pot size

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bicycle racer

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what are people generally using im under a 600w hps at the moment there will be around 14 plants. they will be in ocean forest with 1/3 perlite amended(i prefer really good drainage avoids problems with root rot dry spots and flushing and dont mind watering daily) im also open to suggestion on medium as well i sometimes run hempy buckets. im in a 67in6.5ftapprx squared grow tent i know this is big for the 600 but heat will soon be an issue during winter i will run a 1000w. anyways im debating about container size im deciding between 1.5 2.5 and 3.5 gall. i have a number of plants to flower so space and height have to be considered. i plan on flowering at about 15+inches. any thoughts or opinions welcome. thanks:banana1sv6:
 
T

tcurtiss

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I believe the rule is 1 gallon per foot

So if you have a 1 foot tall plant you would need a 1 gallon container

I would opt to go bigger but it depends on the room / design & layout
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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what are people generally using im under a 600w hps at the moment there will be around 14 plants. they will be in ocean forest with 1/3 perlite amended(i prefer really good drainage avoids problems with root rot dry spots and flushing and dont mind watering daily) im also open to suggestion on medium as well i sometimes run hempy buckets. im in a 67in6.5ftapprx squared grow tent i know this is big for the 600 but heat will soon be an issue during winter i will run a 1000w. anyways im debating about container size im deciding between 1.5 2.5 and 3.5 gall. i have a number of plants to flower so space and height have to be considered. i plan on flowering at about 15+inches. any thoughts or opinions welcome. thanks:banana1sv6:
Sounds like you're wanting to run a SoG to me, and for that I'd think you would want to go smaller so they'd all fit under that light. If that's the case then I would think you'd want to flip them when they're no more than 1' tall (less if they stretch a lot post-flip, for a SoG around 8" maybe), no? That's a lot of plants under a 600W otherwise, and 15" is close to the "finished" canopy depth I'm still aiming for under mine since that 600 just can't push light as deeply.

Make sense?

In any event, I'm looking at sorting out a SoG (just completed a ScroG w/6 under 600) and I'll probably use 1gal or smaller pots. I have my rig on a 3' mover (not a... Intellidrive I think they're called? I want me one o' those).

Clarification; I've not done a SoG yet, I'm making ready to run a SoG right after I clean things up from my ScroG. With my ScroG I used 3gal pots (coco-sammich w/perlite). My aim was to stay within AB420 numbers (thank you, CA SC, for knocking that down) and get as much out of those 6 girls as I could 'on the quick'. I feel like the light was pushed to its limits the way I had it set up on a 3'x6' table. Harvest ended up being staggered into three because of the insane post-flip stretch and my lack of good canopy control despite best intentions.

What rig/hood are you running and how do you plan to configure 14 girls under it? If heat's a real issue do you have the tent ventilated? I have the opposite problem--can't keep it quite warm enough.

Oh yeah, my best indoor run thus far has been this very first run in coco. *Definitely* requires more work and attention than soil. Will be doing my first hempy (perlite) run OD, in fact I've gotta get my tubs drilled and set-up today.
 
Hrpuffnstuff

Hrpuffnstuff

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i say the biggest you can afford and fit in your area ! Roots love elbow room! lol
 
B

bluetooth

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i found out the bigger the pot/tub the bigger the root ball.which means a healty plant thats my 2p worth
 
B

bicycle racer

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i have done this kind of thing under two 400w's and got good results it gets crowded lol. even worse i normally grow a few different strains so some short plants i elevate so they get good light intensity like the taller sativas. its a pain but then i have lots of different smoke at any given time. i do have a light mover which helps with light distribution and maximizes the abilities of the 600w. at the moment im leaning toward 2.5 gall buckets not real small but plenty of root room and less watering i may run a few sizes though to decide for next time which is most effective. and to answer one of seamaidens questions i have a bat wing style covered and cooled reflector with a 430cfm 6inch inline fan drawing air through the hood and out of the tent. it is effective and keeps the tent the same temp as ambient outside i also have a fan blowing across all plants as they get bigger i will get a better rotating fan. thanks for every ones input and advic it is always welcome..
 
B

bicycle racer

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seamaiden you use to be on riu huh? anyways if you do hempy you should use some vermiculite in your perlite mix just perlite alone does not work as well i would say at least 20%vermiculite. quick off subject question has anyone run a hempy type system with a soil perlite mix like say 50% to 60% perlite? if the container was not too large and roots were established i dont see why this could not work. i have quite deep drip trays and when the plants have developed roots and are needing daily waterings i figure i may test the drip tray as a resevoir as long as the tray is being drained dry in 24 hours or so root rot should not be a problem. i like involving soil in my grows flavor and general quality are enhanced and i grow mainly for myself so yield is not #1
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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seamaiden you use to be on riu huh?
Yes, tis moi. I'd ask how things are at RIU, but, well, there's a reason I left.
quick off subject question has anyone run a hempy type system with a soil perlite mix like say 50% to 60% perlite? if the container was not too large and roots were established i dont see why this could not work. i have quite deep drip trays and when the plants have developed roots and are needing daily waterings i figure i may test the drip tray as a resevoir as long as the tray is being drained dry in 24 hours or so root rot should not be a problem. i like involving soil in my grows flavor and general quality are enhanced and i grow mainly for myself so yield is not #1
Instead of soil, coco might be a better choice, then. It can be treated (almost) just like soil. I think the soil would end up at the bottom of the container after a few feedings. Caveat--Ca/Mb imbalances and deficiencies. What you're describing with the soil is one way I start my babies, it's almost a super-lightened up soil mix, if that makes sense.
anyways if you do hempy you should use some vermiculite in your perlite mix just perlite alone does not work as well i would say at least 20%vermiculite.
I've tried mixing vermiculite with perlite, and what I've ended up with is a 3.5'cu bag of vermiculite I don't want. I'm going with a 3" reservoir for these 30gal hempy tubs, and yesterday I put together a totally ghetto hempy using 1gal pots set in a shallow 'res' (it's a plastic thing I bought at Walmart for putting your muddy shoes in, works great!). The verm makes it SO heavy and they don't dry out as quickly as I would like. Plus, one of the reasons for going hempy in this location is my poor back, I've got to be able to move a 30gal tub somewhat up there, can't have too much weight.

