Soil vs hydro container sizes

[elusive]

I’m getting ready to run a small experiment using an auto flower and it got me thinking - for hydro, do container sizes need to be the same size as soil for the same expected size / yield, or does hydro allow for smaller containers but still larger than soil yields?

For example: most people recommend 3 gallon containers for autos when growing in soil / non-hydro mediums. Would you need a 3 gallon container if doing a hydro method, or would a smaller container be viable to use since there’s no soil to take up root space?

I couldn’t find anything on Google about it (not that I looked very hard).

For my experiment, I’m going to be using a half gallon container, so I’m not expecting anything major, but curious to if the container sizes should be the same regardless of soil or hydro.

 

[midwestcannaman]

In my experience you can grow big plants in small pots in hydro or coco. I actually prefer smaller pots for high frequency feeding

 

[Observer]

For my experiment, I’m going to be using a half gallon container, so I’m not expecting anything major, but curious to if the container sizes should be the same regardless of soil or hydro.

100% not the same thing at all.

 

[Observer]

View attachment 1699305082137.webp

5 foot plants/colas from 16oz Solo.

~29Gs From a 16oz Solo.

i bet i can get a 5 foot plant in a 9oz solo too.

 

[elusive]

100% not the same thing at all.

If you're referring to soil vs soil-less, well, yeah I'm just curious about container sizes and how much it impacts in the world of water only, and if there's any comparisons to plant size from container size between the 2.

View attachment 28778

5 foot plants/colas from 16oz Solo.

~29Gs From a 16oz Solo.

i bet i can get a 5 foot plant in a 9oz solo too.

That's still insane to me haha. You get off of 1 solo cup what I get out of a 3 gallon potted plant.

 

[Observer]

If you're referring to soil vs soil-less, well, yeah I'm just curious about container sizes and how much it impacts in the world of water only, and if there's any comparisons to plant size from container size between the 2.

rock wool and coco count as soil-less/ and id consider it hydro at certain points/ to an extent, imo

water as a media is Hydroponics


what exactly are you asking?

Moe.Red has a thread comparing Hydro vs Soil, i dont call that a comparison, not a fair one, lol.

now if you're running straight water, a bigger container is probably easiest to work with for stability purposes.

if you're running soil in 5x5, 5 gallon pots are the biggest you need*

if you're running coco in 5x5, and can automate fertigation, 1 gallon is all you need*
hell, maybe 0.50 Gallon, in the context of Optimization.

That's still insane to me haha. You get off of 1 solo cup what I get out of a 3 gallon potted plant.

 

[elusive]

rock wool and coco count as soil-less/ and id consider it hydro at certain points/ to an extent, imo

water as a media is Hydroponics

That's fair.

what exactly are you asking?

Basically if I want to grow a plant of similar size as to what you'd typically get in a 5 gallon soil pot, would I need a 5 gallon container for hydro, or is it easier to grow a similar size plant in a smaller (and if so, how small) of a container.

I get that this is down to grow techniques and all that, as you showed you get 5' plants in a 16oz cup, but the plant is still limited by the size its root ball can grow, right?

Moe.Red has a thread comparing Hydro vs Soil, i dont call that a comparison, not a fair one, lol.

That's like Tyson fighting an infant.

now if you're running straight water, a bigger container is probably easiest to work with for stability purposes.

Running water + nutrients

 

[Observer]

That's fair.



Basically if I want to grow a plant of similar size as to what you'd typically get in a 5 gallon soil pot, would I need a 5 gallon container for hydro, or is it easier to grow a similar size plant in a smaller (and if so, how small) of a container.

I get that this is down to grow techniques and all that, as you showed you get 5' plants in a 16oz cup, but the plant is still limited by the size its root ball can grow, right?

well shit, theres probably a inverse match function formula or whatever the fuck for root zone ball to correlate to canopy.

but uhh, the root zone feeds the plant, if the root zone is thriving consistently and being fed enough, the plant can still grow.

