how many gal. of soil does each plant require ??

Fazz

Fazz

Well-Known Member
if growing in pots , like .. say outside .

how many gal. of soil should be used ??
like .. for mid sized .
or monsters .

any input appreciated .:leaf:
 
Skroatz

Skroatz

Well-Known Member
I heard 1L/week... so convert to gallons and calculate how long you plant to grow them remembering you will probably re-pot them once or twice.
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
LOL, 1gal per ft. That WILL NOT WORK!!!!! Well, at least not around here.

Everyone here in Humboldt uses 25-35gal for every 10'-14' plant. That is about 2.5x what the other guys think. Maybe their experience is different or they are growing bonsai plants. But here in Hum, if you want the max yield, you give the roots room to stretch out.
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
FarmerJJ said:
Jorge Cervantes has said that one gallon of pot size per month is a safe guideline
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Well then Jorge is wrong... A root bound tree that underproduces is all you will get with a 10-gal (6L) pot and a 10-foot monster (3.5m) that might be sayyyyy nine feet (3m) wide.

IMO, Jorge was giving a guideline for small plants (under 6-feet or 2m)

I'm just sayin, here in Humboldt my outdoor friends all use more like 2 gal per foot for the monster plants... i.e. a 15-foot monster that is 9-months old.
 
TwooDeff425

TwooDeff425

Well-Known Member
The homies in Nor.Cal I was helpin' out were using 100gal smart pots....idk if that rule of thumb is right....my vote is with Hum on this one
 
Green Dave

Green Dave

Well-Known Member
I think Jorge knows a little more about this then is givin credit for.He has years under his belt and a few books. You dont just write a book of what you think you have to do your homework
The question was left open never said it was indoor or outdoors
and IMO 100 Gal is a overkill unless you own a soil company or just very deep pockets
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
Green Dave said:
I think Jorge knows a little more about this then is givin credit for.He has years under his belt and a few books. You dont just write a book of what you think you have to do your homework
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I would agree that Jorge probably knows a bit more than he's given credit for in this thread, however that doesn't mean he's right on this one. I can't imagine a 7-gal pot for a 7-month old monster that is huge, it just wouldn't work.... the pot would overturn even when watered fully. I'm sure his guideline is for smaller and younger plants. It simply doesn't work for huge outdoor plants.

As far as books go, I'm a published author of four books(non-cannabis). Two of them I became an expert to write... the other two was more about who I knew, not what I knew. The publisher provided me with most of the technical info. I tell you this not to impress you, but rather to impress upon you that that people probably shouldn't put authors on such high pedestals. We don't deserve it, we're not all experts even when writing technical books. Hard to believe, but that is how many books are published.

I'm not saying that Jorge is in that group, I'm just saying that is the publishing business in general. It is more about what sells than getting the best expert or the most accurate information out. I'm sure Jorge is an expert; I simply disagree with this blanket assertion from him, that's all.

BTW, beautiful avatar!
 
Oldreefer

Oldreefer

Well-Known Member
I'm a bit different on the subject....I only grow autos and an occassional photo....the largest container I've used is 1 gal.....but usually use a 4" pot....I know thats much smaller than recommended but it works for me. Yes, they dry out pretty quick, requiring daily care but I do grow some auto monsters..and have 6 different strains right now in 4" pots, very healthy, growing some nice buds.....I must add my 20 yrs growing bonzai is helpful......I don't recommend small pots unless you have the time to care for'em. My yeilds are small but when you grow for yourself, yeild is not important...........
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
Oldreefer said:
I'm a bit different on the subject....I only grow autos and an occassional photo....the largest container I've used is 1 gal.....but usually use a 4" pot....I know thats much smaller than recommended but it works for me. Yes, they dry out pretty quick, requiring daily care but I do grow some auto monsters..and have 6 different strains right now in 4" pots, very healthy, growing some nice buds.....I must add my 20 yrs growing bonzai is helpful......I don't recommend small pots unless you have the time to care for'em. My yeilds are small but when you grow for yourself, yeild is not important...........
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Do you bonzai the pot plants? I'd love to see a pic of one, if you have done it. I'm just curious; my son grows bonzai and was wanting to try it. Any advice? BTW, how large would you call a "monster plant" for your way of growng? Thanks.
 
FarmerJJ

FarmerJJ

Member
Well he asked about growing mid sized plants as well as monsters, I know growers that never use more than 5 gal.
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
OK, I found an example of a Humboldt sized plant. This is why smaller pots would never work here...
 
solosmoke

solosmoke

Active Member
i know the biger the pot the biger the plant that a rule for ever kind of plant ,now on inside you can get more from a small pot but have to feed it good sometimes everyday,just my 2 cent
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
phyzix said:
Not mine, but that looks like a 2 - 3 gallon container.
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I think you are right. I agree that is a good example of a small outdoor plant in a small pot. Did you see the size I was speaking of in my previous post? That is what would take a 50-100 gal. IMO. I've had smaller plants that did well in 30 gallon pots. When we took apart the soil, it was completely filled and "root bound". I've always been of the mind to give the plant as much space as it desires both above and below ground. YMMV.
 
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