Hi guys got a question here, Ok, i was thinking since i let my soil cook in an 18gal tote, why dont i just plant directly into this container where my ready cooked soil is,kinda like a raised bed, i think (not for seedlings, just tranplants). Why you ask? Well my tent is only 2.5x2.5x6 and the bigger my pots get, the less plants can fit in there, but thats not really my main concern, since i only want to grow 4 at a time, 5 max, but that would only allow me pots the size of 2-3 gals ,3 gals reduces amount to 3 plants...... Basically i would like bigger pots up to at least 5 gal so my amended mix doesnt end up with deficiency's early on and allow maximum space for the micros, but 5gal would only allow me one plant and the need to veg much longer, so is this possible and a good idea and how many plants would i fit in one 18gal tote if it is possible. Edit; The tote is actually 30gal
2.5 x 2.5 is 6.25 sqft if you used a large tote ( drill some holes in it for drainage) you could do just as well with two plants, actualy one if you vegged longer. In a 9 sq ft grow box I have filled a scrog with 3,4, and 5 with little yield differences, it will be the sq ft that limits you not the plant numbers. And sometimes plants will choke out others if there too close.......MIW
it will be the sq ft that limits you not the plant numbers. Damn straight - what MIW said. One plant - just bend/ train it and veg just a little longer, and it will definetly fill the same area vs. more plants. 2 plants max, but I dont like putting more than one in each container. They definetly can choke each other. Its not how many plants but how much food/microbes (your tote filled with a good mix), and how much light you have. The plant will definetly fill in the same area, with proper training. I tie my plants down, so that the branches are horizontal, and not vertical. It also saves you height room. jerry.
Cool...Thanks guys pots and lst it is then, dont really wanna tackle the scrog thing, how long do each of you veg for exactly to fill the cab/tent when theres minimum amount of pots/containers. Eventually i would like to try the raised bed thing tho, im sure the plants would benefit much more in comparison to a small pot.
Sorry Badboy, but I have never tried a tent. From my own experience, tho, I do know that it does not neccessarily take more plants to fill any given area - just the right amount of food, water and light. Until not too long ago, I was a caregiver for 2 other medical marijuana patients, besides myself. At 6 plants per patient, we had a total of 18 plants in the flowering room at all times. It was very crowded and very hard to work in. The reason for why is not important, but some time ago I decided to give up the caregiver thing, and simply grow for myself. When this decision was made, I told my wife: "You watch. This room that held 18 plants last week, I am going to fill with just my own allowable 6 plants". Now that I am growing organically and realize what can be done, my room is basically full - yes, full, (comfortably, at least) with only 4 plants. If I wanted to veg them even just a little bit longer, I have no doubt that I could fill this (spare bedroom) flower area with just 2 or 3 plants. Here we go, I'm already promoting my new journal area *lol* Take a look at my journal. I kinda tell and show how I tie my plants down. I personally dont like the scrog either - well, at least with a "perpetual" grow like I do, (putting new plants in every 10 days or so and harvesting one at the same time) I could see it being a pain in the ass with a screen in the way. Dont get me wrong - have seen great scrogs, but I prefer to train them and tie them down, opening up the centers. Instead of growing tall, they just keep growing OUT and away from the center. I re-tie them several times during the process, and have had them end up 6' wide and only 16" tall. No dark centers with little immature popcorn buds in there - ya open them right up that way. I really cant say on vegging time - it really comes down to growth rate. What may be long enough for me, might not be long enough for others, ya know what I mean? Everybody has different needs as far as veg time. Some like them small - some like them big. Keep me posted. I'm interested in how you make out! Pictures would be excellent... jerry.
