New Grower Lets get some data?

[JM]

Glad to hear the smart pots work too... I've heard conflicting reorts. Personally I like industrial strength stuff (like 5 gal buckets)

Hey.. I'm rough on equipment.. :roflcry:

 

[A4]

I have a harvest coming up in about 4 weeks with 5 gallon smart pots. I will pull the roots out and post some pictures with the soil rinsed off. The last harvest with the 5 gallon smart pots I pulled them up and was amazed at the fibrous root structure. It basically looked like a root sponge in the shape of the pot. The entire 5 gallons was filled with tiny fibrous roots. Granted, some genetics simply aren't going to allow the plant to make full use of the container. A lot of the Short Stuff genes are like that and are bred to stay small but many of the breeders, like Dutch Passion for example, have genetics that will grow humongous given the ability for the roots to stretch their legs.

 

[yodabuds]

I've found in my personal experience that the talker the pot the bigger the plant will be (autos) as the smart pots are good but due to their shortness in the same size airpot with Same nutes conditions etc... The taller (and actually a bit smaller 1gal smart vs 3.8l airpot) the air pot performed exceptionally well the plant was almost three feet and yielded 2oz vs the 18" 1.25oz smart pot...
Just saw someone using the grocery store reusable bags, love the idea as they are taller than a smart pot... And would fit nicely together (square Vs round)
Would be very interesting to see some
Sort of results even if its not done scientifically sounds as it would need to be...
@jm Great tips you posted there! Thank you!

 

[Waira]

The last harvest with the 5 gallon smart pots I pulled them up and was amazed at the fibrous root structure. It basically looked like a root sponge in the shape of the pot. The entire 5 gallons was filled with tiny fibrous roots.

Yes! You know Sapphire420, she used them as well, and had the exact same results: a positively solid root mass! I haven't harv'ed my better plants yet, in plastic pots, to make some kind of comparison, but regardless, her results tipped me over the fence on trying them on the HighRise gear I'm starting....
Yoda' makes a good point though about depth, and I know from Aunty Mossy's info thread that she uses nothing with less than 1' depth.... So, I guess a good question would be, how important is it to the plants tap root to have such (relatively) unobstructed depth vs. plenty of lateral volume to expand into.... Typically, (in the wild, say) I think that tap roots want to get down to where the moisture is nice and constant, away from the often increasingly drier surface/subsurface soil; laterals help max. surface area to take up both moisture and nutrients; I saw a new Nature program on PBS called "What plants talk about", showing just how responsive and complex their behavior is- a must see, absolutely fascinating experiments folks were conducting to test this... One root study put plants in specific nutrient deficient soils with a small patch of soil, sometimes several feet away, with that missing nute in it, and study how the roots could 'sniff' out the minute traces of this missing nute and somehow guide the roots toward that patch! uncanny!.... Sensei JM, what do you think? :smoke: depth vs. width... <--(giggady!)

 

[JM]

. One root study put plants in specific nutrient deficient soils with a small patch od soil, sometimes several feet away, with that missing nute in it, and study how the roots could 'sniff' out the minute traces of this missing nute and somehow guide the roots toward that patch! uncanny!...

see True Plant Nutrition - in my signature... 13 hours 38 minutes of education on horticulture plus...

 

[mallo]

:check:big fan of industrial 5 gal with a few holes drilled here and there. But i'm new to the whole Auto game so we will see if they're as worthwhile as they are for photos

 

[JM]

no different... plants are plants... and animals and humans have similar requirements for all the same processes... proper nutrition, enzymes, and trace elements are the :key: as well as proper biology for true plant health.

 

[Waira]

Thanks JM! I'll set my teeth to that very soon!.... but would you indulge us and weigh in on the depth vs. width issue, say in a given set volume like 5 gal?

 

[JM]

Depth over width for size... a cannabis plants tap root (from long ago memory) wants to be at least 14 inches long... so give it more depth....

but that said.. remember the top is kind of a reflection of the bottom... wider will yield a wider plant... they shape to the shape you shape them with... so keep them in shape..

Also... much experimentation shows autos seem to initiate flower sequence when their roots hit resistance going down... in conatiners especially... that root hits bottom and they flip... this is why transplant times are so critical if you start in smaller pots... you limit the plants potential when you tell it the pot is "X" size early on...

 

[Musturd]

I recently ran modified airpot knockoffs, 2 gal side walls with a 1 gallon bottom. It didnt take much growing to figure out a tall narrower pot is great for autos. I have grown an auto in a 3 gallon smart pot but the roots did not take full advantage of the space, wasting soil and floor space the plant did great. So just last nite I grabbed a new smart pot and considered using my seamstress skills rip it apart make the base smaller cinch up the sides and make an auto friendly smartpot. This thread just convinced me to do it. .......

grow/learn/diy

Edit. Tiering with a solo cup can add a little height to that short fat stock smart pot.