How to choose the best pots for your grow

Beginner
#1

Hi there! I’ve noticed there isn’t anything here yet about choosing pots so I’ll give a quick basic break down of the types and cost to help beginners choose the best pots for their climate and grow area.

  1. Traditional plastic buckets. They come in all sizes for your grow space and are generally your cheapest option. They don’t usually come with drainage holes so you’ll have to drill your own but they can get the job done in a pinch. Benefits of plastic buckets are low cost and water retention. Cons are poor aeration and higher risk of root binding and issues with mold and mildew.

  2. Plastic planting pots. They cost a little bit more than buckets usually but they require less diy and have about the same pros and cons.

  3. Fabric pots. These can run anywhere between just a few bucks for 5 pots to hundreds of dollars depending on brand and materials. In my experience the cheaper ones work just as well. The benefits are root insulation, aeration, root air pruning, and they’re environmentally friendly if you get an ethically sourced brand. The cons are they dry out quickly and require more watering and they are susceptible to mold and mildew if kept too wet and not treated preventatively.

  4. Clay/ceramic pots. These can be on the more expensive side if you want to find eco friendly ones without toxic coatings. These generally come in all shapes and sizes with different “glazes” or no glazes. Benefits are they retain moisture so require less watering, they insulate better than plastic, and they generally come with drainage. Cons are they are the heaviest of the bunch and hard to move around when wet and they can break easily if you knock them over or drop them, they are also prone to root binding and issues caused by over watering.

  5. Plastic smart pots. These bad boys have most of the benefits of fabric pots but provide less insulation. Cons are they dry out faster than any other pot and create a lot of run off. Also, they’re expensive af.

So there you have the basic breakdown of your most common pots. There are plenty more out there than what’s listed if you take the time for your own research but this should help start you in the right direction. Feel free to get a discussion going if you have any questions about what’s best for your budget, grow space, and environment.

2 Likes
#2

Great thread!

I like my fabric pots, but I’m finding the mold/mildew thing a slight issue I’d rather not argue with. I will be moving to clay/ceramic once we move to a bigger space. It’s my understanding that you have to sit them in water for 24 hours prior to use. Is that true?

1 Like
#3

had issues with the plastic, can I plant in metal?

#4

Yes. It’s always best to rinse clay and ceramic because of the treatments they use on them in the kiln drying process. Some of the materials can be harmful to the plants and the soil so I would always recommend washing and rinsing even if you got an eco friendly brand.

1 Like
#5

I like to pull mine out and inspect and stuff, so I just dont think I’d ever go for ceramic pots due to the weight and there fragile nature

2 Likes
#6

You can plant in metal but it’s a horrible insulator and you would need to use something like stainless steel so it doesn’t oxidize and hurt the soil and your plants. Aluminum doesn’t really oxidize but it will add heavy metals to the soil that aren’t good for the microorganisms or the plant. I’d be very careful using metal containers if you’re going for an organic grow.

1 Like
#7

@kmac03 you can also pretreat your fabric pots before use and then once weekly like I do. It helps a lot. I use the garlic oil treatment or the milk treatment as a preventative and I haven’t had issues with moldy fabric pots since. The garlic oil treatment also helps prevent pests and it doesn’t hurt the beneficial fungi and bacteria in the soil if you’re using organic living soil so it’s a win win.

1 Like
#8

Yea I know to look for something that wont rust, but I feel like finding the perfect planter is like opening the junk drawer when u have no smoking paraphernalia, when I see what i need I’ll just know, but theres alot of info there that I didnt have b4 I opened this thread, you sir are a gentleman and a scholar

2 Likes
#9

@Eggs thank you sir. I love growing and when I was a beginner I had a horrible time choosing containers so I’m happy to help.

I think I tried all kinds of plastic pots and even plastic bags and small clay pots before I finally settled on fabric pots myself.

1 Like
#10

I’m going from a 2x4 down to a 2x2, I need 2 plants per grow so finding planters to maximize the space is a challenge, I had found these plastic totes, 1foot×2foot and about 6 inches tall, they were PERFECT, but then mold

2 Likes
#11

What the garlic and the milk treatment? I have never heard of it.

1 Like
#12

1 gallon pots will carry a plant the entire grow. I’ve done it before. :slight_smile: However, it doesn’t mean the plants will be small, so there’s the point you were making. Ha!

1 Like
#13

I’ve seen the fabric pots, but I just dont know about them, I know for sure I cant use them until I go back up to the other tent, but u said they require lots of water, is it a huge difference from plastic planters? It wld seem u wld have to take ur time watering them to ensure it gets in the dirt

1 Like
#14

@kmac03 yeah. The garlic treatment is blended garlic and water with a splash of dawn and you use about a cup of the mixture in a quart of warm water and mix thoroughly. Then you just spray the outside of your pots and it is also safe to use on plants. If you want to stay fully organic and not use dawn dish soap you can supplement with olive oil or vegetable oil.

The milk treatment is 25% milk 75% water to a full 50/50 mixture. I use 2% milk fat or more organic milk and it works as a preventative and a treatment for many molds and mildews associated with growing cannabis. I don’t recall the exact science but it’s something to do with the acids in milk and how they interact kills mold and mildew and prevents it more effectively than the other organic methods.

1 Like
#15

Also, since I shrunk my grow I seen how big those plants got in the smaller planters, up until now I just always used the 5gal buckets from home depot, like 3$ each so I dont even empty the dirt, just throw the whole bucket away n get another, but now I seen how large those plants got in the smaller planters n I clda been using less dirt less nutes less water less everything to care for these plants and still reach my quota…so theres that lol

2 Likes
#16

I got 2 12q bags of ocean forest coming next week to, for my next grow…I tell ya man, I been doin this for a while n I grow really good weed but sometimes I come in here n the knowledge u guys possess makes me feel really small at times haha

2 Likes
#17

You can use fabric pots in a smaller tent. They do dry out faster because of all the extra airflow. The trick to not over water with them or underwater is to just check your plants daily and feel the sides of the fabric pots. If the sides are moist then there’s still plenty of water so I’d wait and let the roots dig until the sides felt dry and the top soil was dry down to the first knuckle.

1 Like
#18

@Eggs for 2 plants in a 2x2 i think your best bet for yield would be the 3 gallon fabric pots if you decide to try fabric. You can get 5 of them for around $10 right now.

1 Like
#19

Ok that takes me to another issue, everyone says stick ur finger in the dirt to see if it needs water, but like after a month n a half to two months I feel roots snapping when I jam my finger in the dirt, so I’ve never really relied on that method, does it hurt the plant?

1 Like
#20

Do you spray it down prior to, during, and/or soak the entire pot?

1 Like