Small Pots to Big. Why not Start Big?

starting the plant in smaller pots promotes folage growth
when the roots hits the sides and bottom the plant starts focusing more energy leaf growth (ideal for indoor growers)
but if there is no bottom the plant puts more energy in root and stem development ( great for outdoor growers)
 
billy4479 said:
The soil structure goes to shit when you put a small plant in a big pot the whole time you water and there no root yet you compact the soil wear down large particls you end up having to fluff the top with a for hoping that it well bring oxygen back ....Go look at a commercial green house you think if they could cut the labor caost of transplanting and grow a big plant in a big pot with a switch between one or two pots the would ?
Click to expand...

Ah, the soil structure. Quite right chap. It's all down to the soil structure. Why didn't I think of that?

Well as I said in the beginning, ignorance was my basis for asking.
 
That 5hit said:
starting the plant in smaller pots promotes folage growth
when the roots hits the sides and bottom the plant starts focusing more energy leaf growth (ideal for indoor growers)
but if there is no bottom the plant puts more energy in root and stem development ( great for outdoor growers)
Click to expand...
This is what I was trying to say.
 
That 5hit said:
starting the plant in smaller pots promotes folage growth
when the roots hits the sides and bottom the plant starts focusing more energy leaf growth (ideal for indoor growers)
but if there is no bottom the plant puts more energy in root and stem development ( great for outdoor growers)
Click to expand...

Ah ha. Also sounds like a good reason for starting in smaller pots. I think I'm starting to get the picture.

So how big is too big for a seed start?
 
ikeathesofa said:
Ah ha. Also sounds like a good reason for starting in smaller pots. I think I'm starting to get the picture.

So how big is too big for a seed start?
Click to expand...
depends on what you want to end up with
but if you use something that is the size of a shot glass like a "jiffy starter pot" then you will have to tranpant very soon
i would say a 16oz party cup, and then transplant when you see the root start to circle. a good trick is to buy the clear one and the colored or foam one to put the clear one in so that you can safely monitor the root growth (roots dont like light)
 
So I started my seeds in these 2 liter bottles I cut the top off and spray painted black on outside.

Not too much bigger than 16 oz cups. Thoughts?
 
Great question ikeathesofa! I was reading everyone's reply and there are some good well thought out opinions here. However, on this topic, I agree with BBYY. If I had the money and space, I would prefer to grow all my plants in five gallon containers. The advantages for me would be less watering, less feeding, and less shock to the plant.

I don't agree with the poster who said it promotes foliage growth. Now I could be wrong, but it's my understanding that plant growth is mainly due two hormones in the plants, gibberellins and cytokinis, which are stimulated by the light cycle (e.g. root growth during the day, foliage at night). Someone else mentioned something about a higher risk of algae if you grow in a large container. I think this is only true in a medium that doesn't drain well or if the gardener habitually over waters their plants. And that's more of a human error then a problem with a large growing area.

The reason why I wouldn't go with seven, ten, or even a twenty gallon container is because frankly, the plants wouldn't live long enough to fill up the space. It would just be a waste of resources. Even five gallon containers can be considered a little wasteful. That's why this season I'm using three gallon containers. I feel this is a good balance of giving the plants ample space to grow, while reducing the amount of nutrients & water I need to buy and use.

I choose to grow indoors in dixie cups because I've learned that genetics overwhelmingly dictate the plant's yield, potency, and vigor. I like to germinate as many seeds as I can fit under a 125 watt CFL light. I'm murderous when it comes to picking my mothers. I may germinate 20-30 seeds at once, but I'll only allow a handful to grow for more then a week. I'll continue to evaluate them until I've decided on my keepers. And it's of those plants I make my clones from.

I'm a big advocate of buying cheap nutrients, keeping it simple with lights and containers, and go broke buying seeds.
 
or buy premium soil. I just got some nickle city stuff, It was nice and fluffy. And after my first watering it didnt pack up. Its drainage was good, and also leaving it moist.
 
billy4479 said:
The soil structure goes to shit when you put a small plant in a big pot the whole time you water and there no root yet you compact the soil wear down large particls you end up having to fluff the top with a for hoping that it well bring oxygen back ....Go look at a commercial green house you think if they could cut the labor caost of transplanting and grow a big plant in a big pot with a switch between one or two pots the would ?
Click to expand...

Now that makes sense. I imagine you'd wash out alot of the nutes by the time the roots got down that far. You think?
 
I've been going straight to a 5g. I'm going to try scaling up my pots next time. I noticed with the 5g I get an undeveloped root area around the middle/edge of the pot. Most of the roots are at the top and bottom. I've been trying to get my water more in those areas, but I'm not sure if it's working. I think scaling up in pot sizes might alleviate the problem. It is nice not having to water as much or transplant, but I would prefer to have a better root system. I'm still uncertain how much it will help, but it's worth a try.
 
I have alot of experiance with this and I will say that transplanting a few times is the best option. Starting in small cups will allow you to grow a decent root system and feeding and runoff for ph which is essential will be alot easier. Once you transplant the growth will explode with the new root room.

I've done 5 gallon from seed and they get rootbound way too early and don't grow that big. They grew smaller then one in a 2 gallon pot that was transplanted from smaller pots.

As stated. The main tap root will grow to the bottom quickly and start circling. Over time the side roots which (fibrous) will grow outward to the outside of the pot. The same as the stem grows faster and strong then the leaves and shoots at first.

My best advice would be to get some superthrive and start in small cups like solo cups. Then give them like two weeks to fill out the root system. DO NOT transplant too early; if the root system isn't strong enough it may rip and cause sever shock or death. then water heavily with some water with a few drops of superthrive.
 
If I started all my outdoor plants in 5 gallon buckets, id need like 4000 watts.. but i start them in dixie cups and i only need 100 watts
 
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