Bigger Pots

[atticflowers]

Im wondering if i need to put my plants in bigger pot for flowering. Im in 1gal pots an the roots are starting to poke out the drain holes in the bottoms i dont wanna run into repotting in mid or even near ending the flower period. I have seen people harvest in smaller pots before but they never say when they started 12/12 so thas where im at so bigger pots yea or no an will they make the harvest that much better? I dont have pics of the roots but ill add em heres the ladies tho.

 

[The Revolution]

The more root space you allow the better. Id try to go atleast double your current size after going into flower. I think if you're finishing in 2-3 gallon smart pots youd be find, but not in regular old plastic pots. As the roots grow into the sides of the fabric pots, they air prune themselves, and allow more root systems to develop throughout the entire pot. Also means, more O2 for your root zone. If I were you, I would pick up some weed barrier fabric, a short bit of chicken wire or other fencing and make your own smart pots. I think you're overall yeild would be improved on dramatically, and take away some of the worry of becoming root bound mid flower, and the plants never really developing into their true potential.
If you're stuck with plastic pots I would try to go with 3-4gal if its possible. You def dont want to put these into flower just as theyre becoming rootbound in 1gal pots. They will never mature to a fraction of what they possibly could with unrestricted root space.

 

[MrBungle]

What Revolution said.. Give your girls 3-7 days in your new larger pots then send em to flower..

 

[aridbud]

Or....cut the bottom off your current containers, set a few inches in 3 or 5 gallon container. The chicken wire/fabric...great idea but labor intensive.

However you do it, those girls need their roots to s-p-r-e-a-d.

 

[fuggzy]

If you are on a tight budget you could make a fabric pot with batting material, and glue. It may sound crappy, but it works. I used 100%cotton unbleached, and Liquid Fusion glue. I spent a good amount of time researching glues and picked this one as it seems to be none toxic in any form. I emailed the company with my proposed use (gardening in general), and they said there should be nothing to worry about in regards to anything leaching in to the soil or food. The MSDS can be found here.

http://www.sial-canada.com/userfiles/file/File/MSDS/MSDS Liquid Fusion Clear Urethane Glue.pdf

I don't really measure anything, but its rather easy. Figure out how wide you want the pot to be, wrap fabric around a reg pot to get the idea of how wide you want it.

They way I fold it, you need to add a few inches to the bottom, as the fold makes it shorter, I'll explain. After you figure how wide and long to make it, you should have a long rectangle. About 2.5x long, as it is wide (e.g.25"x10") Fold it long ways (12.5"x10"). This should give you a pot a bit taller than it is wide. Glue the longer sides together,and you should have a pocket. I put binder clips on my glue while it dries. This ensures there are no small holes in the seem, and a tight binding.

After that dries, and cures turn it inside out. The seems will be inside, and giving you a smooth outside. Take the bottom corners and push them inside the pot. You want to push them towards each other. How far depends on how wide or large the pot is. On smaller pots I usually push them together and glue the tips together. Larger pots, I have just glued them to the bottom.

It is not a stiff as a smart pot, so it needs to be shaped. When I add soil, I just add a few inches and get the bottom in the shape I want. Then add the rest on top. They all sit flat, but I didn't shape 1 right and the soil settled at an angle.

The bellow pics are for a flower bed on a window. The sizes would be very different for a pot, but the same method.

These wont last to long, the cotton is biodegradable. This is just what happened to fit my budget. I spent ~25$ and can make about 6 more for a total of 13 pots. I've got bud, flower, and food in them. Eco-wool can be used in the same fashion, and will last 3-4 times longer. It is made from recycled plastic bottles, and none toxic.

What ever you do, give those ladies some new shoes.

 

[Bud Green]

aridbuds recommendation is excellent...

You need bigger pots to realize "maximum potential"
but transplanting now will stress them a little and tear roots hairs...

As aridbud suggests, carfully cut the bottom of the existing pots with a very sharp "box cutter' type knife....
If you're real careful, cut off about the bottom 2 or 3 inches of the old pots and place the whole thing several inches deep into larger containers with the same kind of soil.....

 

[LifeLess]

Nice plants attic.