Thank you for the insight, but I did somewhat know that about the clay pots, honestly just from trial/error though. The clay ones you saw, were just half gallon starter pots though. I usually germinate in a papertowel, within a closed Tupperware container, on top of a super low heat pad that has a towel on it. I spritz every day with a spray bottle and then once I see a lil root coming out my seed, I throw the lil lady into a swollen up Jiffy Plug. Then I hit it plugs with two LED flood lightbulbs I have rigged up to a reflector. I check the cabinet every day, spritz as needed, and within a few days, I have me a sprout. Once I see a root or 2 coming from the bottom of the jiffy plug, hunting for water, that’s when I move up. The plugs go straight into the 1/2 gallon starter pots, full of Fox Farm Happy Frog. At last, when I have 3 good leaf sets, I transplant for the final time, into their 4 gallon plastic forever pots! Which are already full of Fox Farms Ocean Forest, with a bit of The Happy Frog mixed in on top (for transition). All the final pots have good drainage holes in the bottom of them, plus I tend to layer about an 1” or so of pea gravel on the bottom of each. All of my soils have about 25% perlite added to them the second I open the bag! Ha! I guess out of habit more than anything.
THAT SAID! These plants don’t get moved, ever. Only reason they’d come in, is if there’s a bad storm or for some other unforeseen reason beyond my control. They are def good and hardened, as they’ve been in 80-95+ degree temps, since they sprouted… basically. It gets awfully breezy out here on “Back River” as well, so they get plenty of wind “treatment” as well. Now don’t get me wrong, I did baby them a lil, during that first week after germ. But, I soon realized that this strain was going to do a-ok outdoors, if not thrive! They Seem to love the hot, super sunny, perfectly humid weather we’re having.
I’ve been wanting to get back into growin indoors for a while now. But to be honest, I’m tired of the zip up tent, that only holds 2 decent sized plants, just sitting in a spare bedroom. So I’ve come up with another idea, that’ll keep me going year around! I have a wooden shed, that i was planning on tearing down this summer. But After examining it? I think it’s exactly what I’m looking for and Is still in such great shape! It may end up needing a small hole here and there fixed, but nothing major. The foundation and frame are beyond solid. I believe I’m going to turn into a greenhouse and a multi grow room. It’s about 14ftX12ft and is framed like a house, with shingles and all. It has running electricity, access to a water hose, some shelves that are already in perfect position and most importantly… plenty of room! I believe I’ll build a wall halfway down it, leaving me with 7ft up front and a 7ft room(s) at the back. That back 7ft will be split in half, using another wall, to divide the 7’x12’ room - making two 7’x6’ rooms. Goal is to have A small door on both rooms, for access. Now, a friend of mine gave me two 400W High Bays, that they replaced out of a school gym. So, I have 2 complete 400w High Bays on stand by. The plan is to purchase a replacement 400W MH ballast for one; then get me a replacement 400W HPS ballast for the other. HPS and MH both use the same bulb socket, wiring, housing, etc. Just one or the other has an igniter, built in with the said ballast. Anyways, I’m thinking about making one of those rooms a veg room, with the MH - at 20/4 light cycle. Then the other room can be a flower room, with the HPS - at 12/12 light cycle. With us Virginians’ only being able to grow 4 PLANTS, I believe 400w will be more than enough for 4 girls, in 5 gallon buckets, sitting in a 7’x6’ room!!
My next outdoor grow, I’m for sure going to try the pots that the OP is using! Ingenious, if I don’t say so myself! I think the bag inside of the milk crate(s) is a freakin awesome idea. It has handles that can be grabbed, to move the girl, no matter the size of the plant. The soils’ “pot” has more than enough drainage, not to mention it probably makes watering a breeze too. And it gives me something to LST to while they’re growing. Thats the only training I do to an auto, normally I have to drill small holes around my pots, to tie string to! Haha!
SO…HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT FOR THE AIRPOTS, and WHAT SIZE ARE THEY?
On that note, did u know that McDonalds Nursery has an entire bin of just about every pot size you can imagine?! All for free?? It’s basically somewhere you can donate old pots, grab whatever you want, or better yet, swap out for what you need. They have a TON of the bigger barrel pots, used for small trees and such. When they’re sold, 99% of ppl just tell them to get rid of the pot the plant came in. Honestly, if I just had a 5 gallon bucket per plant, I’d be happy as hell, but even those are hard to come by atm. Maybe I’ll just get the airpots from you, depending on what we’re talking!
I’ve grown cannabis off and on, for roughly 20 years now. Grown plenty of indoor photos, quite a few autos indoors, quite a few photos outdoors (pots AND in the ground), but these are my first auto ladies outside. We don’t have a single tree in my entire 2 acres that my house sits on. I got a nice, raised deck that I keep the girls throughout the day, where they literally don’t miss a speck of sunlight. It’s perfect really; as we get an almost constant, nice draft of “cool” air coming off that marsh and the Chesapeake Bay.
My PH runoff readings are near perfect. Plus The plants seem very happy for the moment and are growing like crazy. So, my Feeding schedule is as follows: I plan to let the HF and now OF do it’s thing, trying not to add anything to it unless needed. I’m hoping the OF will carry me through veg and into preflowers… then I can start with bloom nutes when she shows her sex. That said, I do have some Happy Frog All Purpose fertilizer that I’ll scratch in, if deficiencies start to show. I do add half strength of Big Bloom every cpl of weeks, now that they’re in their forever homes!