Hey... Want a leftover bag of vermiculite?

As for the rest of it, even on a mover and using a batwing, 14 girls seem to be a lot of girls unless you keep pot size small and SoG them--fast veg & flower out.
 
B

bicycle racer

482
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i was considering coco but i like using the ocean forest for the taste it imparts on the finished flowers. well see how it goes when the root mass is fully developed i will see if watering the trays is at all feasible. i am doing 2.5 gall pots not too big not too small i hand water and dont want to be doing it twice a day when it gets hot. i did use verm in my hempys they were outdoor though so the added water holding of the verm was needed or they would have died on the hot days. your situation is different though so pure perlite should be fine. needless to say i know i have too many for the 600 but its a breeding project so it is what it is.
 
M

Mr.Smokster

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I have 6 Og Kush in 3 gallon pots under a 600. flipped them at 15 inches and they are at 30 inches now. The OG is pretty stringy so the light penetrates nice. i probably could of fit 8 or 9 no problem. am using Sunshine Cocunut mix, 70% perlite, 30% cocunut. My firdt run was a 50/50 ratio and it was recommended to me to add more perlite. The 70/30 ratio has them looking better than ever and much bigger buds. The roots love the oxygen for sure.
 
F

fuzzy

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coco hempys

I run 3gal. hempys using canna in a 4x7x7 tent,1 600 and 2 400s.They love it,but im gonna upgrade soon.Im pulling at least a qt. lb w/good veg. peace,fuzzy
 
B

BlueWater

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Under 1000s for a SOG I use 49 1gal containers (7x7 pattern) per light. with that method I like to just flower rooted cuttings, strain dependent--if you have a really slow vegger it's tough but with the right strain it works great. Under a 600 I guess I would do 16(although I'd definitely lay out 25 and see how it looked) 1gal buckets. I've never used 600s in flowering. SOG is the best method I've run across for production/yields--outside of the crazy 3.5lb/light the guys are getting w/ the mpb stuff. Best I've been able to maintain is just under 2.5, but getting an extra run in. I like to run the rooms half and half. Harvesting every 30days(again strain dependent) The plant fits to that schedule so well across the board..moms/cuttings it all runs so nicely. Plus you are able to even out the workload. You just have to be comfortable w/ high plant numbers.
 
F

foolsgold

Guest
i don't know how you guys get away with such small pots. i know that if your trying to maximize your grow space then the more pot the better right? well imo i run a very small closet with a 400w hid and i never go smaller than 5 gals, and i always end up with root bound plants by harvest time. i recently switched to 7.5 gal pots which i can only fit two of in my spot, but i've found i usually yeild about the same whether i do 3 plants in five gal or two plants in 7.5. i've also found my quality has increased since i started using the bigger pots. i usually can yeild close to a qp from two plants depending on strain. i know thats not spectacular, but i'm still learning.
 
B

bicycle racer

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im interested to how the 2.5 gall with ocean forest and 35% to 40% perlite does compared to a similar sized hempy set up which i have run in the past.
 
Whippleschnitz

Whippleschnitz

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I guess what pot size you use will depend on how you plan on growing. A general rule I have used is 1 gallon per month the plant will be in the pot. If you are doing a short clone SOG then you can load it up in 1-3 gallons. If you are going to go with less plants and a bit longer veg then you can use 3-5 gallon pots or bigger. Personally, I prefer to use 5 gallon pots and run 9 plants in a 4x4 tent.
 
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TheSeedstress

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On the subject of pots, does anyone know where to get larger (i.e., 5 - 10 gallon) square pots? I keep running into the small ones used to house starter plants at the local nursery and cannot think of another query to type into Google to try and find them. Thank you!
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
638
Nursery or greenhouse supply or manufacturer, perhaps? I have never seen such a large size in a rectilinear configuration, though. Easier solution might be to go with plastic storage tubs.

U.S. Plastics, or this outfit might be able to help you.
http://www.nurserysupplies.com/Products
 
B

BlueWater

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I decided to give the old google a whirl and found some 5s and 18liter pretty easily.

google search..large square 10 gallon nursery pots.. second hit(thefind) specialty garden supply.
 

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