn't even benefit from a 3 gal. 2 gal is all you need and no. You didn't need a 5 gal for a "dwarf" strain, you just don't like to water much. 3 gal is gonna be good for most autos untill they start saying XL or heights of 80cm to 150cm being tall plants. You definatley don't need a 5 gal for a plants that's genetics produce 35cm to 55cm tall plants.

MATTYMATT726 said:

Listen to this guy. His way is the ONLY way and everyone else is matter of factly wrong XD what a clown. In coco you wouldn't even benefit from a 3 gal. 2 gal is all you need and no. You didn't need a 5 gal for a "dwarf" strain, you just don't like to water much. 3 gal is gonna be good for most autos untill they start saying XL or heights of 80cm to 150cm being tall plants. You definatley don't need a 5 gal for a plants that's genetics produce 35cm to 55cm tall plants.

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You make me laugh matty, I had a white dwarf grow 52 + inches. If i had that plant in a 2 gallon root restraining pot in coir it would dry out in less than 12 hours in my shed during the summer. My precious plants with their 5 gallon buckets have plenty of room to spread its roots with plenty of water with extra to spare.

70sdiver said:

5 gallon!!!! Ive used 3 and 5. The five gallon yield about 1/2 oz more a plant. I grow mostly all autos. In summer i grow photos outdoor 15 gallon smart pots. You cant go wrong with 5 gallon pots.

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Listen to this guy

I do 5 gallon bags for autoflowers and average about 2ft to 4ft per plant. With about 3oz -4oz per plant.
Better the roots do the better the top does and the yield.

I use 5 gallon fabric pots but only fill with about 4 gallons of soil that allows me room to water and amend with my organic dry amendments

Starter pots with coco/perlite, transplanted into 3 gallon cloth pots with coco/perlite.

Do you use plastic pots? Drill a crapload of holes in sides and it works like air pruning pot. Cheap alternative for smart/cloth pots is reusable cloth like grocery bags. Just make sure they drain well, some don’t very well...

My $.02 -- so far I've only grown autos outdoors. I tried all kinds of pots and pot sizes, and also put them right into the ground (like I did with my photos). Every once in a while one in the ground one would just take off, the most impressive was a Blueberry that put out 1.5lbs. Some strains (or some phenos of some strains) have incredible potential when their roots are completely unconstrained. These days outdoors I always put them in the ground and let them find their genetic limits.

So for me - especially as someone who grows in soil - if I want to let the plant have the opportunity to reach its full potential, then I put it in the biggest pot I can fit in the space I'm growing it in. That's said, as I contemplate doing a perpetual grow in a 2x4 tent with six plants, I don't want them to get too big, so it would probably be 2 or 3 gallon pots. There is no single answer.

I just pulled some Northern Light autos and they had used up all of the 2 gallon cloth pots with a nice root ball .They were about 18inches tall.
So will go up to 3 gallon for the next crop.
My grow closet is 30 x 18 inches, space is limited so 2 plants will have to stay in 2 gallon but the other 2 will be in 3 gallon.
Will be interesting to see the difference.

Henry Fort said:

I just pulled some Northern Light autos and they had used up all of the 2 gallon cloth pots with a nice root ball .They were about 18inches tall.
So will go up to 3 gallon for the next crop.
My grow closet is 30 x 18 inches, space is limited so 2 plants will have to stay in 2 gallon but the other 2 will be in 3 gallon.
Will be interesting to see the difference.

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If u want to see a bigger difference use airpots. Pricy but they’ll outlive you and you’ll never look back

Nutty sKunK said:

If u want to see a bigger difference use airpots. Pricy but they’ll outlive you and you’ll never look back

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Do you find airpots work equally as well with soil as other mediums, or is their design lean towards one or the other?

What's always made me nervous about using them is that the bottom of the pot is suspended off of the catch tray -- sometimes I don't have time to give them a slow watering and I count on water going to the tray and being wicked back up whether I'm using plastic or fabric pots. I've thought about trying them with Blumats, but that's a whole leap I haven't taken yet.

Do you think there are distinct advantages to airpots over fabric/smart pots?

Humanrob said:

Do you find airpots work equally as well with soil as other mediums, or is their design lean towards one or the other?

What's always made me nervous about using them is that the bottom of the pot is suspended off of the catch tray -- sometimes I don't have time to give them a slow watering and I count on water going to the tray and being wicked back up whether I'm using plastic or fabric pots. I've thought about trying them with Blumats, but that's a whole leap I haven't taken yet.

Do you think there are distinct advantages to airpots over fabric/smart pots?

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Well I haven’t tried it but with airpots and coco you can drip feed a constant amount I believe to keep the pots wet.

I see your concern. One way I get around it is to poke holes in the top of the soil with a bbq skewer all the way down to the bottom. This creates channels for the water to penetrate down to the bottom. I then water in two stages 3 to be precise. 1 splash on all the. First half then go around the lot 10-15 mins or so the. Second half.

After a month or so I find of doing this the rootzone is well
Established that there’s no really need to be careful with the water. It just gets absorbed nicely and flows down.

Takes a bit of practice but worth it.

comparing them I don’t know first hand but airpots look like they breathe better and are specially designed (not the knockoffs) to prune the roots very effectively. Something todo with the divots on them.

Only way is to try one but you need to make sure to pot it up right as there’s a knack
To that.

wil2279 said:

Agreed... If you have poor lighting... Like you are growing autos in a small cabinet with a few cfl bulbs... There is no point for a big pot...

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Do you think 5gal would be an overkill for 150watt HPS? I'm thinkin 3gal would probably work better.

missnu said:

HOly cow how do you make it with a 2 gallon...all my photo plants are outgrowing their 3 gallons...is there a way to keep the roots smaller? I mean they get cramped and then the plant looks all sad...

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replant them into 7s its not too late