it will be mostly ww. What size pots and what kind so I need to help measure ph and things like that? I will be using root stimulant, so roots can get larger. Do I need 5 gallon or is 3 enough?
will be topping, not sure about lst yet. Also, what kind and where to get.. I checked out home depot ones and didn't see pots that would allow me to check ph..
Should I just use any kind of walmart/home depot pot?? What kind of pots are best to use to get ph from water and things like that?
you might want to look into "SmartPots". received mine the other day, went with 15 gal. Seems there are alot of people trying these out this year..
Wow, they are about the same price as the regular pots I was looking at at home depot...Are they really that much better?? 1 question, why would you go with a 15 gallon pot?? For 1 plant? What are you growing? Can the roots of 1 plant really use a 15 gallon pot??
There is a lot of interest in SmartPots, this is my first container grow so I won't be able to tell until fall how they worked. The 15's are about 16" high and 18"across, I have grown in a garden before and noticed that the tap root can penetrate a good distance down. Some of the outdoor growers suggest that you turn the soil 2 to 4 feet deep, I figure that I will be able to move these pots without much trouble and it will give the plant the space to root out...We will see !
I will need to do research I guess...It seems that most posts I've read so far on pots just say people are using 3-5gallon? 15 gallon for each plant...How much soil are you having to buy? I could see it getting expensive quick if you've got 3-4 plants each at 15 gallon
A rule of thumb to consider is 1 gallon of pot size for each foot of plant height. 3 gallons=3' etc....... Use a 5 gallon pot, you'll have lots of room for lots of roots.You might consider trying these plastic grow bags, I really like them: http://nationalgardenwholesale.com/...ROW_BAGS&title=Pots / Containers&type=product They're economical, and come in up to 10 gallon sizes. Whats nice about them is after your grow you can just toss them and you don't have to disinfect like regular pots. They're also square when filled with soil, so you can put more in your space, at least until they bush out. I've got some Perma Frost in 7 gallon pots right now. The 5 gallon bags are only $.46 each.
One guy was using a 60 gal. pot/barrel ? I have a bulk source for soil so I will get a "cubic yard" and whats left over will go into our raised beds for a vegetable garden. I am using 4 pots this season, figure I can move them around, chasing the sun. If I get a cold snap in the middle of the summer (as happens up here) I will just move them into my garage till it's over....Again, we will see !
Ok, so 1 gallon = 1'. So why would you buy 15gallon?? or even 60 gallon?? haha I could see something bigger for outdoors? But for a closet grow, I'm just trying to get an idea about what size I should be growing in. On that note, if there is a big benefit in growing in 15gallon as opposed to 5, then I don't mind doing that...But if 5 gallon will work, I just want to stick with 5 gallon. No need for overkill and spending the extra money on soil. The bags do sound like a good idea...I will look into that at my local hydro store! This is white widow mostly, so should I be loooking for 5 gallon? 7 gallon? 10gallon? Also, my grow room is only 3.3 x 3.3 x 7.
My 15's are for a outside grow, would think a 5 or 6, to finish in, would be plenty for a inside grow. Space being a issue and your plants will not get that tall. Cantharis: Got to tell ya brother, a 65' plant will be something to see .....LOL ! You can use my chainsaw at harvest.....
