How to Choose the Best Pot Size for Autoflowering Cannabis

You’ve grabbed yourself a bargain and are ready to plant your cheap autoflower seeds. You want to grow them in soil and give them the best care possible to reap bumper yields. An often-overlooked factor cannabis cultivators miss is their autoflower pot size.

A pot’s a pot, right? It’s not that simple. So, why does the container size for auto crops matter?

Failing to consider the room your weed has to develop hinders how much bud you collect come harvest. How do you know which size pot to use?

We’re here to help! We share why size matters and how to pick the right pot for your 420 gardening needs—whether you grow indoors or out. Discover what else a suitable container needs and the best types to use.

Armed with this information, expect to collect a glorious yield of fat, juicy nugs when harvest rolls around.

Why Does the Autoflower Pot Size Matter?

The autoflower pot size you pick matters for a few reasons.

• Little pots are a great advantage to cultivators with limited space. The smaller the container, the less the plant grows.
• When you pick a pot that’s too tiny, though, the roots can’t stretch out, and you risk stunted growth.
• If the pot is too large, the soil dries out much quicker, leading to issues with development.

What’s the Best Autoflower Pot Size?

While you’re waiting for your cannabis seeds to arrive, it’s time to work out what size pot for autoflower plants you want to use. Consider the height and other growing restrictions of your space.

You need to plant your auto seeds in the pot you want them to finish in from the start. It’s possible to move autoflowers from one to another as they develop, but their short life cycle is a disadvantage here. It allows little time to recover if you make a mistake or cause stress.

Small pots work best if you’re sowing seeds indoors and want to use low-stress training techniques like the Sea of Green (SOG). These little containers are also perfect for closet or balcony cultivators with less room for expansion.

You have more freedom for crops to develop freely if you’re growing outdoors—unless you want to keep them out of prying eyes’ view. Larger pots work well and may increase your final yield.

Indoor Autoflower Pot Size

For the tiniest of spaces, the best autoflower pot size indoors is 6.5 to 9.5 liters (or 1.75 to 2.5 gallons). Use this measurement to keep crops under 1.5 feet or form a compact SOG setup.

If you have more room or are growing in a large tent, let your plants expand in an 11.3 liter (or 3 gallons) container. The more space the roots have to spread, the larger the crop and the bigger the harvest.

Outdoor Autoflower Pot Size

Most cannabis plants stretch when cultivated outside, meaning they require larger pots. Choose any size between 10 and 15 liters (2.65 to 4 gallons)—depending on the strain’s average height.

Planting in a container over this range has no advantages when growing autoflowers. They don’t take long to develop, so they never reach huge heights.

What Does a Good Pot for Autoflowers Need?

Once you’ve decided on the best size pot for autoflower plants, there are other factors to consider. Providing the best home for your seeds means greater rewards in the end.

Drainage

A pot’s drainage promotes airflow through the crops’ roots and allows the soil to dry properly—both essential for your auto’s development. Less oxygen reaches the roots when the earth gets waterlogged, stunting growth.

Proper drainage lets the water drain slowly from the soil, giving the plant the moisture it needs without drowning it. Brown, wilting leaves are a telltale sign that crops are waterlogged.

Dark In Color

It’s tempting to pick a container that looks visually appealing and fits in with your home decor—thinks again. The darker the pot, the better it absorbs light and retains heat from the soil. This consideration is especially important if you live somewhere cool.

Clean

Cleanliness might seem obvious, but it’s common for gardeners to plant in a pot with old soil lying in the base. What appears harmless may be harboring disease-carrying pathogens that can quickly infect new growth.

To clean your container properly, use kitchen sponges, wire mesh, and dish soap, to begin. Then sterilize the pot with bleach or an organic vinegar solution before rinsing and drying.

Best Pot Type for Autoflowers

Plastic pots are solid options, but we explore other container types as many gardeners move away from using this material. The three choices below are the best alternatives, thanks to their excellent aeration and drainage properties.

Fabric Pots

One of the best pot types for autos is fabric, as it lets the roots breathe and promotes growth and bud production. These containers are an excellent environmentally friendly option and are often available in a wide range of custom sizes.

Terracotta Pots

Terracotta is porous, and air and water flow freely through its walls. These pots are more breathable for the soil than plastic and soak up excess moisture to allow the slow release of nutrients.

Air Pots

Air containers promote similar advantages to the fabric kind, allowing air and oxygen in from all directions. These pots have many holes in their sides for water to drain from quicker. Roots get pruned by the air, and plants grow healthily.

Pick the Right Pot for Your Autoflowers

When you choose the right size pot for autoflower plants, you give them the best chance of producing abundant yields. Pick smaller containers for growing indoors and larger ones when sowing outside.

Ultimately, the pot size determines how roots develop and keeps your plant small or allow it to stretch. Ensure you choose an excellent material type and that it has all the properties a good container should have. It must be clean, drain well, and have a dark color.

Now you know how to pick the right size pot for your auto seeds, it’s time to get planting. Provide the perfect home and enjoy the rewards before you know it with these quick-growing marijuana seeds.

Author’s bio

Jennifer Gallagher, an experienced cannabis grower at SeedSupreme Seedbank. During a 7-year career in the marijuana growing business, Jennifer has gained a high competence in this field. As far as weed is concerned, she knows it all inside out. Jennifer is an expert in pot-growing, as well as cannabis types and their effects. She’s also familiar with all legislation nuances.