20 gallon pots

Im sure over time this topic probably has been asked several times but if i use 20 gallon smart pots should i wait till a little later in the season to put my plants out? Or is 20 gallons big enough to support a plant thats is being put out in mid may without being a problem? I was planning on putting out a few plants of triple x OG's and a sour strawberry. And my goal was when it hits 14 hours of sunlight in my area to put them out.
 

bigskymtnguy

Well-Known Member
In many cases, the bigger the pot, the bigger the plant. Rule of thumb, grow in a twenty gallon pot and you'll get significantly less yield than the exact same seedling grown in a fifty gallon. Sure a twenty gallon will work fine, just realize that some plants won't reach their full potential. I wouldn't think of growing a Blue Dream outdoors in a twenty, I use 100-150 gallon pots for these and they probably would get bigger in 200's! Of course I have a lovely little Blueberry that will reach max size and yield in a fifty gallon.
 
When are you starting them? 20 gallons is pretty small for a full season plant, but it'll get the job done .
I was planning on starting in mid may.

In many cases, the bigger the pot, the bigger the plant. Rule of thumb, grow in a twenty gallon pot and you'll get significantly less yield than the exact same seedling grown in a fifty gallon. Sure a twenty gallon will work fine, just realize that some plants won't reach their full potential. I wouldn't think of growing a Blue Dream outdoors in a twenty, I use 100-150 gallon pots for these and they probably would get bigger in 200's! Of course I have a lovely little Blueberry that will reach max size and yield in a fifty gallon.
Ideally i would love to drop some 100 gallon pots but i have to covertly do this because the city im in has a rule is your neighbors cant see them so i cant have 12 foot monsters in my backyard. I figured out of a 20 gallon if everything goes right that i would be about to yeild enough for my needs. I do indoor hydro too so this is more of ive never done outdoor and if i can produce some plants outside to save on electricity then awesome. I have a 45 gallon pot and of 3 out of the 4 turn out male ill drop that last plant in the 45 gallon lol
 
This year I'm doing 10-50 gallon pots, if you put them out now NO, it will be root bound. Mid may, you will be fine. Of course the bigger the pot, the more fruits. I'm going to leave a few in 10 gallons until September starting May. Might do a few 100 Gallon plant, I need to find some good soil deals, prices have gone up here :(
Im moving soon to washington state where i have 5 acres i can't wait till when i can drop several 100+ gallon pots ill be swimming in medicine.
 

ForeverGreen42

Well-Known Member
I was planning on starting in mid may.



Ideally i would love to drop some 100 gallon pots but i have to covertly do this because the city im in has a rule is your neighbors cant see them so i cant have 12 foot monsters in my backyard. I figured out of a 20 gallon if everything goes right that i would be about to yeild enough for my needs. I do indoor hydro too so this is more of ive never done outdoor and if i can produce some plants outside to save on electricity then awesome. I have a 45 gallon pot and of 3 out of the 4 turn out male ill drop that last plant in the 45 gallon lol
If you're legal, you can train them to keep them under a 6' privacy fence pretty easy in 100-300 gallon containers. I did that my first grow for the same reason and hit 2-3 Lbs/plant while keeping them under the privacy fence. If your starting mid may then a 20-30 gallon will work great! Good luck!
 

Dan Drews

Well-Known Member
I have used 7.5 gallon pots to keep the plants I grew small enough to not be seen by my next door neighbor. Even with only about 4 - 6 hours of direct sun per day, the plants still grew to full maturity, just not nearly as large as the plants most guys grow here. They ended up being 4 - 5 feet tall with several ounces per plant, more than enough for my personal use. I'm still smoking 2 - 3 year old buds from those 2 grows.

SO to answer your question, yes you can grow quality plants to maturity and have tremendous quality buds in 20 gal pots. I'd plant starters or clones between mid-May to June 1st depending on where you are. Use top quality soil and choose a nute program that works for you and your plants. And most important, be prepared to battle bugs and worms and stop problems early so they don't become unmanageable.

Go luck and happy growing.:weed:
 

bigskymtnguy

Well-Known Member
I was planning on starting in mid may.



Ideally i would love to drop some 100 gallon pots but i have to covertly do this because the city im in has a rule is your neighbors cant see them so i cant have 12 foot monsters in my backyard. I figured out of a 20 gallon if everything goes right that i would be about to yeild enough for my needs. I do indoor hydro too so this is more of ive never done outdoor and if i can produce some plants outside to save on electricity then awesome. I have a 45 gallon pot and of 3 out of the 4 turn out male ill drop that last plant in the 45 gallon lol
My fence is 6' tall. With good tip training you can keep 2lb per pot under 6' tall.
 

kratos015

Well-Known Member
In many cases, the bigger the pot, the bigger the plant. Rule of thumb, grow in a twenty gallon pot and you'll get significantly less yield than the exact same seedling grown in a fifty gallon. Sure a twenty gallon will work fine, just realize that some plants won't reach their full potential. I wouldn't think of growing a Blue Dream outdoors in a twenty, I use 100-150 gallon pots for these and they probably would get bigger in 200's! Of course I have a lovely little Blueberry that will reach max size and yield in a fifty gallon.
This right here. 20 gallon pots will work for you, but you'll get a much bigger yield if you use a much bigger pot. Using 100-200 gallon pots is always idea, but people aren't always able to afford that much soil when they first start out so they start with smaller. However a lot of it will be strain dependent as well. I had great results in my 10-30 gallon pots though. One strain gave me over a pound in a 10 gallon, and I got close to 2 pounds in my 30 gallon pots. Made lots of mistakes though and should have got more, but live and learn :P I can't even imagine what my plants would have done in 100+ gallon containers though! Someday I'll find out ;)
 
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