Ideal pot size for growing medium-sized plants?

[ithinkiam]

Because I am growing in my closet I am trying to keep the plants (I have 3) from growing too tall. My closet space is about 2' x 4', btw. The plants are also in small, temporary 1.5 gallon (approx) pots which are too small, I know. (The plants are already outgrowing them.)

I want to keep them from growing too tall (over 3.5 feet) and stalky and would prefer them to be globular in shape. I have not attempted to prune the plants as I am not experienced in doing so and don't want to damage them. However, I have been pinching them along the main stem. I cannot tell for sure if it has been helping, though.

I am wondering when and if I should transplant them into larger pots? And what size and shape of pot would be best to use? Or if it is even necessary or healthy to do so at this point in vegetation?


They are about 6-weeks-old and around 10-12 inches in height.


These pictures were taken days ago; the plants have since grown 2-3 inches.

Don't laugh at my foil fencing! lol

Does this plant look healthy? Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Justin_Credible]

I think I am...
Nice nic....saw that nobody has replied to you yet. So I thought my first piece of advice on the site would be to you. I also just joined...but have been a grower for about five plus years. 1st off, yes your plant looks healthy, hard to tell but I think you are lacking a bit in the nitrogen department...what are you using for nutes? What is your average temp in that closet? Rel. humidity? Now the big thing I see wrong with your garden right away is getting rid of that fucking tin foil!!!!!! Immediately! That will do nothing but create heat problems (especially in a closet) for you sooner as opposed to later. Try Mylar...or panda film it has the same reflective properties without the major heat creation. Waaaayyyy better ways of reflecting light than aluminum foil guy. Did I see soil in there? You could take a gander in other closet growers threads to get some ideas. Good luck to you and if I can be of any help let me know.

 

[Justin_Credible]

Also, what is your wattage on those lights? You'd be better off to go to home depot or disc hyd for a 250 and hood. too close to the tops of those girls and you will burn them....you also will not hurt the plant by topping it. Take a look at the root ball to see if you need to go bigger in the pot size. I would automatically transplant into 2 gals myself. As for topping etc....I have to go into my veg room for an hour or so with a pair of scissors and start hacking away because my plants are way ahead of my flower room's ladies so I chop ém down to size. Also, the more lowers you cut off, the less bugs, and bigger colas.
You'll love this thread...great read from someone who seems to know what they are doing....

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=115377

 

[ithinkiam]

Well, for a while I was using Miracle Grow Flower Food in the water every few waterings, but I was told that type of nutrient solution could be bad for my plants so I haven't fed them anything in like 7 or 8 days. I was told to use molasses instead. lol I haven't done that, yet, but yeah. I suppose I could begin feeding the plants with the plant food again. I didn't see any problems with the plants in prior weeks. And it's about 69-73 degrees in the closet/my room. I don't have a humidifier or a fan of any kind.

This is the thread I posted in the Introductions section, which goes further into detail on my current setup: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=162841




Great link, btw! I'll have to take some notes.

 

[Justin_Credible]

Miracle Grow huh?
U should take some cash and get on the B-Cuzz bandwagon...I love that nute.

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

1 galloon for 1 ft of growth. Also when you flip to 12's your girls will get 2-3 times the height. So if they are 12'' now they will get 2.5-3 feet when finished. plan accordingly.


good luck

 

[ithinkiam]

Yeah, I think I will start using the plant food again. And if taste will be an issue, I have already planned to flush the plants in their last 2-3 weeks of flowering.

Also; I took the foil down! lol. I have a lot left to do with the plants, though. Need to think about improving the lighting and transplanting plants sometime soon.

Thanks for all of the feedback.

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

oh..... pulf off those hoods and use splitters so you have 2 bulbs per plant. Also CFL's work best when using the SIDE of the bulb not the "top" as you are now.

 

[Justin_Credible]

Miracle Grow is fine, and I agree with...smurf...guy (whatever his name is) you do need to get rid of that foil. Flat white walls work fine.

Dammit man...my name is Justin..Justin Credible say it real fast three times and it will make more sense...my favorite wrestler (when I watched it anyway)

 

[ithinkiam]

haha smurf guy..


BLUNToPOTomuss, I didn't know that about the fluorescents! (Although it makes sense now after seeing some pictures of other peoples setups that use them.) Can I buy these splitters at local hardware stores, like Lowes or Home Depot? I looked them up online, they definitely look useful! lol.

I'm currently using 120 watt bright white compact flourescents. I'm not sure of the lumen output. Each plant is under one bulb. (I would prefer having each plant underneath 3 of these bulbs, though.)

I also have a question concerning flowering. They are all almost 1 foot tall and I do want to keep the plants from getting too tall, as previously mentioned...but when should I start the 12/12 cycle? I've only had them under lights 24 hours a day for about 2 days now, and it seems like a waste, almost, to switch them back to having a dark period. Hmm.

 

[Justin_Credible]

They are almost 1 foot tall? never asked but if you said already, what strain again? Honestly with the space you have, keep in mind a lot of strains stretch to almost twice there size once they go 12-12.

