Four 5-gallon hempy plants in a 4x4 tent doesn’t leave much space for spreading. So there’s nowhere else to go but up. It really is not an ideal situation. Maybe one in a SCROG, but 4 is just asking for trouble and/or lower yields.
depends on veg time. 4 plants i'd do 5L pots.
i run 4 5L, or 6 2L pots in just under 4x4.
6 - 2L pots
i can squeeze another 1 -2 in. maybe another single when doing the 5L.
HappySrirachaSauce
Well-Known Member
How long do you veg for? I was planning on doing 8 weeks of veg. It’s my first grow so maybe I need to adjust based on pot tent size?depends on veg time. 4 plants i'd do 5L pots.
i run 4 5L, or 6 2L pots in just under 4x4.
6 - 2L pots
i can squeeze another 1 -2 in. maybe another single when doing the 5L.
Maybe you are the person I should be asking a question that I've been wondering about. Others are welcome to chime in, too, of course.
Grow tent, one square meter, I think (the Mars Hydro " 3'x3' " one that's 39"x39", or 10.5625 ft.2. Not a lot of light, IMHO, but others seem to think it'll be fine. Plan is, a double comparison grow of sorts. Two strains, both autoflowering varieties from Seedsman. Two autoflowering plants, each in the 5.8-quart black Dollar Tree wastebaskets. Hempy, perlite media. One of them will contain a quantity of an amendment from one of our sponsors that is basically meant for soil usage. Two autoflowering plants (second strain), each in three-gallon containers of soil. Those containers will be a "fabric pot" and an old-school three-gallon grow bag type container.
I am trying to see if the additive will cause any significant difference when used in a hydroponic grow with perlite. I am also trying to see if the fabric container will give significantly better results than the "cheap in packs of 50" generic grow bags. Am I going to run into an issue with overcrowding? I haven't decided which pair of seeds will get used for which set of containers. The two strains are:
DrDoob
Well-Known Member
I just grew a hempy in a 5 gallon bucket, it just about filled up my 4’x4’ tent, I had to water every other day.
I usually grow 4 or so in 3.5 gal buckets in the same space. I wouldn’t do more than one 5 gallon bucket.
I usually grow 4 or so in 3.5 gal buckets in the same space. I wouldn’t do more than one 5 gallon bucket.
What a beauty Doob! 
i run 8 - 10 wks in veg. i train so i usually go an extra 2 wks over folk who just run them natural.
you will definitely have a full tent. it should fit though. i have overcrowded much more than that, but i lose lower developement if i do.
RamenToppings
420 Member
Do you paint your buckets to help block light? Do I need to consider a special type of paint that is ok sitting under hot leds all day?
If your LEDs are hot enough to affect a regular spray paint on the bucket, you will have issues with the plants too.
I used 4g square whites when I first started growing and had minimum signs of algae other than on the surface.
any plastic paint will do. i only bought black buckets to start anyway. in some cases the plastic or pigment is thick enough it won't matter. you can also just use duct tape to cover
it's not for algae control. plant roots are light sensitve and will not develop as well when exposed, curtailing plant growth.
I used to think that was a bit overblown, because I was doing DWC at the time with cheap "Big Lots" totes that had opaque lids, but the actual totes were so translucent as to almost count as clear. But, much later, I decided my lack of failure was due to the totes being much greater in area than in height, and running a single-point light source over each setup (along with a SCROGged canopy that kept the under-area permanently dark). In other words, those roots weren't getting any light, for all intents and purposes.
More recently, the only containers I have used which allowed light to pass through have been two-liter soda pop bottles. And they were all "Mountain Dew green," lol, so no algal growth and (I am guessing, but...) probably no detrimental effects to the root zones.
To the person(s) thinking about painting their containers black, and wondering if there will be problems... They sell white spray paint, too, lol - after shooting a coat of primer and black, add a top coat in white. That might provide some heat-rejection benefit, especially if you go with a gloss finish.
my first hydro system was a store bought top drip in the late eighties. it had a large black bus pan style bottom and a white lid with holes for the net pots.
along with being white, the lid was so thin the light would shine right through. system was a complete disaster. took a year for me to learn what was causing all the problems. it was pre-internet and there was not a network of growers speaking to each other that i was part of.
things improved as soon as i painted up the lid.
i don't think the color has much to do with it. the pigment or plastic just has to be thick enough to block the light. black just absorbs more, you can get away with a thinner plastic with that color.
politoed
Well-Known Member
hey all - wondering about up-potting these here autos.. i read in sweetsue’s tutorial autos should be repotted as soon as they come out of the perlite. these went into cups around 60 hours ago. is it time for the first ones on the left? is it ok if i wait til tomorrow/the weekend? their final home is a 2gal bucket that is only 8” deep.
I think it will be okay
And speaking of the size of the hempy bucket...
politoed
Well-Known Member
That’s a Berry Bomb in about 20 gallons of chunky perlite. It’s ticking...
hey all - wondering about up-potting these here autos.. i read in sweetsue’s tutorial autos should be repotted as soon as they come out of the perlite. these went into cups around 60 hours ago. is it time for the first ones on the left? is it ok if i wait til tomorrow/the weekend? their final home is a 2gal bucket that is only 8” deep.
As a matter of fact, I would wait until most of them have made it above the surface.
I mean, what’s the point in even starting them in a solo cup if you don’t give them any time to actually grow any roots. Might as well start them in their final container.