pot size for outdoor 20x40 plot

[blooper]

hello

first real season outdoors, working with a small plot about 20'x40' and max 16 plants.

curious what size pots to go with. it's been hot recently and the black plastic pots i've been using have been getting hot to the touch so i've decided to switch to the tan fabric pots.

right now i have 2 week old clones about 8" tall in 2 gallon pots and i'd like to have everything set for transplant into the final containers in about 2 weeks.

i would think minimum 10 gallon but i know people go 100 gallons and bigger outdoors. for my situation i figure somewhere in the middle, perhaps 30 gallon pots? overkill or should i go bigger? should be harvesting in late september/early october so at least 4 months growth.

any input appreciated

 

[Chunk O'Funk]

The more soil the better. I would use at least 65 gallon pots for that space and grow a 20'x 40' canopy. I was doin a dep a few years back. My green house was about that size and I coincidentally ran 16 girls. I decided to just pull the plastic off and let them rock full season. As the grew, I laid down strips of trellis of the entire garden, supporting them all into one canopy. I ended up with about 50ish #'s from that patch.

 

[Bud Green]

If you're in a legal state, 20 x 40 is a nice size garden for 15 plants...
Whether you put them in the ground, like me, or use smart pots, I would recommend going 80 gallons each, or larger...
Depending on your strain,climate and season length, you'll be almost guaranteed at least 1 pound per plant with that much soil...

 

[blooper]

thanks for the help! i suppose it is a decent sized plot. all medical.

now i'm trying to figure out what soil mix to use. for veg i've been using vermisoil right out of the bag but can't afford to use pre-bagged mixes in pots that big so i'm considering a pro-mix based recipe since bales are readily available and it sounds like i'll need at least 1-2 bale for each plant.

any pointers there? i've been looking through the recipes but can't seem to find anything that compares to the KIS nutrient pack i'm used to. i can probably source a decent bit of local compost and would prefer to buy amendments in bulk just to save $, otherwise i'd probably just go buy a ton of vermisoil/vermifire.

 

[Bud Green]

I've been growing my own veggies and stash, on and off for the past 40 years, so I learned a little bit about gardening...

I'm certainly no expert, but I pay little heed to all the people who want to be able to measure EVERY nutrient in their soil..

I guess I'm what you would call an organic gardener, as I use no chemical nutrients or pesticides or herbicides in my garden...I make big compost piles every year and add it to my gardens and my secret gardens on a regular basis.... I never purchase soil, other than an occasional bag of peat moss or perlite...It takes a year or so, but you can build your own perfect soil just by making good compost and maybe adding a little wood ash and bone meal every now and then..

 

[blue_tick]

blooper what strains will you be growing. strains will differ in needs of nutrients like sativa's as to indica's

 

[blooper]

right now it's hurkle, querkle, jack herer, norcal banana, space bomb, god bud, girlscout cookie, strawberry cough and for very high CBD, an AC/DC that tested 20:1 CBD to THC. definitely some variety in there to be taken into consideration. i'm looking to mix up soil rich enough to feed for a few weeks at least so i can then start to watch each plant for signs of deficiency and take notes rather than just throw the same feeding at everything.

currently looking into yards of potting soil. seems like the only way to go without shelling out over 100$ per filled pot. i found some decent looking stuff that is made from aged organic matter, screened pumice, organic compost, compost fiber, and sharp sand and it comes at 36$ a yard which is about equal to 3 bales of sunshine that would cost 120$

seems now all i'll have to do is get a huge tarp and mix some extra pumice, perlite, chunky coco and castings and we should be able to get these pots filled and stay fed in the meantime

 

[DrGreenthumb333]

Our cage is 20' x 30' and we run 10 plants in 65 gallon smarties with amended dirt. It gives us roughly 6 feet of room between each pot (that measurement is from center of each pot to the center of the next). Last year we got a real late start and they were extremely small when put out and still averaged over a lb a piece. Obviously there is lots of variables, strain, sunlight, etc. but it's been said before the more soil the better. We will be upgrading size next year, usually more is better so don't slack on pot size!!

 

[DJbigbud]

I guess Im a grow in the ground type guy, unless your soil really sucks, I dont see a good reason not to. You could get someone to come in with a skid steer auger and dig holes which you could amend and fill with whatever you want, get some of the benefits of pots, without the drawbacks. A 24 inch diameter hole dug 2 feet deep will hold about 45 gallons of soil.

 

[Parrotman]

Because or theft issues. I have to use pots. This is my second year with pots. They are probably about 25 gallons. Both years now my girls are looking like they are pot bound. Mass of small spider roots throughout the entire pot. Also after they reach a certain size. I start having problems with extreme yellowing of lower and middle leaves. First year I assumed it was a nutrient or soil density problem. But this year the exact same thing is happening with a top quality soil mix. Adding fertilizer just makes it worse. Anyone else experienced this problem?