I see...I'll probably go with 5gallons then...One question about the bags. How do you measure PH? Where does water come out of? Would I just need to get a bottom to hold the bag? Also, what are the advantages of smartpots? Do they really help that much or are the bags just as good? lol, I never thought I've have so many questions about POTS
Pulled this off their site: I will be a better judge once this season is over. Why are Smart Pots better for Container Growing? Choosing the best pot for your plants is one of the most important components for successful container gardening. For more then twenty-five years the “Smart Pot†has consistently out performed all other growing containers in both commercial nurseries and university testing. The patented Smart Pot is a soft-sided, aeration container, uniquely designed to improve the root structure of your plants enabling them to grow to their full potential. The comparison below points out the advantages the patented Smart Pot has over various gardening containers. Better than plastic containers - Hard-sided plastic containers are relatively inexpensive but they are not a very good home for a plant's root structure. Plastic allows no aeration, conducts and holds heat, and provides inadequate or poor drainage. Even on mildly sunny days, container soil temperatures can easily top 120 degrees, damaging or killing the roots and stressing the plant. The #1 killer of potted or container grown plants is over watering and plastic containers with a few bottom drainage holes actually help the soil stay too wet. A Smart Pot is constructed of a porous fabric that allows heat to dissipate and excess water to evaporate. In fact, over-watering is never a problem because excess water drains and evaporates from all of the Smart Pot's surfaces; its walls as well as its bottom. Because the Smart Pot is a fabric container, giving the root ball total aeration and excellent drainage, you can even use a heavier, less expensive planting mix. The type of mix used in a Smart Pot is less critical then in hard-sided pots. Also, another Smart Pot benefit is root pruning, a technique used by many commercial nurseries to produce masses of highly branched roots to improve plant quality. When a root grows to the side of the Smart Pot, it stops growing in length and develops many, many fine branches. By contrast, the roots in a plastic pot continue to grow in length when they reach the side and circle around the side of the pot. This is undesirable as there are fewer roots and these can grow around each other causing girdling or strangulation. A branched, fibrous root structure (“root prunedâ€) has a far greater root mass than a comparable plant where the roots are circling on the inside of a plastic pot. And a greater root mass will grow a better plant. Better than ceramic and clay pots - Ceramic and clay pots are better for plant growing than plastic pots. They provide somewhat better insulation keeping soil temperatures lower then plastic pots. But ceramic and clay still provide inadequate drainage and do not encourage the best root systems. Both ceramic and clay pots are heavy and can easily break. The Smart Pot is lightweight, inexpensive, doesn't break if dropped or frozen and can be folded so it stores easily. The Smart Pot also “root prunesâ€. Ceramic and clay do not. Better than raised beds - Raised beds are a great way to garden because they provide good drainage and cooler soil temperatures. Roots grow naturally and have virtually all the room they need. But raised beds can be expensive, require labor to install and are stationary. Smart Pot's are available in a variety of sizes and also provide an ideal growing environment. The larger size Smart Pots can grow all the plants found in raised beds, i.e. potatoes, watermelons, roses, trees, etc. Roots grow naturally, like they do in a raised bed. But the Smart Pot is a total growing unit, construction materials don't have to be purchased, no installation or building is necessary, and are much less expensive. Smart Pots can also be moved to different locations unlike stationary, raised beds. The Smart Pot is made of inert fabric and is completely safe for edible plants, while raised beds are sometimes made of treated lumber that may contain toxic chemicals. Better than decorative containers - Decorative containers are just that – decorative. They are manufactured to look good and are not designed for optimum plant growth. The Smart Pot is designed to promote the best plant growth. It aerates, encourages masses of roots and prevents heat damage. Many customers grow in Smart Pots, then place their plant into a decorative container.
Air Pruning As roots grow in containers they eventually reach the container walls. In hard-sided containers, these roots, upon reaching the walls, start circling and continue to circle seeking a friendlier environment. Upon examination, these root systems exhibit a few strong roots growing in circles with very little branching, often are bound or girdled upon themselves and, depending on the type of plant, can produce a strong tap root growing through the containers bottom. These characteristics can hinder the plant's rate of growth and in some cases its chances of survival when transplanted. Smart Pots are manufactured out of a custom, non-woven, polypropylene material. Roots grown in a Smart Pot come in contact with the fuzzy, fabric inner wall of the bag and penetrate or grow into the fabric. The bag's tough fabric prevents the root's continued longitudinal growth, in effect pruning it, causing the root to develop masses of lateral fibrous roots. Upon comparison, root systems that developed in a Smart Pot have a much greater mass or volume then those found in hard-sided containers. Plants grown in Smart Pots have root balls that contain many more roots then found in a hard-sided container of similar size . The fibrous root systems produced in Smart Pots are more efficient and enable plants to maximize water and nutrient uptake in the limited surrounding soil mass.