What's the reasoning behind half filled pots?

VincenzioVonHook

VincenzioVonHook

Well-Known Member
I've noticed I see this a lot. Solo cups half filled. Then moved into a 1 gal pot which is also half filled. Constant 5 gallon pots with 2.5gal worth of medium. It's almost more common than not when someone relatively new posts.

Is there something I'm missing? I always get the "it gives me space to bury the stem when it stretches", but wouldn't it be more beneficial to fill the pot up and give the seedling adequate light to begin with to stop the stretch in the first place?

My seedlings go straight under 25-30k lux (400-500umol/s) and never have this stretch to bury in the first place.

I figured adequate root space and medium would be more important that leaving half the pot empty to bury stem due to not providing enough light in the first place.

It seems like the real issue is lack of light in these cases.

Is there something else I'm missing?
 
twentyeight.threefive

twentyeight.threefive

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
I've noticed I see this a lot. Solo cups half filled. Then moved into a 1 gal pot which is also half filled. Constant 5 gallon pots with 2.5gal worth of medium. It's almost more common than not when someone relatively new posts.

Is there something I'm missing? I always get the "it gives me space to bury the stem when it stretches", but wouldn't it be more beneficial to fill the pot up and give the seedling adequate light to begin with to stop the stretch in the first place?

My seedlings go straight under 25-30k lux (400-500umol/s) and never have this stretch to bury in the first place.

I figured adequate root space and medium would be more important that leaving half the pot empty to bury stem due to not providing enough light in the first place.

It seems like the real issue is lack of light in these cases.

Is there something else I'm missing?
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Nope don’t think you’re missing anything. I think you summed up their reasoning perfectly.
 
bam0813

bam0813

Well-Known Member
I’ve always assumed multiple reasons including the ones mentioned in addition to not understanding completely, at 20-30 a sf , maybe some penny pinching and i think some noobs think you need a rim to water. I do know big outdoor pots drop considerably and drop usually have to top off after a season or two
 
VincenzioVonHook

VincenzioVonHook

Well-Known Member
I just noticed it the other day out the blue, and now I notice it everywhere lol. I think I'm OCD as it shouldn't even peak my interest, but it does haha. A few mates are setting up little grows and i noticed that every one of them had literally half filled pots of various sizes and thought I was missing something. I usually leave a 2" lip for the odd half cup to cup of top dress every few weeks, but over half the pot (as they all taper) just seems strange.

Its like I can't un-see in now lol. I always just assumed it was to combat stretching, as that's the answer I get most times, but more light just seems like an easier fix. My immediate thought when i saw my first plant stretch was more along the lines of "I should probably give it more light so they don't stretch", not "ill just half fill my pots in the future and keep adding soil as they stretch".

i could see it coming in handy if you wanted to save height in a short tent. Use a 10 gallon pot, only fill it up 7" instead of 12" and get a few free inches in height without having to use a small pot, you know, height of a 2 gallon pot, but holds 5-6gal due to width.
 
twentyeight.threefive

twentyeight.threefive

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
I just noticed it the other day out the blue, and now I notice it everywhere lol. I think I'm OCD as it shouldn't even peak my interest, but it does haha. A few mates are setting up little grows and i noticed that every one of them had literally half filled pots of various sizes and thought I was missing something. I usually leave a 2" lip for the odd half cup to cup of top dress every few weeks, but over half the pot (as they all taper) just seems strange.

Its like I can't un-see in now lol. I always just assumed it was to combat stretching, as that's the answer I get most times, but more light just seems like an easier fix. My immediate thought when i saw my first plant stretch was more along the lines of "I should probably give it more light so they don't stretch", not "ill just half fill my pots in the future and keep adding soil as they stretch".

i could see it coming in handy if you wanted to save height in a short tent. Use a 10 gallon pot, only fill it up 7" instead of 12" and get a few free inches in height without having to use a small pot, you know, height of a 2 gallon pot, but holds 5-6gal due to width.
Click to expand...
I constantly see pictures on here of people using cloth pots with the sides folded down in like half. It bothers me too.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
A word on compacting coco through feeding.

When I pot up i feed/wet the coco 1st, while they're getting established i use a syringe to keep them wet feeding in the middle and letting it wick out to the new coco.
This helps stop coco compacting into the pot and by the time I get onto auto feeding it's all bound together by the roots and still light and airy.
_20220320_133351.JPG
It won't compact now and the air space is still present.
 
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