Choosing the right container is critical for cannabis growth. It will affect the bud weight, cannabinoid content, and terpene profile of your plants.
Plants grow long roots that need ample room to reach their ideal outcome. Using a container that’s too small will cause the roots to become root bound, stunting their growth.
Choosing the Right Container
The type of container you use for cannabis growth has an impact on how well it will grow. The wrong pot will not provide the ideal conditions for a healthy plant, and can actually be detrimental to your cultivation efforts.
If you’re new to growing cannabis, you may not be familiar with all the different types of containers that are available for you to purchase. The best choice for your needs will depend on the size of your space, your budget, and your preferences.
Some of the more common types of containers used for cannabis cultivation include solo cups, Smart pots (also known as fabric pots), and air pots. Each type of container has its own advantages and disadvantages.
For starters, Smart pots and fabric pots let oxygen into the soil through their sides, allowing them to thrive more quickly than standard closed pots. However, they also require watering more often because their soil will dry out faster.
Plastic pots and glazed pottery are less likely to dry out because they don’t have side openings, but both will still need watering regularly. You should also make sure that your containers have adequate drainage.
This is important because runoff water can contaminate your grow medium and lead to disease and pests, and even kill your plants. It’s a good idea to pair your containers with trays or saucers.
A basic rule of thumb is to have a container that holds about 2 gallons per foot of your plant’s height. This is not a perfect rule of thumb, and it’s important to note that different varieties of cannabis can vary in their final height.
If you have a smaller space, consider using a solo cup or other small container for seedlings. These containers are easy to transport and they don’t take up much space, but they do require a little more care when it comes to drainage.
If you have a larger space, you can choose between large containers that hold more soil and smaller containers with smaller amounts of growing medium. This will help you control how much water your plants will need and ensure that they’re getting enough oxygen and nutrients.
Drainage
Drainage is a crucial component of any growing process, including cannabis cultivation. A cannabis plant with excessive water in its root system can drown and rot, so it’s important to choose the right container that offers sufficient drainage.
Fortunately, there are many different types of containers that offer superior levels of drainage and aeration for cannabis plants. These include fabric pots or smart pots, airpots and grow sacks.
The best of these containers have holes strategically placed at the base and sides of the container, allowing water to flow out while maximizing oxygen uptake and absorption for your cannabis plant’s roots. This allows a healthy and productive plant to grow in your cannabis cultivation area.
These smart containers come in many forms, from burlap bags to plastic pots that have holes drilled in them. Some are even equipped with trays that can be used to catch runoff water and keep it from harming the plant’s roots.
A cannabis plant is a heavy drinker, so it’s a good idea to choose a container with adequate drainage. Make sure that the container has a few drainage holes at the bottom to help control water flow and avoid salt buildup in the soil.
In addition, you should make sure that your cannabis grow medium provides optimal aeration for your plants’ roots by adding perlite or vermiculite to it. You can also amend the medium with slow release organic nutrients that will supply the plant with nutrition for long periods of time.
Lastly, you should remember to regularly empty any excess water that accumulates around the bottom of your container and on the sides. The last thing you want to do is end up with a dead plant with rotting roots!
The size of the grow pot can have an impact on cannabis growth, as smaller containers tend to hold less growing space and therefore reduce the amount of moisture the plant receives. Larger containers, however, can provide more growing space and therefore increase yields.
Oxygen
If you want to grow a healthy plant, then you should always make sure that your root environment is properly oxygenated. This is important because it can help your cannabis grow faster, healthier, and taller.
Your cannabis plants use oxygen in the process of photosynthesis, which is when they absorb sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugars and oxygen. They also do dark respiration, which does not require light but instead uses carbon dioxide from the air to create energy for the plant.
The roots of your cannabis plants need oxygen because they are the primary mechanism that absorbs oxygen in the soil. The roots then use that oxygen to transport the water and nutrients into the leaves.
You can improve the oxygen available to your cannabis roots by ensuring that your growing substrate has enough air porosity to let oxygen diffuse through the small spaces between the soil particles. If the soil is compacted, degraded, or has very little air porosity, the roots will quickly lose access to oxygen.
Another way to increase oxygen in your root environment is to irrigate your cannabis with water that is saturated with oxygen. This is done by using a system that injects dissolved oxygen into the nutrient solution before it is pumped out to the soil or growing medium.
Adding dissolved oxygen to the soil is a very popular practice because it can boost growth and production of your plants. However, many growers report that injecting dissolved oxygen is expensive and energy intensive, because most systems produce more bubbles than actual oxygen, which is not the most efficient method of adding it to your nutrient solution.
Dissolved oxygen is also beneficial because it helps the plant’s roots resist anaerobic bacteria that cause root rot. It also promotes rapid root growth and increases the density of fine root hairs, which are responsible for the intake of water.
In addition to oxygen, your cannabis plants need a range of secondary essential nutrients. These include calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. These micronutrients perform a variety of critical functions and are crucial to the proper development of your cannabis plants.
Root Development
Cannabis roots take up water, nutrients, and oxygen from the soil and send them to the plant’s leaves to be used for photosynthesis. These processes help the plants convert these elements into usable components (ie: sugars and starches).
The more nutrients a cannabis plant has stored, the better it can use them for growth. This is why using the right grow medium is important: it allows for better absorption of a plant’s nutrients, especially when growing indoors where the weather is prone to fluctuating temperatures and high humidity levels.
Healthy roots are vital to cannabis growth because they allow a plant to get the maximum amount of nutrients and oxygen available in the soil. They also help keep the soil healthy by preventing soil diseases like root rot, damping-off, and overwatering.
Choosing the correct container is essential to healthy root development, but there are other factors that affect this process too. The size of the container will play a big role in how the plant grows and a larger pot can cause slower growth at first, but it will deliver more oxygen to the roots.
When transplanting a plant into a new container, ensure you use an irrigation system that can provide a continuous supply of water to the roots. This will make the process much more convenient and reduce the risk of overwatering.
It is also possible to boost your cannabis plant’s root health by introducing beneficial bacteria into the soil. These microorganisms aid in nutrient uptake, protect against pathogens, and break down organic matter for healthier soil.
A thriving root system is essential for a successful marijuana grow and can help your plant thrive in both the vegetative and flowering stages of development. By ensuring that your plants are getting the most out of their grow medium and keeping their roots happy, you can guarantee bigger harvests and delicious-looking buds.
The best way to improve your plants’ root system is by exposing them to microorganisms. The microorganisms found in a good super soil or other potting mix, for example, can provide your roots with an abundance of beneficial bacteria that can help to boost nutrient uptake, resist disease, and promote healthy root development.
