{"id":9119,"date":"2023-04-23T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-23T09:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marijuanagrowing.com\/?p=9119"},"modified":"2024-01-31T13:37:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T12:37:43","slug":"containers-chapter-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marijuanagrowing.com\/containers-chapter-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Containers – Chapter 19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Container size, shape, construction material, color, and drainage outlets affect the maintenance schedule and ultimately the overall health of cannabis plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Containers come in all shapes and sizes and can be constructed of almost anything: plastic, wood, metal, clay, fiber, and more. Cannabis will grow in any clean container that has not been used for petroleum products or deadly chemicals. Fiber and wood containers breathe better than plastic or metal pots. Heavy clay pots are brittle and absorb moisture from the soil inside them, causing the soil to dry out quickly. Metal pots are also impractical for garden rooms because they oxidize (rust) and can bleed off harmful elements and compounds. Wood, although somewhat expensive, is great to construct large raised beds and planters on wheels. Plastic and fiber containers are inexpensive and durable; these offer the best values to indoor gardeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing in containers allows gardeners to control the water and nutrient regimen of individual plants. Movable potted plants can be turned every few days to let plants receive even lighting for even growth. Huddle small, containerized plants tightly together within the brightest area under the HID lamp. Move containerized plants further apart as they grow. Set small plants on blocks to move them closer to the HID. Weak, problematic, or diseased potted plants can easily be dipped in medicinal solution, quarantined, or culled from the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Containers must be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big containers give roots plenty of room to grow and expand.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Containers on casters are easy to move, and they stay warmer since they are up off the floor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing big plants in 5-gallon (19 L) containers is possible but more difficult. Roots use water and nutrients quickly and must therefore be replenished quickly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Containers used to cultivate cannabis fall into three basic categories: bags, cans, and beds. Bags consist of containers with a flexible shape such as plastic grow bags and burlap or fiber bags. Cans are a group of containers with rigid sides: plastic pots, large planter boxes, and clay pots. Beds may or may not have rigid sides; the main distinction is that they have no bottom and thus drain freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plastic grow bags are a favorite container among cannabis gardeners. Inexpensive, long-lasting grow bags take up little storage space and are lightweight. A box of 100, 3-gallon (11 L) bags weighs less than 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and measures less than a foot square (30 cm\u00b2). One hundred 3-gallon (11 L) grow bags can be stored inside two 3-gallon (11 L) bags. Imagine storing 100 rigid pots in the same space!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rigid plastic pots are the most commonly used containers in garden rooms. They are the standard container for nursery stock and are readily available. Most often, they are black with smooth sides and large drainage holes. Black containers absorb heat and reflect very little, causing the root zone to heat rapidly. When allowed to get too hot, roots cook and rot. Once cooked, roots may take a month or more to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outdoor garden beds should be at least 6 inches (15 cm) tall to take advantage of a warmer atmosphere aboveground. They can be higher, but little benefit is reaped from extra heat. See chapter 12, Outdoors, for more information on raised beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White containers reflect heat and stay cooler, but if placed in full sun, they still get hot enough to cook roots. White containers must be thick or painted a dark color on the inside so that roots receive no light, since light is detrimental to their growth. See ‘Container Problems’ in this chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rigid fiber and paper-pulp pots are popular with gardeners who move their plants outdoors. Removing the container\u2019s bottom eases transplanting into soil. Pot bottoms habitually rot out, but painting the inside of the fiber container with latex paint will keep the bottom from rotting for several crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The potting soil sack can be used as a container. The moist soil inside the bag expands and contracts. Keeping soil evenly moist will lessen the chance of burned root tips that grow down the side of bags. Always remember to make adequate drainage holes in bags!