Smart pots are pots made of fabric. Fabric grow bags have become extremely popular recently because they excel in aeration, reducing water retention, and in durability. We usually measure these in gallons but sometimes it is difficult to equate pot size with what your plant needs, so we’ll break it down here.
What size grow bag do you need for your indoor grow
There is a simple principle for choosing the right size of smart pot: choose 2 times the size of an ordinary pot. If you’re using a 2-gallon regular pot, then you’ll need a 5-gallon smart pot. This is mainly because the smart pot has better ventilation, you’ll need to water frequently, and smart pots that are too small will dry out quickly.
A 5-gallon smart pot is a go-to choice. It works with a variety of strains, especially autoflowering. Of course, if you want to grow bigger plants or want to do low-stress training, you can use 7 gallons, 10 gallons even 15 gallons. If you are really unsure, you can choose to choose a smart pot package that includes different sizes.
Smart pot selection for different growth periods
When transferring from seedling to vegetative stage
Once you’ve completed the seedling stage, what size bag should you transfer your plant to? We recommend that you transplant it directly into its final container. If you transfer the seedlings to a medium-sized pot first and then onto a larger, final pot, the process of transplanting will slow down root growth and extend your growing time. Transfer your plant into its final home immediately and you’ll have faster blooms and better quality end products.
Vegetative to Flowering Stage
Especially when growing in grow tents, we recommend that you immediately plant your plants in their final home—for cannabis, we recommend a 5-gallon bag. If you’re growing autoflowers, you can plant them in either a 3-gallon or 5-gallon bag.
What are the benefits of using grow bags?
Avoids overwatering
Since the fabric is porous, excess water easily escapes through the sides of the fabric rather than a single drainage hole, and air can easily enter, drying soil quicker so you do not grow mold or fungus. Ordinary plastic pots retain moisture much better than fabric pots, which encourages pests and fungus. For new growers who are more likely to overwater (which is as dangerous if not more so than underwatering). Using a grow bag helps reduce overwatering and avoid problems with yellowing leaves. Because of the improved aeration, you’ll likely need to water your plants more often.
Plants won’t be root-bound
The fatal problem with regular pots is that as plants grow, their root systems can get tangled up along the edges of the pot, and at worst suffocate the plant.
Smart pots solve this problem by encouraging air pruning: as the roots reach the edge of the pot they are shocked backward by the cold, dry air around them and stop growing automatically until denser roots take hold.
Faster growth
Because air can easily penetrate the smart pot, more oxygen is available to the roots of the plants. This will make your plants grow faster in the vegetative stage.
Plants do not tip over
If you grow some large plants and train them to be large and wide, this shape will keep their smart pots firmly on the ground without tipping over.
Encourage plants to grow in short spaces
Since smart pots are usually short and wide, they encourage your plants to grow wider rather than taller, saving you a lot of vertical space.
Should I grow several plants in a single smart pot?
You can of course do this, but we don’t recommend it. When you have several plants in a single pot, they will compete for resources like nutrients, and none of them will grow well in the end. Even if you have a large pot, try not to do this—you’ll have better results if you dedicate a single pot to each plant.
Wrap-up
Pots may look unremarkable in our growing equipment lineup, but a good pot is important for plant growth. Smart pots are definitely a better option than plastic or ceramic, and even though they are slightly more expensive than regular pots, I believe they are still worth it. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have found the smart pot that best fits your plant size.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
And be sure to check out our other blog posts for useful tips on becoming a great grower!
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