Should I use 7 gal or 10 gal smart pots in a 5x5 Gorilla tent?

[StayLowKeyBro]

I can only have a maximum of 5 plants because of the laws here in Canada so my question is do I use 7 gal or 10 gal smart pots? The Strain that I will be using is called Gods Blue Cheese its a heavy Indica, the genetics are BC God bud, blueberry, and cheese. I plan on vegging them for 60 days so they get bigger, Height in the tent is 7'11. I was thinking maybe 4 plants in 10 gal pots or 5 plants in 7 gal pots. What do you guys think? Thanks to anyone that replies.

 

[COorganics]

Go big. It's better.

 

[Papageno]

Not sure if you are growing in soil or hydro but bigger is always better in soil. With soil the only issue is if you want to or need to do a flush then it may be hard to carry it to the bath tub. But you will get many more roots which means better results and an easier time maintaining levels. Oh and disposal at the end is more difficult. But the above ground plant size is directly proportional to and limited by the root mass.

 

[StayLowKeyBro]

Not sure if you are growing in soil or hydro but bigger is always better in soil. With soil the only issue is if you want to or need to do a flush then it may be hard to carry it to the bath tub. But you will get many more roots which means better results and an easier time maintaining levels. Oh and disposal at the end is more difficult. But the above ground plant size is directly proportional to and limited by the root mass.

I will be using soil do I take the plants out of the tent to water them I don't wanna put buckets under my pots lol

 

[Papageno]

Actually it is important to use the pans in some form or another. Even more important is it is necessary for the soil to drain for optimal results. So you need pots with holes in the bottom and pans to catch the excess when you water.

If you take them out of the tent to water you will be doing it every day after half way through veg which will be back breaking. Also you will need to leave them out of the tent for like an hour for them to fully drain out the bottom as you will likely slightly over water and let it drain out. You will not find any experienced person on this board that recommends taking them out of the tent daily to water.

So you will need drip pans and in fact they aid in a few beneficial ways. Primarily after some time the soil will develop water paths. The water will quickly rush through these paths before being absorbed into the soil. In fact when not properly managed you can get significant nutrient loss this way. By adding drip pan the soil will eventually drink up the runoff into the areas that the water just ran by and you will have a better saturation throughout the pot. You will learn how much water it can uptake in a day and likely it will be more than the soil initially holds. So the pan allows for excess to be reabsorbed or evaporate off.

BUT do not use pots that have no holes and keep all the water in there. Multiple problems can occur from sealed pots including much stress and reduced growth and yield from over watering. With a drip pan it sort of self regulates.

SO when you water, excess will come out and you need it to not go on the floor so you need drip pans.

Depending on the type pf buckets you use you may be able to fit them into washing machine pans.

Good luck... and for soil (you sound like a beginner) do not use potting soil like miracle grow with slow time released nutrients because then you are not fully in control and may burn your plants (it can be done but is not recommend) AND they are so slow they will be releasing all the way through the flush. Also base mix should be 1/3 perlite, 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 precomposted steer manure. The manure is important for 2 basic reasons. It has almost all you need for the veg stage of growth at the right levels and is chemically correct and easy for the plant to absorb (so in veg you basically just add water). But the most important reason is nutrients need a place to go. When you water the nutrients do not magically immediately get absorbed by the roots. They will go bad if they are not absorbed by some organic medium. Having so much manure in there gives it a location to sit while waiting for the roots to absorb it. You will lower stress and be less likely to burn your plants as that will regulate you nutrient uptake more evenly. The perlite makes it have super rapid growth because roots grow faster AND it allows for the self water regulation I talked about above.

 

[StayLowKeyBro]

Thanks for the help, great post. lots of very good information that I was looking for.

 

[StayLowKeyBro]

How many inches would I need for the drip pans? I'm going to be using 10 gallon smart pots in soil.

 

[Papageno]

how much do you plan to over water ...

Typically about 1 inch tall but it depends on how much larger the diameter is. You may end up overflowing even the drip pan in the beginning. Most people make sure the floor where they are growing can handle little mistakes like that. It should be noted that over watering is a common problem with beginners. Also the water needs change dramatically over the size and life of the plant. In the beginning you can easily water it good enough for a few days especially in a large container. There is a point during veg where you are growing 3-6 inches a day (or more!!!) and basically doubling plant mass every few days where you need to water daily. This is something you will learn. But remember the plants can go a day or two a little dry... and that is actually a good thing as it will promote root growth. You want the roots to see oxygen every day. If they are soaking in water they will choke without oxygen. So this is why you need it to flow out the bottom and just get moist and dry out daily. The perlite wicks up water to where it is needed throughout the pot and prevents over watering if the pot has holes which allows for run off and a pan is there to catch a bit of extra. This will all make sense after you give it a go.

One more thing I forgot to add about soil. It is very common for insect infestations to kill your plants. One of those are these bugs looks like fruit flies. When they breed they land on the soil and dig in and lay eggs underneath the soil surface. The larvae eat the fine hairs on the roots. Those fine hairs are where the actual nutrient exchange happens so they effectively block uptake. If unchecked the plant will die but will at least have significant problems and again lower yields. Roots are directly proportional to plant size and where those bugs eat the roots they never come back. A simple solution is to have the top 0.5"-1" of the pot 100% vermiculite. When the adults land they will presume there is no soil there and move on. You can wait until you see a problem and deal with it that way. When I was doing soil I always would just do it and then not worry. Store bought soil can come with all sorts of crap in it.

 

[Tejasdirt]

Wow
Ten gallon smart pots.
A little over kill ??
Maybe check out some super soil threads
I have used it with good results but not a fan .
However 5 gallons of of good soil will last
2-4 grows
Heck good soil don't get rolling till the second grow.
You can grow with massive results with good
Training and five gallon bucket ( smart pot)
I use kitty litter trays with the Sip method and
Home mixed soil and smart pots.
Old age bloom
You will only be bringing ten gallon pots one time
To the tub.
After that you will be bringing the water to the plants
Save your back, unless you are building a hoist / handcart delivery system
Pax