Sog Containers: 1 gallon grow bags or 6'' square pots?

[phattybudz]

Assuming I want to pack 100 clones in my 5x5 under two 600w HPS, what would be my best option for containers? Right now I'm using some 1/2 gallon square pots, lots of 1 gallon grow bags. The bags seem alright but pots just seem easier overall.

Would 6 inch square pots be large enough (6x6x7,) and could I fit 100 in there on trays? They're probably going to vary in size from 4-8 inches when going into flower.

That's another thing.. what do you guys use for trays; I've just got them on a ton of clone trays right now but they don't fit in there perfectly....

Thanks!

 

[yamaha_1fan]

w/o doing the math, I think you could get 100 in a 5x5 table

a 6x6 will be fine if growing SOG. When I used containers they were actually 5.5x5.5.

What do you mean what do we use for trays? Do you mean flood tables? You can buy them or build one, however I dont think they make them wider than 4 feet

 

[phattybudz]

ah, I guess I meant flood tables. I'm thinking about building one myself now but I'm worried that I won't be able to fit quite as many clones on there because I've got to fit it in a 4'11" x 4'11" tent.... It would be awfully convenient though, and make switching to ebb-flow easy if I wanted to.

In those 5.25 pots, they didnt get rootbound? How much did they yield in those containers? Thanks!!

 

[Guest]

Obviously 100 6" square pots won't fit nor will 100 1/2 gallon grow bags. If you want that many clones, you should use beds instead of containers.

 

[phattybudz]

"nor will 100 1/2 gallon grow bags."

100 1/2 gallon bags or pots will totally fit 10x10 in there...the 6 inch ones would be too big unless the sides of the tent will give a little so I think I'm going to get 148 of those 5'' pots, assuming they'll be enough to handle the roots.

 

[clowntown]

Sounds like you already have your answer, but as Even_Steven mentioned you might be better off with beds unless you have a particular reason for separating the plants.

 

[phattybudz]

"but as Even_Steven mentioned you might be better off with beds unless you have a particular reason for separating the plants."

I hadn't really thought about beds before, what's the advantage/drawback of beds, more plants per space but are there other problems that containers don't have?

In my head, building a flood table and one huge soil bed sounds awesome and a shitload easier to water than 100 containers! Definitely considering this for next run.

 

[Guest]

Phattybudz, I didn't say anything about 1/2 gallon pots; I said 100 1/2 gallon bags will not fit, believe that.

 

[clowntown]

I've never run a bed, so everything I'm about to tell you is purely theoretical rather than practical. I believe it makes sense, but I may have left out some details or perhaps over-emphasized some details.

The advantage of a bed is obviously simplicity and ease of use, and also shared medium / root space. There won't be an issue of "allocating" a fixed amount of medium for a given plant; instead that plant is free to dig it's roots where it can, and obviously the ones with better positioning in the garden will likely take up more root space while the others will take up less... thus creating a self-balancing type system.

A disadvantage is that you can't move plants around, you can't feed them different things, and in general slightly less flexible but if you think ahead and plan it out you should not really run into any advantages. This same-feed thing also can make flushing / harvesting a little tricky if you don't think ahead, because some of those plants (depending on position in the garden under the light) may not mature as fast as the others, and you're still forced to flush them at the same time... leading to a possibly early harvest for some, or the other way around.

Just my on that topic. Hope someone with actual experience can chime in.

 

[phattybudz]

"A disadvantage is that you can't move plants around"

Yeah, I thought of one more which is too much of a disadvantage for me to entertain the idea any further: I can't move them easily in case of an emergency! I'd have to chop it all. so 5.25 inch pots is it I think. Thanks for the input guys

 

[clowntown]

What I meant was that you can't move the plants around within the garden, to re-position them to adjust the canopy.

Anyways, do you have the means / plan to crank out 100 rooted clones?

 

[phattybudz]

Yup, right now I've got 2 trays going but I've got a bubble cloner built (not using yet because of hot summer temps,) and I plan on adding 3 or 4 trays when the time is right (when I'm motivated enough to clean out my closet.)

 

[binaryfission]

check this out. post #248

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=1463875&mode=linear#post1463875

makes me have wet dreams.



PEACE

 

[clowntown]

Hmm, wet dreams eh?

