Does pot size really matter?

When should I transplant into bigger pots. I have seen plants in huge pots that have not fully vegged and when they tore down the plant after harvest there was plenty more room for the plant to grow. I think they might have been transplanting into bigger pots to early. My willie nelson and jock horror are 6 inches tall from seed and currently in one gallon pots, they will both be mothers, when should I transplant into bigger pots, plus I will be doing 7 Gallon pots outside and flowering inside Can I get more than 7 ounces since they will be outside? Simply because I don't like to pay the man for electricity when I wont need too.

Easiest way to tell, look for roots coming out of holes in bottom of 1 gallon pot/container. Otherwise, let said plants dry, then very carefully take out of one gallon pot/container by putting you hand around the top of the soil and stem, and GENTLY tapping on the bottom. When the plant, roots and all slowly come out of said 1 gallon container, inspect the roots. If they are sticking to the pot and are holding the soil together tightly, meaning you can see them all around the outline of the pot/soil, then you MAY be rootbound. Check some pics on this site and others to confirm that you may be rootbound. Peace! Good luck

ok if its rootbound then it's time to transplant? or should it be done before this stage? willi

I think ( but correct me if I am wrong ) that being rootbound is kinda a myth, because wouldn't the roots just wiggle around and grow around the pot. Hoe do you explain 7 foot tall plants in one gallon pots Ive seen it.

I use 5 inside and 10 outside. Did side by side 1, 3, 5, 10 outside..5-10 were better plants. Besides girls like bigger ones lol

They were watered correctly so the roots didn't grow too fast, if your plant is root bound it makes it harder to get the nutrients from the soil. For example, would you rather take the expressway and speed from one side of town to the other or would you take the city streets and drive around the city a few times before going where you want? Roots that circle the pot make the nutrients travel 3-10x further than they'd have to if the roots were more direct. You can grow a larger plant in a small pot if you trim the roots and give it some fresh soil every once in a while. Also see airpots and root pots. They prune the roots by drying them out when they reach the edge of the pot.

It depends on how big of a plant you are wanting. A method I was taught and seems to work well. Start seeds or rooted clones in Solo cups, once they outgrow the cups move them to Smartpots. Smartpots work different than plastic pots and allow more root growth with little to no root bound. A plant can get bigger in a smaller sized Smartpot than they can in a plastic pot. They are also a little cheaper. I bought 4 3 gallon(11.6l) ones from amazon a few years ago for around $15 and I get 2-3 foot plants in them without issue. Plus when the plant is done you can wash them and reuse them.

YOu want the plant to be root bound when you Up Pot. When the plant is rootbound it is nearing the MAX that it can take in, so it needs a biiger pot ( MORE DIRT). But you would like to get it root bound about a week before harvest in a perfect world. Well I would anyway.. rootbound showes good growth and that the plant is feeding well but it also shows its time to UP POT, or it will stop growing and feeding well.

Couldn't I just trim the roots and change the soil every once in a while I live in the country but lots of metheads wanting to steal so its easier just taking them inside at night but id rather not lug 12 32 gallon pots inside everynight Im not Rambo. Thanks guys.

how long do you plan to veg? roots slow their growth when flowerin is initiated. i go by months in veg: gallons. so 2 months= 2 gallons. before flowing starts you can up it a half gallon if you want.

If your neighbors steal, then it is best to pay the electric company and move your operaations indoors...but lugging those pots each night does give you some exercise.

Toss&Turn said:

If your neighbors steal, then it is best to pay the electric company and move your operaations indoors...but lugging those pots each night does give you some exercise.

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Whats funny about what you said is what im kinda in right now. I have my first grow op going and its in my closet, and im thinking about starting some outdoor plants as well (live in valley of ca its puuuuurfect right now) but I just moved into a new neighborhood and I don't really know my neighbors yet ect so im not sure if I want to get a lot of attention, but if I brang em in at night.... solves the problem , heard too many stories of friends hopping into backyards and ripping plants out, so fuck that

Long story short.. yes, pot size matters - unless, of course, you wish to fight with random plant symptoms that cover a wide range depending on the strain, suffering and having a decreased yield, having completely rootbound plants, amongst a few other things.

don't put a small plant in a big pot thinking it's going to save you time later . the outer soil will get saturated with water / nutes . From there it's an uphill battle . start small and move up when they are rootbound . 1 , 3 , 5 etc , you lose a little time each repot but it's the better way .

gonjagrower420 said:

Couldn't I just trim the roots and change the soil every once in a while I live in the country but lots of metheads wanting to steal so its easier just taking them inside at night but id rather not lug 12 32 gallon pots inside everynight Im not Rambo. Thanks guys.