 

[kmk420kali]

How often are you watering?? Those smaller, inner leafs look a li'l soggy and ram-horned-- Are you letting them dry out between watering??

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

How big are your current pots?

If they are your original veg pots I would trans up to at least 2.5-3 gallons, run 24 hours for 2 more days to help them get over any stress, then flip hem to 12's. Plants tend to get 2-3 times there height when you go to 12's. Depending on strain they may get TALLER or shorter.

Yes you can get those splitters at any hardware store.

 

[ithinkiam]

I am not sure of the strain. I germinated seeds that I took off some decent bud I had bought. (Decent where I'm from is pretty shitty, though. Mids, high-mids.) And the stuff was pretty seedy, to be honest...so I'm not expecting a super potent harvest. lol Sigh. :/

I water about once a day. Some times I wait 36 hours to a day to water again. I have read that it's a good idea to wait until the top soil is dry and crusty, but I don't want to dry my plants out either. The pots I have have holes in the bottom that allow water to drain into a lower area where there is no soil...but I can't just lift up the pot and look to see what exactly happens to excess water. I imagine it evaporates out through the thin openings on the bottom around the base of the pot...but Idk.

I don't think I over water them. I use about 1.5 liters on all 3 plants, so let's say .5 liter per plant per watering. I do spray them often, though. And I make sure to spray the smaller, inner leaves... Hmm, is this too much watering? Too little? Btw, I use purified room temp water.

They are currently in 1-1.5 gallon pots. And I am planning to transplant them into 3 gallons.

About the splitters; I was wondering if the splitters would even work with my fixtures because the clamp fixtures I am using have a max of 150 watts. And I am currently using 120 watt CFL's in them. Would using a splitter to run two 150w bulbs be a bad idea?

I could purchase the 300w max clamp fixtures and use those (if I can even find said splitters), but that means I'd have to retire the smaller clamp lamps. Or I suppose I could use them in addition with the larger clamp fixtures to potentially have 3 lights over each plant instead of two.

Also, if I am going to add more lights, should I buy the same bright white CFL's or is there another CFL that would work well in combination with the bright whites? Like, I know there are ones named daylight, cool white, and soft white which all operate differently on the spectrum.

Thanks, again!

 

[daves4usc]

I would flip them to 12/12 soon. It really depends on how tall you want them. Those will get around three feet or so by the end of it if you flower right now... if they make it that is. Stop watering them so much and try to let the soil dry out before waterings. REMEMBER less is really more with MJ plants. Its easy to over do it in all departments. Those CFL's are good to veg in. I would suggest getting a smaller HPS to either add or replace once you get into flowering. Some people do use CFL's all the way through with great results though. There is alot of debate in the MJ community about what and how much lights should be used so use what works best for you. Heat will be an issue in a closet when you start adding more watts so again, you dont want to over do it....unless you bring in some ventilation and all that but that might need to wate till you get some grows down. Get a fan with a slight breeze on them things and that will help keep the temps appropriate as well as having other benefits. Plants like to feel air. Theres a ton of information on this site. Im kinda new to it too so search around and you'll learn enough to where you wont kill em or damage them too much on your first couple of runs. Good Luck

 

[kmk420kali]

I water about once a day. Some times I wait 36 hours to a day to water again. I have read that it's a good idea to wait until the top soil is dry and crusty, but I don't want to dry my plants out either. The pots I have have holes in the bottom that allow water to drain into a lower area where there is no soil...but I can't just lift up the pot and look to see what exactly happens to excess water. I imagine it evaporates out through the thin openings on the bottom around the base of the pot...but Idk.

I don't think I over water them. I use about 1.5 liters on all 3 plants, so let's say .5 liter per plant per watering. I do spray them often, though. And I make sure to spray the smaller, inner leaves... Hmm, is this too much watering? Too little? Btw, I use purified room temp water.

It depends...you should (If possible), lift the pots and feel if they are heavy or light-- You should wait until they are light...just watch for drooping-- Going by the dryness on top is not always accurate--
Good luck on your grow--

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

are those 120w equivalent, like 42w total?

you always go with total watts not equivalent


also if you are going to use CFLs through flower make sure you change bulbs to somewhere close the 2500k.

 

[ithinkiam]

Ahh, yes. At Walmart earlier I noticed this on the bulb packaging! I believe my bulbs are 150 watt equivalent. They are the energy saving bulbs. Does this make a difference in what type of light fixture I can use?

Also, I checked on which CFL's are close to 2500k and the soft white CFL has a color temp of 2700k. This should be good, amirite?

 

[reckon]

I personally would like to see some cable management with those wires running all against the tops of the reflectors,...I know CFL's don't throw much heat, but that's just asking for trouble.

Zip ties, cable wraps, duct tape, screw hooks, SOMETHING so you don't come home one day to find a full compliment of fire trucks at your house.

wouldn't be the first time, just make sure it's not you.

 

[ithinkiam]

lol Advice taken!