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Permeable-fabric grow bags are easy to make with many different types of material. Commercial brands such as Smart Pots, GeoPots, and so forth are gaining in popularity. Grow bags, whether plastic or fabric, are easy to wash and reuse. Empty out the soilless mix and submerge bags in a big container of soapy water overnight. Stir them around with a stick, wash by hand, and hang to dry. Once dry, the bags are ready to reuse. I like fiber pots the best because the air in the sides keeps the roots pruned. For more information, see ‘Root-Pruning Containers’ in this chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Large planter boxes are wonderful. Planters should be as big as possible but still allow easy access to plants. Roots will have more room to grow and less container surface for them to run into and grow down. Set large planter boxes and pots on blocks or casters to allow air circulation underneath. The soil in planter boxes stays warmer, and the plants are more easily maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Garden beds are my favorite! Garden beds can be raised with rigid sides or not, but they must be completely open on the bottom and drain directly into Mother Earth. Garden beds can easily be installed on the floor of a greenhouse and outdoors. In fact, I have seen garden beds in basement and outbuilding garden rooms. Please take note, however: the soil below basement garden beds is often poor-quality subsoil that drains poorly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Popular container shapes include rectangular, square, and cylindrical. Square and rectangular containers can butt up to one another, providing more overall growing medium in gardens. Cylindrical containers are readily available and inexpensive but lack the versatility of square pots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Containers are wider than deep or deeper than wide. Cannabis gardeners growing indoors and in greenhouses prefer containers that are wider than deep because they are more stable, and surface roots are able to spread out farther. This is true regardless of container size, small or large. Deep containers tip over more easily but promote (seedling) taproot and deep root growth. They are favored to grow small plants that will be transplanted outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The volume of a container definitely dictates the irrigation and feeding schedule. In most cases, container size helps determine the size of a plant. Cannabis is an annual; it grows very fast and requires a lot of root space for sustained, vigorous development. Containers should allow space for a strong root system but be just big enough to contain the root system before harvest. If the container is too small, roots are confined, and both water and nutrient uptake are limited, which in turn slows growth. But if the container is too big, it requires too much expensive growing medium and becomes heavy and awkward to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Big plants can grow in small containers but will require several irrigations daily and are likely to have problems.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Deep containers are ideal to grow seedlings and clones that will be planted outdoors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Plants grown in large containers require less-frequent irrigation and are much easier to maintain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Allow 1 to 1.5 gallons (3.8\u20135.7 L) of soil or soilless mix for each month that a given plant will spend in its container. A 2- to 3-gallon (7.5\u201311 L) pot supports a plant for up to 3 months. A 3- to 6-gallon container is good for 3 to 4 months of rapid plant growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-gallon (11 L) containers are ideal for 2- to 3-foot-tall (60\u201390 cm) plants. Larger pots are usually unnecessary because plants grow no longer than a week or two in the vegetative stage and 6 to 10 weeks flowering. Smaller 3-gallon (11 L) pots are easy to move and handle. Roots also grow less during<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-gallon (11 L) containers are ideal for 2- to 3-foot-tall (60\u201390 cm) plants. Larger pots are usually unnecessary because plants grow no longer than a week or two in the vegetative stage and 6 to 10 weeks flowering. Smaller 3-gallon (11 L) pots are easy to move and handle. Roots also grow less during flowering. By the time a plant is pot-bound, it is ready to harvest. I used to recommend up to a 5-gallon (19 L) container for plants that are harvested after 90 total days of life. I now believe this is a waste. While the smaller containers require daily watering, they produce harvests comparable to those of 5-gallon (19 L) containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTypes of Containers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Container Shape and Size<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SELECTING CONTAINERS<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Plant Age<\/strong><\/td> Container Size<\/strong><\/td> Metric Equivalent<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> 0\u20133 weeks<\/td> root cube<\/td> root cube<\/td><\/tr> 2\u20136 weeks<\/td> 4-inch pot<\/td> 10 cm pot<\/td><\/tr> 6\u20138 weeks<\/td> 2-gallon pot<\/td> 7.5 L pot<\/td><\/tr> 2\u20133 months<\/td> 3-gallon pot<\/td> 11 L pot<\/td><\/tr> 3\u20138 months<\/td> 5-gallon pot<\/td> 19 L pot<\/td><\/tr> 6\u201318 months<\/td> 10-gallon pot<\/td> 38 L pot<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Small Containers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n