Why are Gardening Pots Black/Opaque?

I'd like to buy some 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot for a coco grow, but they only offer orange and white. I think I'd prefer the white. I'm getting 54 of them, and thus I am attracted to the cost of $2.50/each.

Is there a reason this is a bad idea?

so no light gets at your roots, the white ones are fine to use though. 54 buckets WOW you must be setting up something serious

But what about the need to be food grade? A gentleman from my local hydroponics store suggested that buckets from Home Depot might leech chemicals into the plant's nutrient water and contaminate it.

He probably just wants you to buy pots from him or something which are probably made of the exact same thing. I see people all over using rubbermaid containers and 5 gallon buckets from lowes, home depot or whatever and have never heard of any problems.

Pipe Dream said:

He probably just wants you to buy pots from him or something which are probably made of the exact same thing. I see people all over using rubbermaid containers and 5 gallon buckets from lowes, home depot or whatever and have never heard of any problems.

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Well, really people can grow in gallon jugs, cups or really anything that'll hold dirt together into "land".

greytooth said:

But what about the need to be food grade? A gentleman from my local hydroponics store suggested that buckets from Home Depot might leech chemicals into the plant's nutrient water and contaminate it.

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HD buckets are made from HDPE, which is the same material that food grade buckets are made from. However, food grade buckets and the HDPE they are made from go through a different manufacturing process. In short, HD buckets are not food grade.

Good to know, and I actually have seen people have problems with the orange buckets. It was algae problems that we ended up attributing to the light hitting the roots.

Did you ask if these chemicals are harmful to the plants? Do the plants systemically uptake these chemicals and are the chemicals then contained in the plant and released upon consumption? Seems like these would be prudent questions to ask.

Dutch Master recommends using high density plastic, with mid density being acceptable. Isn't necessary for it to be 'food grade'. Low density will leach chemicals which they do not claim to be harmful, but will mess with the nute balance.

As for the color letting in light, you can always cover them with paper, foil, ect. You could also inoculate with beneficial microbes which do a great job of discouraging algae.