3 or 5 gallon air pots ( or smart pots ) in 4x4 tent

Discussion in 'Coco Coir' started by Boris Sputnik, Jun 11, 2017.

  1. I'm switching from 4 DWC in 5 gal. buckets to coco and I want to grow 9 plants in smart pots or air pots .
    I did a little reading but couldn't really get an answer to my question : do I go with 3 or 5 gal. ?
    In a 4x4 tent , 600w HPS/MH , good vent ,good temp and humidity . I Have the time and am ready to water them every day if needed . Anyone can help me make my choice ?
    Thanks !

    Boris
     
  2. If you want to flower 9 plants, you will have to invest in a larger tent and much more lighting. How many plants you can successfully flower off depends on the lighting you have available for flower, not how much space you have in your tent or how many containers you can fit in there. A single 600 watt HPS lamp is good for flowering about 1 plant and getting to produce any kind of a harvest. You always get more by flowering less plants and giving those plants the absolute best conditions possible. Each plant needs even coverage of the highest wattage/best quality lighting you can hang over it during the flower cycle and you should never have to raise a light source just to cover more plants. This just robs light from all the plants since the further away the light source is, the less effect the plants get from it. Light and plant should be as close as possible during flower cycle without causing light burn, to get the biggest harvest from each plant you flower. They also need plenty of space between plants during flower so light can penetrate beneath the canopy of the plant. Crowding up a bunch together just shades out light from reaching inside the plant and allowing the inner buds to develop the way they should. I would flower no more than 1 plant with the light you have right now. Flowering more than that just leaves you with lanky thin plants full of underdeveloped buds. We use 1000 watt HPS lamps in our flower rooms but only flower 2 plants under each lamp at a time. We average around 5 oz per plant after harvest/cure. I'm sure that' far less than a record, but we harvest much much more weight that way than by crowding the flower rooms up with plants. All part of the learning curve my friend. The more you grow, the better you get at it. And as far as watering goes....you never never never NEVER water a plant until you can lift the container it's growing in and feel NO weight. Any weight you feel on lifting the container is just moisture still in the grow media. They need defined wet/dry cycles to stay healthy. Never water till they are nearly DEAD dry! Best of luck with your plants. TWW
     
  3. Long response, but not to the question. Three or five, it's up to you. If you are vegging a long time, I think 5 gal. If you are intending to veg just a few weeks and go with a SOG, 3 gal should be fine. Remember, the bigger the root, the bigger the fruit. A 4x4 would be small for 9 plants though. You would yield more growing 2 plants under a scrog in 5, 7, or 10 gal.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  4. #4 MickFoster, Jun 11, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2017
    I have been growing in coco for years and I use the 1 ltr propagation size air-pots for the first two weeks, then transplant to the 9 ltr size for the final. I yield about 8 oz. from one plant in a 9 ltr air-pot with only a 5 week veg. Unless you plan on vegging for months the 5 gallon size is overkill. I think 9 plants in a 4x4 tent is too many - I suggest 4 max. You definitely have to feed them (never just water) everyday - I feed twice a day when I switch to flower. If you decide to go air-pots I suggest you only buy the original air-pot and not one of the knock offs. The originals don't have holes in the top couple of rows to make it easier to water.

    1-litre-Air-Pot-hydro.jpg Hydro-3-1.jpg
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. That's not true - I can easily grow 3-4 plants under my 650w LED and yield 8oz. per plant.

    An absolutely ludicrous statement.

    That's a whopping .28oz. per watt - you must be so proud.

    To the OP: this is the worst advice if you grow in coco - coco is hydroponics and should be fed daily to run off. Allowing the coco to dry out will cause massive salt build up in the medium and cause major nutrient lock out. TWW doesn't know what she's talking about when it comes to growing in coco - yet she continues to give people wrong information that could cause them problems.
     
    • Agree Agree x 5
    • Like Like x 2
  6. These two plants yielded 8oz. each under a 650w LED with only a 5 week veg in a 9 liter air-pot.

    Flower 5 weeks.JPG
     

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