Hi guys, as a novice I was wondering if my 5 gallon (19litre) fabric pots are big enough.
Thanks.
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What medium are you going to use?
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Try different sizes, discover what you like best.
Keep weight in mind, when you have living soil that successfully retains water, they weigh a lot.
Don’t assume that you’ll never have to move your pots.
20 liters, that’s the equivalent of 2 buckets of water in 1 pot.
You can also choose to only fill them with half the volume of soil.
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I use 3 gallon inside, and transplant if I get to big,… all fabric pots.
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I did my first grow in a 5 gallon home depot bucket and 5 gallons is about as big as I’d go indoor. When I got my air pots I opted for 3 gal and still grow trees. I actually just broke my “never again 5 gal” rule and ordered a 5 gal air pot cause I’m growing a strain I’ve been looking forward to forever. I’m willing to dedicate a light and a tent to this plant alone or I wouldn’t attempt it in a 5 gal with the other 2 I’m growing.
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It depends what you want to do really.
I like 3G indoors because I grow shrubs not trees. I’ve done 5Gs before and it worked very well but I prefer the 3G.
I have a 2x4 tent and can fit 3 5G plants or 4 3G plants.
I try to make the best most productive use of the space. And I like variety.
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3 5g in a 2X4? I train pretty hard and 2 would still be a encroaching on each other! What kind of light?
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You are right, the canopy was a bit out of control on that one 
It’s one of the reasons I prefer the 3s not 5s.
I’ve discovered I have a preference for medium sized plants and I train for short bushes.
I have a 300w LED.
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I’ve found 3 to be the sweet spot too and with mainling and quadlining I’ve found I can keep plenty of headroom. The downside is they have a wider footprint.
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I’m running 5 gal bags right now and I feel like it’s a bit overkill. 3 gal would do better.
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It’s also a trade off between size and watering frequency. I could grow big plants in small containers but I’d need to water all the time and I’m too lazy for that.
I need to water the 3Gs every three days or so and I’ve found that is the best use of my space/energy.
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I’m using organic potting mix 80 percent and perlite 20 percent as I originally wanted to grow organicly (“High Hopes”)but couldnt find organic bloom nutres in NZ.
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Ok thanks, one reason for asking about pot size is because I keep getting roots grow up above the soil and I’m running out of pot depth.
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My grow light is a full spectrum LED fixture built in NZ buy 4Seasons and has Samsung LM301B diodes and two Meanwell ELG240 drivers, all mounted on a 600mmx480mm aluminium panel, it pulls 400 watts at the wall and has a dimmer switch.
Its rated at 2.7umol/J max power.
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Sounds like you’re the perfect candidate for Octopots!
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Just an approximation, you prob want to stay, what 18” I would think from lights? Maybe could be closer depending, here’s a rough estimation to help you out:
- 2-3 gallon pot ~ 12-inch plant
- 3-5 gallon pot ~ 24-inch plant
- 6-8 gallon pot ~ 36-inch plant
- 8-10 gallon pot ~ 48-inch plant
- 12 and over gallon pot ~ 60-inch plant
Could def be taller tho depending on things that’s for sure!
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Either this is a very conservative estimate or I have a gift!
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It’s a flawed rule of thumb but it works at least. Roughly.
In my 3 gal pots I grew about 20”. And they would’ve gone a bit further too if I left them. But height doesn’t tell you yield anyways.
Besides, if you shoot for the conservative estimate you’re always pleasantly surprised when you pass it.
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I’m hitting 3’ easy with pretty aggressive training to keep the height down in 3g. What I seem to have a problem with is taking enough pictures and good pictures 
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