The Dude Grows Show

Root ball size altering yield

02/07/2024

Hey DGC! I want to run a perpetual grow of autoflowers, one plant at a time (I live in prohibition land), and grow using a bottom watered sip bucket system and top water with Recharge once a week. I’ve got one, three, five, and seven gallon systems. In your experience, what size would give me a better root ball?

In other words, is a tight but small root ball better or worse than a large but loose root ball assuming that to total mass of the root balls are the same? Will one yield more than the other? Which would give danker buds Larger plant mass? All this using the same growing conditions, nutes, and pheno.

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5 responses to “Root ball size altering yield”

J Mystro

02/07/2024

More root space will always be beneficial. It’s on the grower to water them correctly. Autos are a total crap shoot with no way to know how big they’ll get based on vigor. There is no way to say for sure with so many unknowns. A good bet would be with 3-5 gallon pots. You get about a month or so of veg before transitioning to flower. Not much time to fill a large pot with roots.

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Thundarr the Budbarian

02/08/2024

Thanks J. I think you answered with more root space is better. So that would mean the largest pot? Yes, 3-5 gallon because in a month or so, the root ball doesn’t have time to grow to max in that time.

But if it were photos, is a small but dense root ball better/worse than a large but loose root ball? Let’s say veg for 6 weeks, 3 gallon would be packed with roots, the seven gallon would not be a packed but a loose root ball. Which do you think would produce better yield/quality given everything else is the same? Sorry for so long a question.

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1. J Mystro
  
  02/12/2024
  
  Biggest problem with root-bound plants is structure. The branches immediately get thinner with elongating nodes. Thick branching is the crucial for large yields. Thin, wispy branches don’t produce shit.
  
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Old Hippy 58

02/08/2024

A larger pot will definitely do better. Better drainage/water and nute retention for one thing. In nature a plants furthest outward reaching branches define it’s drip line. That drip line is also how far you can expect the roots to reach out. Knowing that, I believe that bigger pots are going to produce healthier, bigger plants. I grow photos in 3 to 7 gallon pots depending on how big I am going to let the plants get during flower.

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Full Melt Alchemist

02/08/2024

Hey grower, I’ve grown several autos, several different ways. And also live in prohibition land. With most autos I’ve grown a 5 gallon pot works great. Some bigger autos like Dutch Passion snowstorm or auto blueberry might need bigger, but dwarf type autos like some from sweet seeds do well in 5’s.
No need to ever transplant after you get them out of a solo cup.
Grab some Fox farm soil and use a bloom booster at the end and everything else will depend on your light.
Good luck!!

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