For me, even thinking about stringing up 500 CFL bulbs makes my hair hurt. (!!) I also don't know about this whole "any strain will yield 5 grams" deal, especially at the outer edges of the table. I mean, everyone can do math and multiply, but many things in life aren't a simple matter of 2 + 2 = 4. He seems to be showing the same one plant over and over, but how about the others that didn't perform as well? Not to hate on the thread, but I personally think it's very silly and impractical to be running that high of a plant count for such a small wattage grow.

 

[phattybudz]

I've been following that thread for a while, and debating whether or not to build a micro sog to test out the CFL claims. I'm skeptical too, has anyone else replicated those findings or compared it directly to a HID sog with the same numbers? Just seems like there wouldn't ever have been a market for HID if CFL could do the same thing better and cheaper (or am I missing something?)

 

[Guest]

Hmm, wet dreams eh?

For me, even thinking about stringing up 500 CFL bulbs makes my hair hurt. (!!) I also don't know about this whole "any strain will yield 5 grams" deal, especially at the outer edges of the table. I mean, everyone can do math and multiply, but many things in life aren't a simple matter of 2 + 2 = 4. He seems to be showing the same one plant over and over, but how about the others that didn't perform as well? Not to hate on the thread, but I personally think it's very silly and impractical to be running that high of a plant count for such a small wattage grow.

Oh, I second that. Wiring all them cfls would be a last resort; only after I've exhausted every other possibility would I be desperate enough to try it.

A 100+ SOG is a lot of risk for little reward (soquick?). I'd be happy with 98 clones and a mother plant. The same number of clones with just a little veg time has too much potential to be waiting around 2 months for a pound with a SOG. I understand if that's all you've got to work with but there's people out there getting 2 pounds from 1 plant indoors. Krusty will always have a place in my heart and Heath Robinson seems to be my hero lately.

Shit, with 60 plants, you could stagger it up and harvest 2 pounds (even just 1 pound would be nice) a day on a 60-day pheno. Crop during the winter and tend your stock during the hot months or guerrilla style outside. Less risk but way more reward; ain't no 5 years mandatory waiting on you if you get popped.

 

[knna]

I use a similar way of growing. A f&e table of 5 sq ft and 25-35 plants in it. With an e&f table, watering a large amout of pots isnt a problem larger than watering 4 plants.

As for the lighting, CFLs are the choice for very small grows, with wattages up to 150-200watts. For larger wattages, any HID is going to get way better results if the setup is well designed. If any, 4ft good floro tubes (T5s, triphosphor T8s, both with electronic ballast) for very rectangular grow area shapes may get similar results than medium wattage HIDs.

Growing short plants is a must when the lighting are CFLs or floros, while when using a 600w, its a personal choice (good option, IMO), but then you need to use a reflector wich gives a very even lighting and going moving plants from edges to the center as they advances the flowering (for a perpetual setup; but keep in mind perpetual and e&f tables dont match, as you cant adapt the feeding to the stage of development. Less of a problem with organics).

Peace,
knna

 

[yamaha_1fan]

Obviously 100 6" square pots won't fit nor will 100 1/2 gallon grow bags. If you want that many clones, you should use beds instead of containers.

In a 5x5 table you could fit 100 square pots.

I have 4x11 tables, thats 44 sq ft and I fit 192 plants in it.

His table would be 25 sq ft

5x5, with plants every 6" on center, that would be 10 plants across by 10 plants across.

Of course if the inside dimensions are not a true 5x5, or the pots are larger than 6x6, then they wouldnt fit.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

Oh, I second that. Wiring all them cfls would be a last resort; only after I've exhausted every other possibility would I be desperate enough to try it.

A 100+ SOG is a lot of risk for little reward (soquick?). I'd be happy with 98 clones and a mother plant. The same number of clones with just a little veg time has too much potential to be waiting around 2 months for a pound with a SOG. I understand if that's all you've got to work with but there's people out there getting 2 pounds from 1 plant indoors. Krusty will always have a place in my heart and Heath Robinson seems to be my hero lately.

Shit, with 60 plants, you could stagger it up and harvest 2 pounds (even just 1 pound would be nice) a day on a 60-day pheno. Crop during the winter and tend your stock during the hot months or guerrilla style outside. Less risk but way more reward; ain't no 5 years mandatory waiting on you if you get popped.

Alot of people seem to think SOG is the most efficient growing style out there, not considering the consequences. While you veg that tree for 2-3 months, then flower for 2-3 months and pull 1-2 pounds, I have pulled 2-3 harvests for 10 pounds.

 

[clowntown]

I think what Even_Steven is saying is that it's not worth doing minimum 5 years (if consequence comes to play) for a triple-digit wattage grow...