In containers vs. in the ground

[swordsman]

I am in the southeast USA and am about to start a good sized plot this year. I've been following the growing large plants outdoors thread and would like to grow some monsters. How much size/yield reduction can be expected from growing directly in the ground, vs in containers? My plot is a section of what used to be forest until I cut down all the little softwoods the other day and opened it up. It's pretty fertile sand/clay with a lot of humus. Will be using powdered organic nuts and an active irrigation system. Can I get 5 lbs/plant if everything is right?

 

[tech1234]

yup forget 5p's per. 2 takes skill.

In ground is best because of water retention and most importantly root temps

 

[HillBilly1]

When I grow in ground I do a raised bed/box. I make the box
3x3 or 3x4 and 1 foot tall, I then dig out a hole same width as
The box and 2ft deep at least. They will give you a better yield
Than 100-150 gallon pot. You can get 5 out of a 100 gl smartpot
Without any trouble

 

[swordsman]

It's a guerrilla grow, but there is basically zero chance of it being discovered. The patch is deep in the woods in a spot that's easy for me to access, with no other human traffic. We don't have flyovers here so I can grow em big with no worries. So what is holding me back from growing 5+ lb monsters, otherwise? If I put the plant in ground without digging out a bunch of soil, will that limit yield? If I can hit at least 1-2 lb per plant that would still be acceptable. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[_tessarecting]

The amount and quality of your soil is almost directly proportional to yield/quality in full sun if drainage is taken into account, ipm, other pests, correcting any deficiencies, etc.

Maybe go the native soil route like some peope do. It will take work. You dont want to just plant in the ground. Gopher cages if you do too.

 

[_tessarecting]

Expect nothing doing it that way.

 

[swordsman]

That's weird....last year I harvested a little bit more than "nothing", despite doing no watering or feeding at all other than when the plants first went in the ground. In fact I'm still smoking on that harvest every day all day, and probably have another 1-2 months to go before it's all smoked out. Not to say the harvest was huge, but again: these plants got NO love whatsoever the entire season. Regular fertilization and watering should boost yields significantly.

I'm beginning to think the real answer to my question is "We don't actually know." Hopefully someone will chime in soon who can actually give a real answer. Maybe I'll just have to do it my way and see what happens. As usual....

Do you folks think farmers in Afghanistan have tractors with gallons of diesel fuel on hand to till up acres of soil or dig a thousand huge holes by hand, when they grow those 6-8' tall monster indicas?

Personally, I prefer to get the best results possible for the minimum effort, while also not destroying the soil as tilling does over time. Y'all can spend weeks outside digging big holes if you like, but anyone who says that's the only way to do it obviously doesn't know what they're talking about. There is more than one way to grow cannabis.

On other threads people are saying that the width of the roots determines the width/size of the plant. Makes sense. I'm thinking a wide layer of mulch (leaves, pine needles, etc) built up around each plant's base would trap moisture underneath, allowing roots to thrive on top of the soil surface and spread out easily in that layer between the soil and mulch.

 

[TriSierra]

Gonna be an uphill battle to hit 1 with the high humidity. Quality cannabis can't be grown everywhere.

 

[gorilla ganja]

Why not do a test.
Grow one straight in native soil and one in a pot filled with native soil.
Depending on the size of your pot, I predict the in ground will outgrow the pot every time.
Until you get to a certain size pot.
There are of course good and bad to each method. It also depends on a lot of factors.
In wet muddy ground or a nice aerated smart pot. my money is on the smart pot.

There are a lot of different reasons why pots might be a good idea.
Really I think growing guerrilla, your location and soil determine if pots are necessary or a better solution to your area.As well how many times you can or should visit your spots.

As far as 5 lbs. depends more on your latitude, strains and skills more than in pots or not.

Peace GG

 

[ronbo51]

Don't know if it relates but last year i set out tomatoes in 20 gallon smart pots. They grew well and started bearing good fruit. Then the heat came on and blossoms died and fruiting ended. Maybe if I mulched the pots they would not have suffered. I am in coastal SC and it gets hot here. Hot roots are unhappy roots.

