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.
That's exactly what I had pictured! Low light, low yielding strain, too--all the crosses I have to bear...

Bigtopsfinn, where is your avatar pic from?:jointsmile: And, as always, your advice is spot on. :thumbsup:

Mainegrown, you got rootbound in a #3 in 3 weeks--I'm jealous!
DreadedHermie Reviewed by DreadedHermie 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