Looking for some container advice...

[Guest]

Hey guys! I am just getting back into things after a three year hiatus from 'home horticulture'. I'm wondering if any of you fellow soil junkies can come up with a little info for me.

The cabinet I am going to be using is on the smaller side footprint-wise, my current floor space is roughly 13"x25" and my overall height is at roughly 46". Due to my size constraints I am looking for an alternative to bigger soil pots and have started looking at Grow Bags as an option. I know they have a reduced footprint and more overall height, can anyone tell me roughly what kind of footprint the different sizes occupy? I am trying to determine wether I am better off with a few of the 3 gallon size or a small sea of the 1 gallons. Based on how much room the bags occupy and the final count I can then start looking at what type of beans to pickup. Thanks for any help you guys can offer, have a good one!

 

[Guest]

I would say go with a small sea of 1 gallons! Unless you can find something between the two. I have heard of lots of people using 32-44 oz cups they work well too.

 

[Guest]

So are we are talking 2 3gal. or what 4 1gal? I'd say 2 big plants could take up the whole cab if topped and trained right.But it depends on the strain ,like ak 47, 1 big cola then 4 bags are better.A blueberry or bubblegum I would use 2 bags.

 

[Guest]

The 3 gallon bags have a diameter of 8.90"

 

[Guest]

Squeezeeeeeeeee!!!!!

 

[ogrefugee]

i'd go with larger bags, less plants. But don't transplant to the big bags until you have sexed some clones and know their results

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the input so far guys, based on Turkish's measurments I am going to make up some 9" templates and see if 3 staggered bags will squeeze into my space. Turkish would you happen to have a height as well on those bags?

Does anyone have a diameter for the 1 Gallon bags by chance?

Currently strain wise I am looking at the Femaleseeds X-line, I was going to pick up some of the C99 and the White Widow X Big Bud for my first crop. I figured that both these strains would produce fairly well in my setup.

As for the transplanting, it's my goal to start the plants in smaller 5" square pots and then move them into the 3 gal bags for the last 50-70% of veg time and flower. I am going to be using a Promix and Perlite medium and feeding AN organics and supplements.

Thanks for the quick replies, I was out of the loop for a few years and returned about 3 days after OG vanished (much to my shock and dismay, I had'nt been on in a year or two so I had no idea) I've been waiting out the 'no new users' thing here at IC for the last few weeks by drooling all over the eye candy you guys have here, much appriciated!

 

[Guest]

I don't have a height right now but I cant post it up after lights come on at 11:3o pst tonight. One gallon bags are 6.40" diameter, no idea on height.

 

[Opt1983]

My rough estimate on the 3 gallon grow bags i am using is approx 12-14 inches in height, hope that gives you a idea! and More is not alwayz better. -Opt

 

[Guest]

I have made up some templates based on the 1 gal and 3 gal diameters and tried some different ways of laying them out in my space. I can hold 3, 3 gal bags (If everyone in the cab breathes in while I shut the door!) or 6, 1 gal bags. I am leaning towards the 3's myself as in the past I have never tried to grow in anything smaller than a 5 gallon pail. I'd rather have 3 big bushy healthy plants over 6 runts!

Opt1983 - Thanks! That helps me quite a bit, I am trying to determine how much headroom I'm going to be working with here. This brings me to my next question;

Can I hang my 250 hps verticaly and not suffer any ill effects? I don't have a reflector small enough to fit my cab, so I figured I would just hang the bulb dead center leaving me with roughly a little more than 2 feet of plant space by my estimates. I'll definatly be doing some LST to keep things compact. I could mount the bulb horizontaly without a reflector above it in a pinch, but I thought vertical bulbs worked better? What i'm really hunting all over the net for but not finding right now is a measurement of how long a 250 HPS bulb is! My lamp is not here yet so I am trying to find the info somewhere else.

 

[lemonade]

Diameter of grow bags? Mine are rectangular...Just measured em.
My 1 gal bags measure 5.5" x 5" and about 8" tall.

And hanging low wattage bulbs in small spaces is a bad design IMO. I'd just use a small cooltube or a horizontal reflector.

All IMO ofcourse...

 

[Guest]

lol you have square grow bags?

 

[Suby]

Funny but I would grow 2 plants in a low but wide Rubbermaid container.
You have an obvious height issue, the footprint is small but will work fine.
Basically you want the most soil available to grow as much rootmass as the cab allows, RMaid tubs are lower but cover more area as opposed to using height.
The roots will grow out for lack of being able to grow down, 2 plants per rectangular tub will help you cover more area with lower plant #'s.
You'll need to poke some drainage holes in that tub but that it.

 

[Guest]

I looked into tubs but so far I have not been able to find a tub that has anymore capacity than 3, 3 gallon grow bags that will fit into my footprint and be less than 12" tall. One large container would also cover up my passive intake pretty good as well.

I have a horizontal reflector but it is about 3" too big front to back for my cab. I may chop it down here at work on the bandsaw or I might just CAD up a new one and have it made. I work in the theatrical/show lighting industry, we manufacture all kinds of stuff and if I can get it into CAD, I can have it made up, not a bad perk

The 3, 3 gallon bag scheme seems to be the right fit for my cabinet, I played around with the templates last night and everything spaces out just right around my intake vent. I am not going to have oodles of headroom but a little training and top'ing should take care of that issue. Thanks guys!

 

[DJ Twist]

Can I hang my 250 hps verticaly and not suffer any ill effects? I don't have a reflector small enough to fit my cab, so I figured I would just hang the bulb dead center leaving me with roughly a little more than 2 feet of plant space by my estimates. I'll definatly be doing some LST to keep things compact. I could mount the bulb horizontaly without a reflector above it in a pinch, but I thought vertical bulbs worked better? What i'm really hunting all over the net for but not finding right now is a measurement of how long a 250 HPS bulb is! My lamp is not here yet so I am trying to find the info somewhere else.

Your light should be horizontal for best light distribution. You can use special reflectors for vertical mounting, but horizontal is always better.

I grow with a 250 HPS as well, and I've had two types of bulbs: short, wide balloon-shaped bulbs about 8-10" long, and longer, narrow tube-shaped bulbs that are an inch or two longer.

I'd go and measure them right now for you but I'm on the dark side of 12/12.

In addition to horizontal mounting, the light should be positioned so the sides of the bulb are parallel to the shortest sides of the garden.