Small Spaces and Containers – Maximizing Growth and Yield

Pot up early and often for maximum growth and yield

In a post in 2009 I  posted pictures where I compared plants in various sized containers, and put different numbers of plants in containers.  Smaller containers result in smaller plants and smaller yields.   Multiple plants in containers lead to smaller plants and smaller yields too.  The trick is getting the smallest sized container that will allow your plants their maximum growth in the space you have indoors.  A rule I have read is one gallon of soil/medium for each foot of plant height.  This of course depends on the species of plant you are growing, but is a good rule of thumb. 

I have noticed another problem with small containers.  Many growers start several plants in small containers and then put them up into bigger containers as they grow.  This is a good way to pick the best plants too, especially if you are doing any plant breeding.  Remember; if you breed plants don’t get mired in mediocrity.   If you keep a plant in a small container, and it gets root bound, even when you pot up the plant it will not grow to its fullest potential.
The take away message, always keep your plants roots growing.  Once the roots start to twist around and around in a container, they send out hormones to the plant that resources are going to be limited, and growth should slow.  When you pot up the plants, they will grow more, however not as much or as big as plants that were never root bound.
You should pot up your plants as early as possible.  Here is what I noticed this semester; I had two groups of plants.  Group one, I potted up as soon as roots got to the bottom of the container.  I started with small containers, then went up to one gallon then three gallon containers when I put them onto flowering.   The second group, I kept in small containers for an extra two weeks, then put them in one gallon containers for two weeks longer than the first group.  My idea was that I could get two flowering cycles in one semester.  What I noticed is that the first group plants were all tall and bushy and the second group plants were shorter and single stemmed.  It seems that when a plants roots are not allowed to grow, the hormones that slow growth somehow prevent the plant from ever reaching its full potential.  I think this would be like if a child does not get all its nutrition, it will never be able to reach its full potential, even if has all its nutrition met as an adult.

Pot up early and often for maximum growth and yield

Good Growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers

Read my post on suggested container sizes for plants

Small spaces - 4 GROW TENT-2

If you have a big room and don’t want to devote it entirely to your hobby, or you don’t want to build a new closet/grow area a grow tent  may be a good choice for you to grow in small spaces.
You can buy a grow tent from HTGSupply.com. I am using one with a LED.

The grow tent is nice because it provides shelter for your plants; it is light proof with Velcro sealed openings for electric cords, carbon filters/ air exchangers etc. The reflective inside means that all the light is bounced around until it is absorbed by the plants. This makes whatever type of light you have from HTGSupply.com more efficient.  Leave your cloths in the closet; a grow tent is easy to set up and is a better grow space.

If you follow the directions  it is easy to set up and is a small self contained space great for growing plants.

I am very happy with my grow tent and as I said it is versatile with lots of holes with Velcro so I can use different equipment over time as my growing needs change. Being light proof is also ideal if you are interested in flowering since most plants need specific lights on and off time periods which you DON’T have in an open room where you turn on and off the lights as you come and go.

I have been using this grow tent and 120 Watt Tri-Band LED Grow Light over 5 weeks now. I am using a LED from HTGSupply.com. I have received many questions about LED’s and I am in the processes of getting first hand knowledge of their use. I can now say the 120 Watt Tri-Band LED Grow Light from HTGSupply.com works. I don’t think this is true of other grow stores whose lights look like the same color LED with your eyes but it is not the best 'color' for plants. No other company has allowed me to try their lights and write about it so I am NOT endorsing all LED’s, only the one’s from HTGSupply.com

I will be writting about LED's in April 2010, no matter the date or time comments and questions are always welcome!

Good Growing,

Dr. E.R. Myers

Small Spaces – 4 GROW TENT-1 SET UP

If you or maybe someone you know does not want to build a shelf or you don't have a spare closet, a grow tent from HTGSupply.com may be just what you need.

• It comes in a small box with metal bars for the “skeleton” and two pieces of covering material one small one for the floor and the large one for the outer shell

• First build the frame

• Then add the tent floor  which is supposed to fit on the INSIDE of the pipe skeleton. It will catch water if it is spilled.

• Hang your light off the bar-skeleton plug it in and start growing.

Good Growing,

Dr. E.R. Myers

Growing in small spaces-3 - Mother Plant.

