New Grower Taproot & Pot size

[GrojoBaggins]

Okay, so I am about to begin my first Autoflower grow within the next week. That being said, I have been doing a lot of research & debating in my brain about what size pot I should go with..

On many forums I've read comments from people saying the taproot on Autos can range from 2 to 3 feet long if given the space.. A couple people said that they got a bigger yield, and overall had healthier ladies. They didn't say what pots they used for these grows unfortunately... I couldn't find any pots that were deeper than 20ish inches, so I started looking into using plastic garbage bins. They're easily deep enough, and as long as I drilled LOTS of holes I should be okay w/ drainage. So this is where my MAIN questions come..

Is it really more beneficial to have 25inch+ deep pots for maximum taproot growth?

If so, what would be an appropriate amount(in liter or gallon) of medium to use with a pot like that?(most of the bins I am looking at are roughly 20 gallons)

Do you think that using a trash bin with a lot of holes is a viable option?

Here's a few bins I'm thinking about using:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KD7RA8/ref=biss_dp_t_asn ( 16.5" x 15.5" x 30.9" & 23 Gallons )
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DXF0MY/ref=biss_dp_t_asn ( 15.8" x15.8" x 30.1" & 22 Gallons )
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermai...gMethod=Recommendation:wm:RecentlyViewedItems ( 17.25" x 14.89" x 25.5" & 13 Gallons )
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-10.5-Gal-Swing-Top-Wastebasket-Black/17011381 ( 12" x 12" x 30" & 10.5 Gallons )
http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-w...dium_1_21&term=square+trash+bins+polyethylene ( 16.25" x 12.88" x 24" & 11.4 Gallons )
http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-w...dium_1_25&term=square+trash+bins+polyethylene ( 13.5" x 17.25" x 27" & 13.2 Gallons )

Also my setup looks like this:
5x5x6 Grow Tent
600w HPS & MH
2 Allstar 4inch 220 CFM Inline fans(intake)
6" 44 CFM Inline w/ Carbon Filter
Not sure if I will go with hand watering, or a drip system.. I am also debating on getting a CO2 tank & reg for the room.
I will be doing 3 Green House Big Bang, 3 Green House Kalishnakov, and 3 DinaFem White Widow. All are autos, and I'll starting all 9 and keeping the strongest 2 of 3. I will also be trying to SCROG at least 1 of each.


Thanks for reading, and I hope we can get me going in the right direction!

 

[Mindzeye]

IMO the bins you linked are overkill. 5 gallon buckets work great and they are taller than wider and autos like that. Also I noticed all the bins linked are white, you want black. White bins will allow light on the roots and they don't like that

 

[Larky.Derry]

20 gallons? i would love to see that, but i think you would be better using anything from 3-5 gallon imo and as mindzeye said go with black pots :thumbs: if i were you i would pick up some 5 gallon air pots

 

[laazycat]

Have a look at this.



https://www.autoflower.org/f5/massive-malana-bomb-auto-grow-21-gallon-pot-28413.html

 

[GrojoBaggins]

Thanks everybody for you thoughts and opinions. I too think that having 20+ gallons of medium is a bit overboard, but like I said it's my first Auto so I don't know much lol. As for the bins go I know pots are always to be black, I just linked the first ones I found matching my desired dimensions since most bins have alternate colors to choose from. It was just me being lazy I guess or over medicated if that's even possible, lol.

Thanks again for the advice guys I do appreciate it!

Have a look at this.

https://www.autoflower.org/f5/massive-malana-bomb-auto-grow-21-gallon-pot-28413.html

Wow, thank you very much! That dude's bin is huge! I was gonna go for something not at wide, but still a thread I wish to have stumbled upon sooner. According to the grower his lady is about 20cm taller than what the breeder said it should be at this stage of it's life.

I still need more input on the topic before I make my final decision.. Don't wanna go buy these bins and drill a bunch of holes in em if there's a chance it's not going to be worth it.

 

[Mindzeye]

Thanks everybody for you thoughts and opinions. I too think that having 20+ gallons of medium is a bit overboard, but like I said it's my first Auto so I don't know much lol. As for the bins go I know pots are always to be black, I just linked the first ones I found matching my desired dimensions since most bins have alternate colors to choose from. It was just me being lazy I guess or over medicated if that's even possible, lol.

Thanks again for the advice guys I do appreciate it!

Wow, thank you very much! That dude's bin is huge! I was gonna go for something not at wide, but still a thread I wish to have stumbled upon sooner. According to the grower his lady is about 20cm taller than what the breeder said it should be at this stage of it's life.

I still need more input on the topic before I make my final decision.. Don't wanna go buy these bins and drill a bunch of holes in em if there's a chance it's not going to be worth it.

Its just a huge amount of medium needed to fill those, if you read the journal you can see he has had to modify the container to allow more air into the root zone because it will stay wet too long and rot. You can see many journals on this forum with monster plants grown in 5 gallons. If its worth it to you go for the big containers, but maybe being your first grow you may want to have a smaller container thats a little easier to manage, either way the choice is yours and Im sure everyone here will help you with any complications you encounter..

 

[AndyBotwin]

I've seen some monster plants grown outdoors and none of the rootballs were big enough to fill up a container that large. Def seems like overkill to me. Not to mention if your pH goes off or you get pests in your soil, you are probably fubar since it will be damn near impossible to make corrections quick enough to save the plant.

 

[dudeibeensmokin]

IMO... 5 gallons should be plenty big enough to grow a really nice size auto... As far as which type would suit you better you will have to decide... I love my airpots and always get a nice root ball with them.. But I do end up having to water more often than with a standard 5 gallon bucket and its quicker to make a mess. So what ever works easiest for you and ur situation ... but as far as size 5 Gallons will support a big auto. good luck!

 

[keepitmedicated]

I like to stick with the 7 litre pots myself. Great size for my set up, I have used somthing as small as a beer cup to finish them auto's. There was a contest a while back were growers where finishing them in some tiny things that you would not think could do the job. 5 Gal pots would be more than enough. Good luck K.I.M.

 

[GrojoBaggins]

Thank you guys for the thoughts. I am probably going to go with something smaller like most of you are suggesting. I do like the airpots, but I really want something a little deeper. Maybe a 8ish gallon bin thats roughly 20ish inches deep would be a good size that I could easily avoid the roots getting over saturated & begin to rot?

Thanks everyone