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                 -+- The Merry Pranksters from Menlo Park -+-
                               10.1990.01.01.18

                 Marijuana Grower's Handbook - part 18 of 33
                               by pH Imbalance
                                 "Containers"

                                     from

                         Marijuana Grower's Handbook
                         [Indoor/Greenhouse Edition]
                                 Ed Rosenthal


   To save space, plants can be germinated in small containers and
transplanted to progressively larger ones.
   Seeds can be germinated in 2 x 1 inch trays or in peat pellets and remain
in these containers for about one week.
   Four inch diameter containers can hold the plants for 2 to 3 weeks
without inhibiting growth.
   Styrofoam cups weighted at the bottom with sand or gravel so they don't
tip over are convenient germinating containers.  If plants are to be
germinated at one location and then moved to another location, styrofoam and
other lightweight plastic cups are ideal containers.
   Six ounce cups hold plants for about 7-10 days after germination.
Sixteen ounce cups hold plants 10-20 days, as long as the plants receive
frequent water replenishments.
   Half gallon containers can support plants for 25-40 days.
   Plants probably grow a bit faster without being transplanted.  However,
the saving in space for a multi-crop system or even a multi-light system
more than compensates for the loss in growth rate.  Figure that each
transplanting costs the plants 3-4 days of growth.  Growers using a 2 light
system need to use only one lamp for the first 4-6 weeks the plants are
growing.  Multi-crop gardens need to use only a fraction of the space for
the first 3 to 8 weeks after germination.
   Some growers sex the plants before either the first or second
transplanting.  They find it easier to control the light-darkness cycle in a
small space.  Another crop's flowering cycle may coincide with the
seedlings.  To sex the small plants, only a small area is required in the
grow room.
   A good rule of thumb is that for each two feet of growth, a half gallon
of growing medium is required in a garden in which fertilizers are supplied
throughout the growing period.  A 2 foot plant requires a 1/2 gallon
container, a 5 foot plant uses a 2.5 gallon container and a 10 foot plant
requires a 5 gallon unit.  Of course, plants' width or depth varies too, so
these are approximations.  Certainly there is no harm done in growing a
plant in a container larger than is required.  However, growing plants in
containers which are too small delays growth or may even stunt the plants.
   Plants growing in soil or compost-based mediums do better in slightly
larger containers.  A rule of thumb for them is a 3/4 gallon medium for each
foot of growth.  A 5 foot plant requires a 3 and 3/4 gallon container.
   One grower wrote "I never use more than 4 gallon containers and have
grown plants to 12 feet high with no signs of deficiencies.  I was able to
water at 2-3 day intervals.  My 3 month old plants under light were in 1/2
gallon containers with and without wicks."  This grower always uses small
(1/2 gallon) containers for his spring greenhouse crop.
   A plant growing in an organic-based medium such as soil-compost-manure
and additives needs no fertilization if it is given a large enough
container.  For a five month growing season, plants in a rich mixture
require 1 to 1.5 gallons medium per foot.  A 5 foot plant requires a
container holding 5-7.5 gallons.
   Containers should have a slight graduation so that plants and medium can
slide out easily.
   Plastic containers or pots are the most convenient to use.  They are
lightweight, do not break and are inert.  Metal containers react with the
nutrients in the solution.  Plastic bags are convenient containers.  Grow
bags have a square bottom so that they balance easily.  However growers use
all kinds of plastic bags for cultivation.  Fiber containers are also
popular.  They are inexpensive, last several growing seasons and are easy to
dispose of.





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