3 gallon pot till harvest - Will I go root bound? Help

On my first grow, I got away with 3 gallon pots to harvest, but my ladies were VERY ROOTBOUND! It took 110 days under 12/12 to get them to harvest! The lack of root space may have been a factor in their slow maturation.

I replanted the harvested plants into 4 gallon storage bins with new soil (1/3 potting soil, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 sand and myco inoculant) for revegging. My maturing clones will also go into the 4 gallon bins so they have more room than last time. The clones don't seem to have tap roots, so they like the extra horizontal space.

If they suck up all that space, then they'll go into 5 gallon bins (not as tall as 5 gallon buckets)

So the axiom holds true: more root space more yield.
 
You may be pushing it too close with 3 gal. I grow a similar strain (chronic) and I use 5 gal. At harvest I would say they are fine but in 3 gal I'm not so sure that would be the case? Depends on veg time as mentioned by TheCelt... My suggestion would be go to 5 gallon and play it safe... What is your grow area? You mentioned 100w for veg what will you flower under? That will play a major role in the plant size... You may be fine with a lower wattage? I grow under 1000w so my girls would be much larger than yours under less light. Good luck my friend... Either way just remember to stick to the basics!!!! Temps, Watering correct, RH, Air flow, and MOST IMPORTANT PH!!! So many new growers do not pay enough attention to the PH... Keep the PH correct and you will solve many headaches! Keep us posted on your progress...
 
A tip, working with a tiny grows space.: Rectangular storage bins use that space lost between round pots, giving your roots nearly a gallon more growing space for EACH plant in the same place that 3 gallon pots took. Get 3 bins that will fit cross-ways on your shelf and still get the door closed. I fit 3 bins in a 36" long x 15" deep shelf, and they were a gallon larger than the 3 - 3 gallon pots I used for my first grow. 4 bins will fit on the bottom shelf (or floor) of a 48" wide x 24" deep closet, with room to spare for tools and water jugs.

Just an idea to toss into the "bin". ;-)

Addendum: I put a drainage hole in each corner, and used the lid as a "saucer" to catch the runoff.
 
I wouldnt recomend it, however that being said, this one was grown in a 5 gallon pot and had only three gallons of dirt in it after it settled.

First grow and it suprised me and now trying to figure out how to keep her alive to the end.

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Thats moving her in from the outdoors to the house.
 
1000 watt air cooled hood. Only at 750watts because i cant get the heat down its at 80 average when light is on. 18/6 light cycle
9 plantd 2 kush 7 kryptonite.
Im a first time grower need alot of help just straight in from just reading and watching videos. Have intake fan with carbon filter outside of tent going threw light out the window. Is that ok?? How far should i have the light?
 
rillos said:
Smart pots don't get root bound. FYI
Click to expand...

Isn't that because when the roots grow through the sides, the roots exposed to the air die off? I imagine there are pros and cons between using smart pots to self-prune the roots and transplanting to give the roots more room.
 
Yes smart pots air prune but they also cause the pruned root to branch out in other directions. I just harvested an indoor plant earlier this week that was in a fabric pot. When I tried to separate the roots and soil, it was like trying to push your fingers through a soft steel wool, there were roots EVERWHERE
 
TheCelt said:
Yes smart pots air prune but they also cause the pruned root to branch out in other directions. I just harvested an indoor plant earlier this week that was in a fabric pot. When I tried to separate the roots and soil, it was like trying to push your fingers through a soft steel wool, there were roots EVERWHERE
Click to expand...

That makes sense. The end result, then is the same as being pot bound. A rock-hard mass of roots.

When I transplanted my mature ladies into the larger bins, it was like they took a deep breath and then went crazy developing more roots and leaves! Medusa was growing so fast, her leaves were twisted and bunched together like Medusa hair (hence her name). She slowed down enough to indicate it was time to put her under flower. (Lots of preflowers).

Now, what the HELL am I going to do with her clones? With older clones going into bins, I'm rapidly running out of usable light fixtures and room to install more!
 
IGotGreen said:
Yes smart pots air prune when the roots grow through the fabric, I have been using them for many years with great luck. The roots do still wrap around and fill up the soil like TheCelt said, but i have used 3 gallon pots from veg to harvest with out any issues. I prefer 5 gallon pots personally though unless i am doing auto flowers
Click to expand...

I think the plants we grow long-term (as in a perpetuate grow) also prefer the 5 gallon pots/bins! Now if we could find the room!
 

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