I'm in a very rural area, I own over 100 acres, I haven't attempted a grow in over 10 years. I have just germed about a dozen seeds, they have all sprouted and are doing well. I currently have them in FFOF mixed with Happy frog to cut the nutes a little bit and get some of the microrhizae that the happy frog has. I am planning on keeping them potted throughout the grow as opposed to planting in ground.just in case I ever need to move them (bad weather, prying eyes, etc.) Do any of you have experience with smart pots outdoors? I don't want to get monsters but I think maybe 10-12 gallon pots? Any response is totally appreciated!,
I sure i wish i had 100 acres to grow on. I have never personally used smart pots at all but i know countless people who have used them both indoor, and out. They work great outdoors and 10-12 gallons should be plenty big enough. Happy growing and goodluck! -LB
Thanks for reply man, good to know there is support out there. They are currently in half gallon black plastic pots (the kind you get other plants in when you buy from nurseries) should I plan on transplanting just once to my final size container or progress slowly by transferring to 1gal,3gal,7gal etc all the way up to 12. I've read a bunch of people saying you want the plant to utilize the whole space before transplanting. Others say, go ahead and put it in its final container to avoid stressing the plant with transplants. What do yall think? Thanks again, and any response is really appreciated
I'm not an expert by any means but I do know a little bit about plants in general... I know with most plants, transplanting them can be very stressful for them and can cause them to die especially if the root system is disturbed. Also, I don't see any reason why it would be harmful to put it in a bigger pot so long as you water them enough so that the roots actually get wet. I mean when weed grows in the ground it's in the biggest pot that exists... The ground. If it was me only replant once. Do you really need 12 gallons for each plant? I've seen been reading a lot into growing lately and I've come across a few examples of people growing from seed to harvest in just a 5 gallon bucket.
I don't know that I need 12. I would like to maximize my growth without stunting the plant due to it being root bound in too small of a pot.smart pots claim to avoid this by "air-pruning" when the root mass reaches the wall of the pot. Since I am growing outdoors, I don't have control of the light cycle, so it's gonna be in a veg state for a while before it flowers, and I don't want it outgrowing the "final" container and having to transplant it again late in the game. Again I'm on the fence about what I want to do and am reaching out for everyone's experience here. I'm more than open to suggestion and as always greatly appreciate any response
To many variables to give select advice so some general pointers might be in order.. I start in 3x3 inch square pots.. Square pots force better root branching when the root comes up against a wall rather then the circling found in round pots at transplant time or so I believe.. I let the plants reach 8 to 12 inches and nearing root bound so transplanting is zero stress as the plants slip out with intact root ball.. Moved into a 5x5 inch square pot vegging continues to near 2 feet tall.. At this point I'll either plant in a 5 to 20 gallon SIP (self irrigating planter)or put them in the ground to flower or continue vegging depending on the time of year.. Two fold reasons for starting small and transplanting up like I do.. Overwatering is the number 1 newbee mistake so lift before watering.. Actually let a plant dry to the point of wilting to see just how light that really means.. Most people are way to wet.. Small pots dry out faster so even if you have flooded the plant it's days not weeks to dry down.. Add extra aeration like perlite to your mix to help combat this trouble spot.. The other advantage to keeping a bigger plant in a smaller container is you can fertilize daily as they get near root bound and are needing watered nearly every day.. This 2 time frames are when my vegging plants put on the most explosive growth.. Depending on where you are smart pots need watered a lot.. Way more then a plastic pot for example.. I'd advise planting in the ground if you can for best results.. Dig out a 2x2x2 foot or bigger hole and either fill with super soil or amend what came out as best you can and replace having broke up a nice spot for new roots to move through with ease.. With a short life span we want to give them all the advantages we can so a nice loose loamy mix is best.. Just my 2 cents BNW
I I would go ahead and transplant into your final containers. I only half-way agree with "letting the plant utilize the whole space"...reason being if you transplant TOO early, before the roots have extended out and through the medium to the edges therefore holding the soil together, when you remove the plant pieces/chunks of your medium will likely fall off, which could snatch on roots and cause alot of stress. You are absolutely right, the more you transplant, the more you stress the plant. The best time to transplant is when your medium is on the dry side as the soil will stay together much better than if moist or wet. As Juicy K was suggesting that you may not need 12 gallon pots...He is right you do not NEED containers that big but if you want to maximize growth and harvest potential (which you said you do), the bigger the pot, the better especially in the long season of outdoor growing. Good luck! -LB
Ok, I think I'm gonna skip the steps of transplanting multiple times and once they're ready for a bigger home, I'll transplant into their final containers. I might even plant one or two directly in the ground, to compare with my potted plants just to see the difference in results. I also plan on using some LST technique with these ladies, I've been reading grow journals where they have done this and the colas are B-E-A-Utiful! Also, 10gal sound like a happy medium? I don't mind going as small as 7 but do you think I will run into problems with that small of pot?
I have found what *works for me* is to plant the germinated seeds in dixi cups and when the roots can be seen through the side of the cup I transplant into 1 or 2 gallon containers. That's where I try to grow them to show presex, then transplant the females to 7 gallon containers, reusing the soil from the males as filler for the new soil. Then let them grow and flower out in the 7 gallon. Usually end up about 5' tall and harvest 3oz dried per plant. That's bud, trim is extra. I recently grew one in a 3 gallon over the winter and instead of flowering I stuck it in the ground to keep vegging and in the past 2 months it has at least tripled in size. Just to give you an idea of what different size root limitations can do. The more elbow room the bigger it will grow. Height and smell are not a problem for me here. I'm very curious to see what this one will harvest? And my reason for transplanting was to prevent over watering on my part.
Awesome advise Ron, You also bring up a really great point. I don't want to waste any more resources than necessary on male plants. Wether it is fertilizer,soil mix or containers not even to mention time and effort. So I might do a double transplant. First one to 2-3 gals and after determining sex a final transplant to its final container whatever size I end up using. I am also pretty apt about watering, although it has been some years since I have grown the bitter herb I do possess somewhat of a green thumb if I do say so myself. This thread is turning out to be way more than I was hoping for keep it up! Thanks again
Also, I have a vermiculture box, so will absolutely be using some earthworm castings. Do you guys think it would help to toss a couple worms in the pots(final containers not current small ones)? Not sure if they would have enough room towards the end with a giant root mass everywhere. But what do yall think?