A plant that is grown in a small container in a small space will have the same characteristics (taste, color etc.) if it is potted up and grown larger. This is yet another advantage to growing in small spaces and is often crucial to a breeding program. You can grow many plants to test their quantities and then choose the best to breed or to set up as a mother plant and take clones. Reviving or regenerating a plant grown in a small place in general means potting it up, giving it a fertilizer high in nitrogen and if it had begun flowering put the light back on a vegetative cycle like 18 on 6 off.  In a few weeks the new growth can be used to take clones sometimes for years to come.  The clones can be put back in the small space which will maximze growth having  uniform plants using the space to its fullest.

Good Growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers

Growing In Small Spaces-2

People garden in a small space for a number or reasons. Good growers start many more plants than they need and choose the best to pot up and grow for fruits/flowers/seeds. Those not selected end up in the compost pile.

For others, growing in small spaces is done to maximize available space. For example, anyone can turn a 7-8 foot wall into a duplex grow area. This means you can DOUBLE YOUR GROWING AREA.  It would be easy to have a shelf with only two feet clearance for seedlings and cuttings and on the same wall a taller shelf for larger plants. For the small shelf you will need a minimum of 20-24 inches above the plant for most species. When plants start to run out of space on the small shelf you put the plants in bigger pots and move them to a 3-4 foot high shelf so they can grow bigger  before flowering/fruit set. With three feet you can grow plants in 1 gallon pots, anything bigger and you run the risk the plants won’t fit in the space. You should always experiment with bigger or smaller pots to know what is best for YOUR plants in YOUR grow area.

With any grow area the set up  starts off with the basics, clean the area very well, make the area reflective with white paint, aluminum foil, or mylar.

Fluorescent lights are well suited for growing in small spaces. They do not put out as much heat as an HID.  Also, most fluorescent lights have a Kelvin rating that emits a lot of blue light. Blue light makes plants grow shorter (less space between nodes) and bushier. If you are going to try to get flowers in a small space you can switch the bulbs to types that emit more red which tends to promote flowering.

Good growing,

Dr. E.R. Myers

Growing In Small Spaces-1

If you want to expand, or start to grow indoors but think you don’t have the space this may just be the post for you

Indoor growers have lots of advantages; first, they can grow any plant in any season. They can acquire intimate knowledge about their plants with the up close and personal attention of watering and adjusting the light. The plants are able to get all the needed nutrients and water in the optimal amounts. And if you have a quality light from HTGSupply.com your plants can grow at their best rate. Furthermore, plants grown indoors don’t need to compete with weeds and if you are careful your plants won’t be attacked and eaten by predatory insects like spider mites, white flies, root aphids, or others.

Growing indoors does have a few limitations; there is the cost of running the light, carbon filter, CO2 generator etc. Heat build up can be another problem. Heat can be over come by using LED or Fluorescents. Space is sometimes the most limiting factor for some people to grow indoors. In the past I suggested building a grow shelf as a way to increase your growing capabilities. While I recommended this for seedlings and cultivating cuttings you can have fruit/flowers in small spaces too.

I have lived in a few different homes and I can tell you every time I looked for a new place to live I always evaluated my choice on whether there was a good place to grow plants. I have been real lucky and I doubt many readers can buy a new home just for a nice place to grow plants. The good news is no matter where you live, if you have a closet, crawlspace or room for a shelf you can grow indoors! The smallest space should be about two feet high unless you are growing African violets, strawberries or other small plants. Fluorescents are the best for small gardens. You should have about 20 watts per square foot minimum. A T5-HO is the best but you can use any fluorescent bulb. If you do use a ‘low output’ bulb from a hardware store you need at least two four foot bulbs per foot of width minimum. The containers you use are also important. With a smaller space you will want to use a smaller container. This will limit the plants size, to the space you have.

A trick to get flowers in a small space is that if your plants get taller than the space you have, you place them horizontally, parallel to the lights. The new growth will grow up to the light and against gravity. If you are going to grow plants on their side, you may want to use plastic bags or other containers that you canput a hole in the side so  that water can drain down through the soil. I did not do this and had to take the plant out from under the light, water it, wait for the water to drain through the pot, and then put it back under the light. If you don’thave a hole on the side and don't take the pot out and saturate it you will get dry spots on the side away from the bottom which will limit plant growth.




Good Growing,
DR. E.R. Myers

There is more on growing in small spaces on the next post