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As the roots grow they will USE or PSuh out all the dirt, you cant just Cut and add more.. there is little room. But you dont need big pots either.. the question was about root bound.. so I will pass on pot size.

PS I dont think its an issue in 32 gal pot.. IF they ever do get rootbound, they will be fine till harvest.. You can move a 32 gal pot?

One gallon pots are huge for seedlings/early veg. You could take a plant 30-40 days in one gallon easy if not longer. Yes, bigger pots bigger buds. I experimented with 2-3-5 and 7 gallon smart pots and there is no doubt for indoors the bigger pots create a bigger plant and should produce more bud.
If you are in 1 gallons transplanting into 7 gallons don't transplant for at least 30 days.

Not understanding. You will veg outside then flower indoors? If so then how big they get in veg will dictate yields indoors. 7 ozs is a good number, it's what I average in 5 gallons for most strains. I tend to veg 45-60 days to get that yield, but I have no idea if vegging outdoors for only a month or two in spring will be good enough, I have absolutely no experience with outdoors.

I would use big pots outside. At least 10 gallons. Get them outside early in the season so they can grow tall and bushy. 7oz shouldnt be a problem.

Transplanting is like watering. After a while, you just know when to do it. I transplanted mine too early in the beginning. A root coming out the bottom does not mean the plant is rootbound at all. Several larger roots out the side holes is a better indicator.

With nursery pots, you can look down the side if you squeeze the pot a bit. If it is time to transplant, you will see the roots circling the pot.

Thanks guys Cirrus57 especially. As I am smoking right now I am thinking duh.

didn't read the whole thread but grazed over it... my .02c rootbound sucks yes it is true that you can pull off a harvest in a root bound plant but as someone mentioned you will run into a wide range of deficiancies and bullshit that could be avoided.... startind in a pot too big can be trouble too and create overwatering problems and root ball that just isn't as full as it could have been transplanting.... what I do..... seeds and clones go in a 2" pot similar to a red beer cup in size, they hang out in there until the roots hold togethe a rootball, I check after a couple weeks after sprout or rooting and if it holds together its time to translant. I find a 1 gallon a little big to go into my final pot wich is a 5 gal but if you use a 7 gal as your final pot it may be ok Idk I use 5 gal pots. so anyhoo the pots I go in next are a little smaller than 1 gal not sure what off the top of my head but that pot lasts through mot of veg with a transplant into the final pot 2 weeks before flowering.... couple points....you want a full rootball at each transplant so that when you get to your final plant you have a solid ball of roots throughout the whole pot. roots tend to grow out and down then pool up in the bottom then start wraping around so if you plant right into a large pot their will be a big empty spot in the middle where the roots skiped ove it and ran out to the edges and down to start pooling up, eventually they will fill that space in but it would be quicker and healthier to build that structure as you go, we all do want rapid growth right? so by potting up when not rootbound but e have a full root ball we can create a huge solid root masswhere we use all of our soil and all of our roots are healthy feeders to produce a heavy yield. Grow a solid root mass and a big fat stem and you will be rewarded with heavy yields.... My .02

gonjagrower420 said:

I think ( but correct me if I am wrong ) that being rootbound is kinda a myth, because wouldn't the roots just wiggle around and grow around the pot. Hoe do you explain 7 foot tall plants in one gallon pots Ive seen it.

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If its hydro yes. But I doubt a plant would get seven feet tall in one gallon of soil Hydro it doesn't matter the roots. Grow I to the res. soil though. Yes they do become rootbound. Once the roots hit the side they grow around in a circular pattern. When they fill that space they become like a fish that will only grow to the size if its tank. Rootbound is definitely not a myth.
On a thirty day veg indoors. There's no real difference between a five gallon and a three gallon though. I have rt now same strain three plants one in a five gallon smart pot one in a five gallon plastic and one in a three gallon bucket. The three gallon is way bigger than both five gals. Over the longer veg though. Say two months. The five gallon smart pot will outgrow em both. The roots pop through the side and instead of curling around they stop and keep growing from the center out. Much healthier for the plant it's called air pruning the roots