From my experience, you *might* be able to get away with 3 gallon buckets if (and this is quite hypothetical):
1. Veg for 3 weeks and flower for 7-8
2. Repot at least 4 times (letting the roots bunch up a little before transplanting, but not to the point of totally rootbound), until reaching the 3 gallon buckets sometime in early to mid flowering.

Of course your growing conditions will have an effect also (i.e. plant genetics/lumens/temperatures/soil composition/fresh air/nutrients) Many things to consider. For me, I end in 15L pots, this is with about 4 weeks veg and 9 weeks flowering under a 400w hps, and not a 'high yielding' strain.

You can always try with the 3 gallons and if they get too big, go get some 4-5 gallon jugs. Just make sure you have enough room for the larger pots in case you need them. Transplanting in flowering has not been a problem for me (nor anyone else as far as I know)

Some more info here: http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...ency-baby.html

:twocents:

Happy growing :jointsmile:
bigtopsfinn Reviewed by bigtopsfinn on . Soil Container size? Hey y'all. I'm trying to maximize yield on an indoor soil grow and I was told to use 5-gallon pots rather than 3-gallon. I went to the hydro store and the lady pointed out the "5-gallon" pots. After looking at them I realized they weren't actually capable of holding 5 gallons so I asked her. She said the "5-gallon" term is just a trade name and it doesn't really mean 5 gallons. It looked to me like it held maybe 3 gallons when comparing it to a typical 5-gallon bucket. So, are these Rating: 5