The Best Pot Size For Growing Cannabis
This is one of the questions often asked by new growers on the Maritime Grown Instagram page. What is the best pot size for growing cannabis? Determining your pot size will depend on the roots of your plant. Choosing a pot size that is to big can lead to over watering and cause your plants growth to slow and could even stunt your plant. Choosing a pot that is to small will lead to root bound and again cause your plants growth to slow or even stop and could stunt your plants as well. . The most common pot sizes used by new growers when growing cannabis are 1,2, and 3 gallon pots. I myself only used 1 gallon pots when I first started growing but as the plants finished and I seen how root bound they always were I invested in bigger pots and that come with bigger plants and bigger yields. Most experienced growers has there own preference for pot size when it comes to growing I will list my recommendations below for new growers based of my experience over the years.
The Best Starting Pot Size
I always recommend new growers to start your plants in a smaller container such as a solo cup or smaller 1 gallon pot. When I am planting a clone I will start them in a 1 gallon container but if I am planting a seedling I always use a solo cup to start the plants life and move it to it’s final pot from there. I am not saying you can not start your plant off in its final pot size as allot of experienced growers do but from my experience the plant starts off growing faster in a smaller pot as it allows more oxygen to the roots then a big pot and there is better chance of over watering in a pot that is to big for new growers. Over watering your plants will slow the plants growth and could even stop the plant from growing if you drowned the roots. Over watering can also stunt the growth of your plants and lead to smaller yields this is why I recommend to start your plants off in a smaller container and transplant needed.
Transplanting Cannabis Plants
Knowing when to transplant your cannabis plants is important. As seen in the photo above this person waited to long before transplanting and the plant started to get root bound. Letting them cannabis plants get root bound will slow the growth process. If your plants need to be watered everyday there is a good chance your plant is ready for a bigger pot. When using solo cups your plant is usually ready to be transplanted after 1-2 weeks depending on genetics. A good sign that your solo cup is ready to be transplanted is when the leaves are starting to overhang the edges of the solo cup. If your roots are root bound like the photo above you will need to take your fingers and loosing up the tangled roots very carefully not to break any. If your unable to free the roots you can take a razor blade and cut some of the thin roots trapping the thicker tap roots in place but do not cut the thick tap roots.
General Rule Of Thumb Cannabis Pot Size
This is just a general rule of thumb and will not work with all genetics as some grow allot faster then others and can develop massive root structures. As mentioned above everyone has there own preference when it comes to growing but this guide is to give new growers a general idea on what size pots you should have depending on the height of your pants. As a rule of thumb try to have a minimum of a 2 gallons for every 12 inches of plant height. If you plan on growing in a 6 foot grow tent chances are your plants will be between 3 to 4 feet tall and you will want to be using anywhere from a 5 gallon to 8 gallon pot. Once your plants reach 4 foot + the root structure can grow to be massive and pot sizes increase allot faster.
Conclusion
In the end it is up to you what size pot you use for growing cannabis. I gave my recommendations above if your a new grower or even a experienced grower who never tried growing from a smaller container I recommend you give it a try as from my experience that is what I find works the best.
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