Need some guidance from some pros!

[SmokingWings]

Spray glue & tinfoil, to black out those pots

One suggestion. Another is to spray paint the buckets or pots and add the soil when the paint is dry. That is something I did several years ago. They were going to be used inside and outside so I spray painted them with a brown color paint so that they would blend in with the other potted plants on the patio.

Try to use a paint that is made for spraying on plastic. It might still peel off after a year or so which means another quick spray which should take only seconds to do so they should dry quicker.

 

[CaptainLucky]

I used to use five gallon pails as pots too.
They sometimes take too long to dry out. Depends upon the plants size,vigor etc. Sometimes the plant suffers from having wet feet for too long.
Having sharper draining soil can help. Just add some extra perlite or pumice.


Your plants look nice.

I always liked to drill holes in the bucket sides and bottom for better drainage and aeration of the roots. CL

 

[tallboy2023]

Bottom is drilled, but not sides. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[bluter]

Bottom is drilled, but not sides. Thanks for the suggestion!

don't go too far up the sides if just for draining.

alternately, you can hole the bucket out like a block of cheese and glue screen over the holes if you wanna make a homeboy airpot. or you can google airpot lol.

 

[Virgin Ground]

You mean....speed holes!?! Lol
To aid in the speedy drying of soil ..

Speed holes

www.420magazine.com

I had to drill some a few years back. Didn't need the screen though. All the dirt stayed put.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I saw conflicting info on white pots.

I've never had issues myself. Plants seem to grow just fine in them. In hydro having algae present is a bad thing for sure. It will take over the entire root ball.
Some folks say there is issue with gas exchange in soil when algae is present.
I didn't find any real info on this though. Looked kinda bro-sciency for the most part. However, I did come across an article that said algae in soil can reduce the chances of anaerobiosis in the medium.

The real issue is having so much moisture always present. That is more detrimental to the plant.
You address that and the algae will sort itself out.

 

[tallboy2023]

I moved my 2 stunted ones into fabric pots. I was definitely over watering. It's SO HARD not to as a newbie. But the more I let them dry out between waterings the healthier they get. I'm just going to keep pushing it longer and longer between waterings until I find that sweet spot. I'm almost there

 

[CaptainLucky]

I moved my 2 stunted ones into fabric pots. I was definitely over watering. It's SO HARD not to as a newbie. But the more I let them dry out between waterings the healthier they get. I'm just going to keep pushing it longer and longer between waterings until I find that sweet spot. I'm almost there

Some people fill a similar pot with soil and weigh it on a bathroom scale, that way you will know for sure when to water. Also you should read @Emilya Green thread on how to water a potted plant. CL

 

[Skunksta]

Its normal in soil even in coco sometimes when its been over watered.
Its not going to hurt much let the soil dry out some if it is soil.
search @Emilya Green she has a great thread on hand watering potted plants.

I wont say white buckets would not help algue thrive but with proper watering in soil still cant see it being a big issue.
Unless it gets way out of control.Leave them white or if your really worried simple black tape..
Also they look much better sitting in filled to the top ish buckets and less water

 

[sjb504]

Thanks man. What should I use for pots next time? This is my first grow.

You could always turn the bucket in to sip's..

 

[SmokingWings]

I saw conflicting info on white pots.

I've never had issues myself. Plants seem to grow just fine in them.

Same here. I mentioned that there did not seem to be that big of a deal with white pots several years ago. One of the others in the group brought up that he and his friends had used white pots when they ran out of black or dark colored pots. They paid attention to the root growth when they pulled the plants at harvest.

The plants grown in white pots had slightly less root growth, especially along the edges, than the plants the darker pots. If I remember right he mentioned that it was more noticeable in the outdoor grows than the indoor; most likely because the sunlight was much stronger than the artificial lights being used.

Up to the grower if they want to use white containers. Probably most would not notice that much of a difference in the end.

 

[013]

don’t think the soil mix was built with extra perlite needed for proper internal wicking on a SIP

ditto SmokingWings -white, clear or translucent containers are not recommended… I believe light pruning is realz

 

[tallboy2023]

There was definitely green algae on the walls of all 4 when I transplanted them. More so on the smaller ones that were overwatered early on and not allowed to dry. Little bit on the bigger ones too but not much. They are drinking very well. I'm sure it's a combo of light penetration and wetness. I had no idea white was a no-no. I chose those because they were FDA approved and I didn't have to worry about plastic leaching. I'll be using something different next time. Learning so much this first grow. Can't wait to put all my new knowledge to work with round 2

 

[Virgin Ground]

You can always tape a black garbage bag around them for a quick fix, if you're really worried.

 

[bluter]

I saw conflicting info on white pots.

I've never had issues myself. Plants seem to grow just fine in them. In hydro having algae present is a bad thing for sure. It will take over the entire root ball.

the white buckets let light through. algae needs light to form, and is the beginning of root rot when in the soil. plants roots are also light sensitive and will be weaker on the pot edges, or will not venture there at all, resulting in a smaller root ball, and subsequent harvest.

 

[tallboy2023]

I'm going to move then into air pots

 

[CaptainLucky]

don’t think the soil mix was built with extra perlite needed for proper internal wicking on a SIP

ditto SmokingWings -white, clear or translucent containers are not recommended… I believe light pruning is realz

Idk I used a white bucket last year outdoors and it worked fine. CL

 

[bluter]

Idk I used a white bucket last year outdoors and it worked fine. CL

try it side by side with a proper one and you'll notice a difference. we noticed it indoor on the larger grows. we used a number of 5gal pails and had a few white ones. we wound up using black 5 gal garbage cans, as they were square, and we could utilize the grow space much better with them.

 

[013]

Idk I used a white bucket last year outdoors and it worked fine. CL

Hey CL! yes sir white containers will work fine or so it seems, but cut a few clones and compare head to head with white, clear or translucent buckets versus properly a blacked out bucket.

In white buckets there will be less roots circling the pot perimeter… it called light pruning. Weed roots love air but not exposure to light.

 

[SmokingWings]

try it side by side with a proper one and you'll notice a difference. we noticed it indoor on the larger grows. we used a number of 5gal pails and had a few white ones. we wound up using black 5 gal garbage cans, as they were square, and we could utilize the grow space much better with them.

I think a lot has to do with the thickness of the plastic and how much white dye or whatever they use to make the colors in the plastic.

My stock of white pails and pots is an example. Some of the 2 1/2 white pails are a thin plastic or a translucent plastic and I can either easily see the water line in one of them or see the water line if I look carefully with the other. But I would not be able to read a newspaper held up to the sides. Then there are some white 5 gallon pails in the collection that I could not see a water or soil line no matter how hard I tried, even in sunlight.

When it comes to the white gardening post I don't remember for sure but I believe I could not see the soil line when using them.

Looked up with Mr Google' help whether black plastic will prevent algae growth. Seems the answer is "no, not completely", but it should slow it down to the point that most people will not find or notice green algae for a year or more. These comments were regarding white and black water storage tanks and enclosed containers.