(?) i dont know for a/the fact(s), yet.

Basically if I want to grow a plant of similar size as to what you'd typically get in a 5 gallon soil pot, would I need a 5 gallon container for hydro, or is it easier to grow a similar size plant in a smaller (and if so, how small) of a container.

you could use a 3 gallon bucket and probably get 2x-4x the Plant Bio-Mass Compared to a Plant in a Gal of Soil, in the same everything-ENV/Veg/time/Etc...


my 3 gallon bucket test run was too big for a 2x4, first time.

View attachment 1699308082081.webp

 

[elusive]

well shit, theres probably a inverse match function formula or whatever the fuck for root zone ball to correlate to canopy.

but uhh, the root zone feeds the plant, if the root zone is thriving consistently and being fed enough, the plant can still grow.

(?) i dont know for a/the fact(s), yet.


you could use a 3 gallon bucket and probably get 2x-4x the Plant Bio-Mass Compared to a Plant in a Gal of Soil, in the same everything-ENV/Veg/time/Etc...


my 3 gallon bucket test run was too big for a 2x4

I like my 2x4 for starting off plants and autos, otherwise even a pair in 5 gallon pots gets crowded quickly.

Your 3 gallon bucket not being big enough is what my concerns are as well. Granted I'm using a half gallon mason jar with an auto, so I feel that it's potentially able to grow as big as the plants I have now in my 3 gallon fabric pots.

I have a Vivosun DWC kit, which came with 4 5 gallon buckets. One or 2 might fit in my 4x4, but certainly not all 4 if they grow that much bigger.

 

[Observer]

I like my 2x4 for starting off plants and autos, otherwise even a pair in 5 gallon pots gets crowded quickly.

Your 3 gallon bucket not being big enough is what my concerns are as well. Granted I'm using a half gallon mason jar with an auto, so I feel that it's potentially able to grow as big as the plants I have now in my 3 gallon fabric pots.

I have a Vivosun DWC kit, which came with 4 5 gallon buckets. One or 2 might fit in my 4x4, but certainly not all 4 if they grow that much bigger.

did you see the picture i posted?

the 3 gallon was way too big for the 2x4, or the plant was too big, or the plant was vegged for too long in that 3 gallon DWC bucket

it had one month veg, reached the light lol.

 

[elusive]

did you see the picture i posted?

the 3 gallon was way too big for the 2x4, or the plant was too big, or the plant was vegged for too long in that 3 gallon DWC bucket

it had one month veg, reached the light lol.

No I missed it. Holy shit. Well after this experiment I’m going to definitely use that method next.

 

[Observer]

No I missed it. Holy shit. Well after this experiment I’m going to definitely use that method next.

could have vegged her for probably just 15 days and then flower or too big for a 2x4 space.

 

[LJFarming]

Let’s start with soilless is similar to hydro!

The same plant in 5 gallons of soil or 5 gallons of coco fed one time per day will produce very similar quality and quantity.

However dryback is important so that the roots can be all they can be. True soil takes an extended amount of time to dry back!

This IMO if you take 2 plants and put 1 in 5 gallons of soil and 1 plant in 1 gallon of coco in the exact same environment and use high frequency fertigation techniques and water/feed the coco plant multiple times per day the plant in 1 gallon of coco will/should potentially produce double the yield and similar quality that the soil plant produces.

IMO the dirt farmers will always produce better quality especially terps than us soilless growers! However I am happy with slightly less quality and double the quantity. So that’s a decision for you to make!

AQUAMANS high fertigation coco thread will teach you basically anything you need to know about coco

 

[LJFarming]

With proper high fertigation in coco 2 weeks of veg is almost tooooo much IMO.

This all depends on how many plants you want to run per sqft! 12-16” tall properly pruned veg plants at 1 per sqft will make more than enough canopy IMO. 9-12” could possibly be better. So as I say only “runs under your belt” will learn you!