Thanks jerry, great info,appreciate the help, since im here i was thinking i might as well post a lil thing i got going for fun to hone my skills, nothing special really. Yet! Strain: Vanilla kush Dont know the exact age,but i know it started early october sometime if not late september (60 days maybe), my original lighting period was 12/12 from seed (learned my lesson), for like a month but i didnt like how this strain reacted to that so i just decided to switch and veg, and its been vegging ever since, the whole month of november. This plant smells very strong during vegging (awesome smell). Its currently in a 1 gal geopot, gonna transfer to a 3 gal with the mix i have cookin when im ready to flower and then lst, so far all i did was fim once. Whaddya think, how does it look, anything wrong that u can tell off hand by just looking at it. I dont see an organic sick plant section(maybes thats a good thing) so thats y i decided to ask here.
Badboy - Looks nice. Healthy. I dont see anything negative. Like you commented - up that pot size. Bigger root zone equals bigger flowers. ps - I didnt realize that your totes were 30 gallons. Unless you have a big area and a decent veg time, I'd think about putting a couple in that big of a container - or switch down to smaller size. I run 10 gallon size and it suits me very well. jerry.
Awesome, well then i think i might just go up to 8 gal then,just to work with this one strain and try my hand at cloning, this strain smells like a keeper. Is it correct i can use aloe vera and vam endo for cloning directly in soil.
If I were you I would make the 30 gallon tote a no till container and plant 4-5 rooted clones at a time. Veg for a week or two and then flip. If you have mother plants you could take cuts 3-4 weeks before harvest and plant as soon as you chop. I've put 3 clones in a 5 gallon smart pot and they grew up looking like one big beautiful plant. I've also done two clones in 3 gallon pots.
Never tried the multi-plant thing indoors myself, but outdoors I will leave 2 females in the same hole when I do guerilla grows if they are indica doms. Normally when I do my sets, I put 3 plants per hole to guarantee a female. I have definitely seen an increase in yield in a given year using that technique. With pure sativas(not the so-called ones from seed shops) I have found it to be a little less productive due to the extended veg time and potential for a massive plant.
Update: So i figured out why my VK was so small (well just short for its age, it has a bunch of bud sites) after growing for so long,i initially thought it was because of the 12/12 from seed lighting i had it on. Well I decided to transplant it to a 3 gal today with the mix i had cooking, Mix if you care to know: Peat moss EWC Farmer d biodynamic compost Perlite Verm Kis nutrient mix , so after peeling the fabric bag off(1 gal) i realize i see no roots at all, which is odd because its been in this container now for a month or more, so i begin to break up a bit of what should be the root ball and still see no roots anywhere, well i get closer to the top and notice some roots all in one spot, the spot where i initially transplanted the party cup!!, still in the same shape with some nice white roots and some browning ones :-O, basically roots barely or didnt go beyond that spot this whole time, plant looks pretty good though and the smell is crazy for just veg. Well i pretty much broke up and discarded that bit of soil and did a bareroot transplant (wish me luck)... Wish yall had smellovision.. So im wondering what couldve caused this, compact soil? I know i put sufficient perlite when i first made that mix, how do i avoid this in the future, other than perlite what makes a soft airy mix. Well transplant is done, now to lst, more pics to come.
Some side shots,,just Love how that soil looks ... Loving organics..... Do you guys think it'll grow out the small size, since i changed pots and exposed the roots to new soil and i veg for another month,if so im gonna transfer once more, prob to 7 gal, then flower...
I am using 20 gallon totes, no till. I put 8 clones in one last time. Seems to work pretty well. I will have two totes in a 3 x 3 area. This run I was short on plants so only one.
[quote name='"weedmon"']I am using 20 gallon totes, no till. I put 8 clones in one last time. Seems to work pretty well. I will have two totes in a 3 x 3 area. This run I was short on plants so only one. [/quote] Wow nice job, i decided im gonna go the 20-30 gal fabric pot route (geopots), since its breathable all around, and no need for drainage holes. What do you use for mulch?
I have straw for mulch. There is 2" of rock in the bottom and a layer of of pot fabric between the rock and soil.