Which size grow bag can I use when topping plants- 3 or 5 gallons? (balcony grow)

[Cuddles]

Okay, unfortunately I am a little late preparing for a balcony grow this year -hell I don´t even have any seeds yet! BUT This years set up will also be next years too, right

I have decided to try out grow bags for the first and I´m not too sure which ones to get.
I have a choice between 3 or 5 gallon bags.

I know that I will have to top the plants so they can´t be seen by people walking past and looking up from the street ( included neighbours who live in our building) and therefore I´m wondering if I can get away with only 3 gal bags or is this too small.
I know that larger pots are better in general for many strains but I think the strains I´ll be getting will be more of `medium´ height. I mean I won´t be able to grow big canna trees on a small balcony in the city anyway, lol

I wanted to try the lemon thai but it´s not available and I´ve now got my eye on bubble gum which I´ve always wanted to try. And maybe one or two other strains as well. ... and I hope the bubble gum really does smell as advertised (ie gum) when it´s growing and flowering !!

So, which size grow bag do you guys think I should I get when the plant will be only half as tall ?

 

[Zeta Reticuli]

7 gallon bag

 

[Cuddles]

7 gallon bag

seriously? saddly too huge for my place
Can´t I get away with smaller ones when they´re topped?

 

[Zeta Reticuli]

You can but yield will be smaller,i am use to 7 gallons atleast as it gives me good amounts of buds.

Go then 5 gallons,3 gallons looks too small.

 

[tobedetermined]

I grow with 5 gallon but I have done a couple with 3 gallon. My per plant yield was lower with 3’s . . . around 100 - 110g and around 130 – 150g with 5’s. Of course, I am sure a better grower would get far better numbers.

 

[moose eater]

More root space is nearly always better, though feed regimen will change with greater on-board food in your mix.

A part of your equation also involves how long you intend to let them grow? Will you be letting the sun do its thing, or shading them somehow at a stage when you think they're big enough to go into bloom for what you want to do with them?

 

[Cuddles]

I grow with 5 gallon but I have done a couple with 3 gallon. My per plant yield was lower with 3’s . . . around 100 - 110g and around 130 – 150g with 5’s. Of course, I am sure a better grower would get far better numbers.

I´m not a better grower , not by any means! On the contrary,lol
But I see what you´re all getting at -smaller grow bags = a lower yield.

Thing is bigger bags also mean more overall height
I´ll be topping them only once and I´ll still have to bend them somehow

 

[Cuddles]

More root space is nearly always better, though feed regimen will change with greater on-board food in your mix.

A part of your equation also involves how long you intend to let them grow? Will you be letting the sun do its thing, or shading them somehow at a stage when you think they're big enough to go into bloom for what you want to do with them?

There´s a little too much shade on my balcony imo. So they won´t be in direct sunlight all the time anyway. Daylight for sure but not the long full on sunlight many (outdoor) plants get in say Spain, or sunny California or in an indoor set up.
Too bad these plants require so much light

 

[moose eater]

There´s a little too much shade on my balcony imo. So they won´t be in direct sunlight all the time anyway. Daylight for sure but not the long full on sunlight many (outdoor) plants get in say Spain, or sunny California or in an indoor set up.
Too bad these plants require so much light

we're light all night at the moment where I am. June 21 we'll have 21 hours and 50 minutes of direct sunlight, and ambient light to either side of that, making it more than visible outside, if one wishes to maximize the working hours with light.

So, you won't be providing a simulated night for the 12:12 bloom period? Assuming they're photoperiod plants?

How big/tall do you intend to let them get before they bloom?

I typically count on a 50% to 150% growth in height from the time I flip them to 12:12 until finished.

 

[Cuddles]

we're light all night at the moment where I am. June 21 we'll have 21 hours and 50 minutes of direct sunlight, and ambient light to either side of that, making it more than visible outside, if one wishes to maximize the working hours with light.

So, you won't be providing a simulated night for the 12:12 bloom period? Assuming they're photoperiod plants?

How big/tall do you intend to let them get before they bloom?

I typically count on a 50% to 150% growth in height from the time I flip them to 12:12 until finished.

I´m not sure how tall just yet but I´d say fairly short. It also depends howtall these grow bags actually are. Damn I may actually have to top the original stem again if they do get too tall ....
But some strains tend to grow shorter than others anyway, right?

I´ll just be leaving them out on the balcony and let them do their thing just like outdoor plants.
And yes they´re regular photoperiod unless I also get an auto or maybe white widow (almost auto, or so I´ve always been told)

 

[moose eater]

I´m not sure how tall just yet but I´d say fairly short. It also depends howtall these grow bags actually are. Damn I may actually have to top the original stem again if they do get too tall ....
But some strains tend to grow shorter than others anyway, right?

I´ll just be leaving them out on the balcony and let them do their thing just like outdoor plants.
And yes they´re regular photoperiod unless I also get an auto or maybe white widow (almost auto, or so I´ve always been told)

Some of the many varieties I've grown through the years have been naturally bushy and compact, and others have been 'leggy'. Like with tomatoes, height doesn't -always- equate to greater production, but with some strains it can definitely be a factor.

I do super-cropping style more often than not; almost exclusively, really. So I end up with anywhere from 8 or 12 primary colas per plant when I'm done. Though I haven't grown commercially in a number of years now, so I no longer pack them into boxes like I once did.

These days, when I do a run (and it's been an embarrassing amount of time since I did a complete crop due to not having the energy or will at the moment) I do five 7-gallon containers in a 4'x4' area, x's three 4'x4' boxes, and one 3.5'x3.5' box.

With indoor lights and limited height presented by the boxes, the height at finish is a lot more important than if I were growing outdoors..

 

[whiteberrieS]

For flowering it depends on your sq ftg

 

[Creeperpark]

Try to use the most convenient size and easy-to-move bags. If you have giant bags you will need a lot more water transporting. The smaller the bags the easier to water.

 

[Cuddles]

Try to use the most convenient size and easy-to-move bags. If you have giant bags you will need a lot more water transporting. The smaller the bags the easier to water.

yep, the weight of the bags is also important in my case.
I´m not what you´d call a big n butch girl and in addition I´m recovering from an injury.
Due to the space and location I have available I will also need to turn the plants around now and then so the other side (north,plus balcony screen) of the plants get some direct sunlight too.

 

[Cuddles]

Is it really true that grow bags are better for plants/roots than regular ones - ie plastic or clay?

btw I´ll be getting the ones without a window (for economical reasons)

 

[tobedetermined]

Is it really true that grow bags are better for plants/roots than regular ones - ie plastic or clay?

Yes. The roots in bags are self-pruning. They end when they punch through the bag and hit air - and then they generate new branch roots. In a hard pot they just keep growing in a circle.

 

[Cuddles]

Yes. The roots in bags are self-pruning. They end when they punch through the bag and hit air - and then they generate new branch roots. In a hard pot they just keep growing in a circle.

thanks,
I had read about this but I´m not sure about how this is better for the rest of the plant. Does this also improve plant health and the final result - ie better buds, more resin etc?

 

[tobedetermined]

Strong healthy roots means more fruit.

 

[Cuddles]

I´ve got another question
grow bags are usually black but there are also white or green ones. Does this matter to cannabis plants or don´t they care? Can the white colour affect the roots at all? I´m guessing it doesn´t matter but who knows

 

[tobedetermined]

You could probably argue it both ways. Black would be hotter and roots like it cool but white would let some light through and roots like it dark.