number of plants in 5 gal bucket

[dude33333]

hi all, i'm growing in two 5 gal compound buckets. right now theres about 5-8 plants in each one. i was wondering if anyone had recomendations for the maximum number of plants this size container could support. once they get bigger I guess ill remove the smallest ones, or should i wait until i can determine the sex? any help appreciated!
-Eric

dude33333 Reviewed by dude33333 on 06-14-2008. number of plants in 5 gal bucket hi all, i'm growing in two 5 gal compound buckets. right now theres about 5-8 plants in each one. i was wondering if anyone had recomendations for the maximum number of plants this size container could support. once they get bigger I guess ill remove the smallest ones, or should i wait until i can determine the sex? any help appreciated! -Eric Rating: 5

[JeffersonBud]

1 plant per container. If you try and take out the others later on their roots will be tangled together and you will end up stressing the plants. This and their roots will be competing as well as the leaves for light. you should not start a small plant in such a large container. This will set you up for a lot of problems if you are not careful. Is this soil or hydro? Some plants roots will actually fill a 5 gal bucket.

[dude33333]

these were sprouted in a wet paper towel and planted in the buckets (well vented for drainage) a few days ago. I didn't have a chance to go out and see them because surgery on my ankle, but my brother said we have about 8 in each one with four little leaves. probably about 1.5 inches. they sound pretty healthy to me, we need to decide the best set-up for this.
We are limited to the two buckets all opinions are appreciated and welcome.

The soil on the bottom is mostly junk from the woods. the top soil is from our compost pile, good stuff.

obviously our top and only priority is to have alot of large juicy nugs!:jointsmile:

[JeffersonBud]

all depends on your intentions. With 2 buckets that means you can have 2 plants. I have seen 1 plant in a 5 gal under a 1000w hps produce over a pound. It is your conditions and genetics of the seed that will determine your outcome. Knowing the make-up of your soil is important. I only do hydro so someone else will have to chime in with soil. You need to get them into different containers. they are small so you can use small containers. Then you need to see which ones a fem and which are male. take the 2 biggest and best females from this and use those 2 for your large 5 gal buckets.
Do some searching. lots of info on here. good luck

[locomark]

I too would only go with one per bucket. If you want a big harvest you need a big root ball. Why pick out the smallest one when they could be female. If they are females you remove only to keep a males then your wasting your time and money.

In time, they will root bound that container then you'll be posting my plants are dying please help me.

When I was doing indoor I would plant one per bucket after germination then no need for later transplanting. 5 or 8 per bucket is like 15 Mexicans living a 3 bedroom rambler. You feeling me? But what do I know?

Loco

[dude33333]

kool thanks for the advice!

heavy rain killed several of them, now theres about 8 left total. so the plan for now is to wait until I can sex them then remove the males at least. and probably transplant the other females to a different location.

I'll post some pics of my setup soon...

question: is there a difference between morning and afternoon sun? right now theyre getting morning sun, but could be moved to get more afternoon sun.

also, my solution to the sunlight delima (fields too visible; woods to shaded) is to grow in a wetland/swamp with plenty of light. The buckets are about 1.5 feet tall and the bottom 4 inches in currently sitting in water. The buckets are very well vented. should they be more elevated, stay put, or go deeper in water(i doubt that) but maybe hydro effects? lemme know what you think, thanks!

[greenatik]

if the water level is fairly consistent i would elevate them to maybe 1-2 inches. i had a plant in 3 inches of water in a 3 gal pot and it drowned in 3 days

[dude33333]

thanks for the quick response,

thats what i was thinking... i'll throw some small planks under them tomorrow

[greenatik]

if you ever transplant them try putting some river rocks at the very bottom. soil wicks water like crazy

[dude33333]

something ate my babies!!

only four remain strong, two in each bucket. I hope at least two of them are female!!!

I raised them up above the water level and placed an aquarium on top of them in anticipation of the rain we're supposed to get the next couple days.

does anyone have an easy, organic bug repelent made from common kitchen ingredients? it must have been bugs cuz these are located in the middle of a swamp. (no rodents)