 

[swordsman]

TriSierra, the primary seeds I'm working with are Bubblegum x Lashkar Gah F2. The BG plant was fairly mold resistant with a high yield of medium sized high density nugs, while the LG carries dominant genes for a massive root system. There will be a lot of variation from plant to plant and I fully expect to lose a large number to mold and other problems, especially since the LG is from a dry region and has poor mold resistance. That's OK because some plants will survive and prosper and the next generation will be better. I'm aiming to develop some strains which are well acclimatized to this region. The soil is great everywhere here (this plot used to be productive farm land), we have plenty of sunshine and regular rains during the summer, humidity is all gone by the end of September, and we usually have a fairly dry October. Beats the Pacific NW hands down.

Gorilla, a back to back test would be a good idea, but unfortunately due to the variable nature of these F2 seeds, probably wouldn't be very useful. Agreed that soil with too much clay would be a limiting factor on plant growth. It varies from spot to spot here, but at this spot there is plenty of sand and humus to loosen things up, so we'll see how it goes.

ronbo, I think that varies from strain to strain. Some strains need cool root temperatures, and others don't really seem to care. What tomato variety did you plant; was it something that is sensitive to heat, maybe a variety better suited for Yankee growers? Mulching IMO is very beneficial and should always be done.

Thank you folks!

 

[aridbud]

It depends if the natural soil is clay based or sandy loam. By having containers you can direct the water/nutes and helps keep water in the roots. Natural soil....it can seep through and still top soil is dry.

 

[DoubleTripleOG]

I did an experiment a couple years back. 2 clones went out at the same size. One plant was close to the house and could be babied. The other was out in the woods, far away, and only got water with food in it 3 times. Both were in 7 gallon grow bags with the bottom cut off, and set into a hole with about 2 gals. of "bagged" dirt(happy frog). The plant next to the house gave 10 ounces. The plant in the woods gave 2 ounces.

 

[EJ_tokes]

Lots of variables to this question, which would dramatically change the answer.. Naturally the ground offers many advantages over pots, such as water retention and root temp, however simply for the "control" factor, I would have to side with using big pots. Much more control over feeding, flushing and airation. You would have to have extreme confidence in your soil and rain season to risk putting it in the ground and slightly more out of your control and more in the hands of Mother Nature. A couple of un scheduled heavy rains could leave you swamped , literally.

 

[swordsman]

I did an experiment a couple years back. 2 clones went out at the same size. One plant was close to the house and could be babied. The other was out in the woods, far away, and only got water with food in it 3 times. Both were in 7 gallon grow bags with the bottom cut off, and set into a hole with about 2 gals. of "bagged" dirt(happy frog). The plant next to the house gave 10 ounces. The plant in the woods gave 2 ounces.

So you got 5x the yield from active watering and fertilizing. Excellent. Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[DoubleTripleOG]

Here's a plant that was put directly into the ground, maybe 3 gallons of medium in the hole before the plant went in it. Plant got direct hit sunlight from sunrise until about noon. Watered daily by hand. Harvested about a lb. from it.

Now here's a plant that was in a 18 gallon tote. 2" holes drilled in the bottom. Roots grew thru the container and into the swamp grass. Roots velcro'd the container to the ground. Tended to every other day. Gave me just over 2 lbs.

Here's s shot of a few plants that were in 7 gal. grow bags. Bottoms cut off, and set on holes with 1.5-2 cu. ft. of bagged dirt under them. Gave me around a lb. each.

 

[blue_tick]

here is what i got from a 100 gallon smart pot amended . this was my first attempt outdoor but have grown indoor for years. so i think you can get a decent yield with some effort


purple haze x malawi 28 oz dry and jarred one plant


peace

 

[swordsman]

I can't see y'alls pics for some reason....is it because of my low post count or something?

DTOG, I love that quote in your sig....sums it up perfectly. I could explain why this has happened, but it would get me banned.

 

[aridbud]

You can't get 5 pounds a plant off indicas, cant be done.
Indica's are short plants.

True, but a nice pipe dream!!!

 

[budsnblunts]

I've pulled pound plants really easy just from re vegging them. I put all clones out a little early during the start of spring to get a little flower going, three weeks later with the help of some covers and I'm rocking 50 shoots on a plant that is no taller then 1 ft. Genetics really do help, knowing what you are growing. But wiseman that is some shit advice. You make some large claims with fuck all to show. Nice plants flboy and DoubleTripleOG