i think it all depends on the strain, the location, and when u would like to harvest..i notice when i do huge monsters that they take longer to flower but they have fater buds.my pollcat doesnt do very well in a pot but you put her in the ground with lots of root space and lots of light she does really well.but takes a extra week or two to finish then if it was in a pot. but in the ground twice the yield.but with strains like early wonder skunk i grow in pots because they trigger even faster in pots then in the ground because they go root bound.they still give a good yield at 2 to 3 feet they yield about 3 onces in a 2 gallon pot.and about 3 to 4 onces in a 3 gallon pot by july. if they are in the ground they dont finish untell mid september.in september theres more chance of mold but they go completly purple. it is also not good to put a small plant from a small pot directly into a pot that is really big make sure the plant is well rooted for its new pot.