For most beginners wanting to grow indoors, this is one of the first questions asked. The choice of your indoor growing containers will depend on your growing style and the final size of your plant. First and foremost, it’s all about the roots here. You want to give them the most optimum environment to absorb water and nutrients so they can grow healthy, bigger and more potent.
If you are a first-timer growing indoors, experts recommend you start out small. Many use a Solo cup sized container to start seedlings. This smaller size assists in hand watering, helping you avoid the mistake of overwatering. If you lose a few plants, you have the option of starting over without losing your entire crop. If using the Solo cup method, once the leaves reach the sides of the cup, it’s time to transplant to a larger container.
Some beginners and many more experienced growers choose to plant in a larger container right from the start to avoid any problems often associated with transplanting. When choosing a transplant pot or an initial growing pot, always consider the final size of your plant and its produce. Here are some guidelines:
Plant height
12”
24”
36”
48”
60”
Container size
2-3 gallons
3-5 gallons
6-8 gallons
8-10 gallons
12+ gallons
As mentioned above, your container can be as simple as a Solo cup to more advanced hydroponic growing containers. Here’s a breakdown of the most commonly used growing pots.
Container with saucer
Reasonably priced and found nearly everywhere home goods are sold, these standard flower pots are usually plastic or terracotta. Be sure to find ones with holes already drilled at the bottom for drainage into the accompanying saucer.
Smart pots
Also called fabric pots or grow bags, these easy to store containers help prevent plants from becoming root-bound as they air- prune the roots automatically. They are resistant to overwatering but the cloth construction also dries plant soil out quicker. Because water leaks out the sides, smart pots/fabric pots may not be suitable for all grow rooms.
Air pots
These pots are usually plastic with holes on the side to make use of the same air-pruning characteristics of smart pots. They are sturdier in nature, but also have a tendency to leak water and dry out soil.
Hempy Buckets
A kind of manual hydroponic system, these containers have drainage holes a few centimeters above the bottom, leaving space for important nutrients to gather.
After selecting the containers you want to use in your growroom, check out GrowFloor® to protect your subfloor from leaking pots and water damage. Our revolutionary grow room flooring is premium polyvinyl that resists water, abrasions, scratches and tears. GrowFloor is anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and UV-resistant, helping you create a sterile, lab-like environment for plants to flourish. Ideal for beginners and DIY growers because it’s easy to install and maintain, our flooring is slip-resistant and comfortable to stand on, too. GrowFloor is green (repositionable, reusable, recyclable), so you’ll grow more green with less time and money!