Cannabis is a resilient plant but there are still things we growers do to test it’s boundaries. Sometimes, those tests end up being mistakes, which end up being valuable lessons you can share with the rest of the community. Last year, we made the mistake of growing cannabis in a wooden pot, and this blog is to give you the many reasons why. Read below and don’t make the same mistakes we did!
If you follow us on Instagram, you'll know we sponsored a grow last year in 2018 with Lucky Acres. We grew a Candida CD1 strain from Medical Marijuana Genetics outdoors in a wooden pot.
This photo is of that large pot.
It looked great in the store and we thought it would be a good idea because the wood looked pretty. If you're seeing where we're going with this and thinking "wow, you fucked up", you're totally right. This wood container had more than a few issues, but overall lots of learning opportunities, which we'll happily share with you.
Grow Mistake Number One: Heavy Weight
This pot was heavy. Not sure exactly how much, but once the soil was in there, it got hard to move. This Candida CD1 was a late bloomer, so when the weather turned and she had to be brought inside, it wasn't a walk in the park. The lesson here is to pick a much lighter container for future grows.
Grow Mistake Number Two: Misuse of Soil
To fill this monstrosity required a lot of soil. Not that soil is extremely expensive but costs add up and that could have been used for growing more than one plant rather than filling a huge container.
Grow Mistake Number Three: Poor Drainage
You think you know that air flow and drainage is critical for root health and growth but then you buy a wood pot. Unfortunately, there was limited air flow in the container which we realized in flowering stage. Also, with feeding and watering, we kept pouring stuff in but it had nowhere to go, resulting in buildup. Luckily we figured this out (albeit a little later than we would have liked) and resolved it by drilling some holes on all sides. This helped with drainage and air flow. One tip here is to put a tray underneath the pot so that water doesn't end up all over your floor after watering/feeding.
The second thing we did was get some PVC tubes and drills some holes through to create some airflow in the soil. It's important that the tubes are long enough to reach the bottom of the pot and reach a little above the top of the soil. Think of it like a snorkeling tube - this helps move air around in the pot.
All you have to do is stick these tubes straight down, evenly spaced out in the container, like in the image below, and VOILA, problem solved.
Grow Mistake Number Four: Cost
The wooden pot cost about $50 after tax. That's a lot for one container which isn't very reusable. And considering mistakes 1-3, makes it the final nail in this pot.
Conclusion
A wood pot, while it looks pretty and different is not a functional container for growing your cannabis. It’s heavy, wastes soil, has poor drainage and is expensive. Do yourself a favour and opt for an air pot or a cloth pot.
Nevertheless, Candida CD1 turned out to be alright but not smoke worthy. What’s one of the best or worst containers you’ve ever grown in?
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